Root Vegetable

This recipe is an accompaniment for Broiled Polenta Sticks .

This simple Chinese preparation enhances the briny flavor of cockles. If cockles are hard to find in your area, you can substitute other small hard-shelled clams (though steaming time will vary with the type and size).

Warm spices, a little olive oil, and less than an hour in the oven transform familiar fall vegetables into a terrific side dish for roasted leg of lamb.

What to drink: Syrah (or Shiraz, as it's called if Australian), or any medium-bodied, fruity red wine.

Also called sunchokes, Jerusalem artichokes are actually the roots of a variety of sunflower, but their sweet, nutty flavor is reminiscent of artichokes. What to drink: Unoaked Chardonnay from France (think Chablis) or New Zealand.

Use the grating disk of a food processor to grate the beets more easily.

Heat leftover apple cider with a cinnamon stick on the stove top. It makes a great warm drink—and instant aromatherapy.

This bouillabaisse-style chowder has a delicate broth and whole fish fillets.

Try this refreshing drink on a sizzling-hot summer day. Add a splash of aquavit (we like Linie brand), then serve on the rocks with a parsley sprig, and you have a Norwegian Mary. As with any fresh-squeezed juice, this is best served the day it's made.

The secret to this dish is perfectly golden garlic. Pale garlic won't crisp properly while cooling, whereas overcooked garlic will be bitter.

Inspired by Eat Drink Man Woman A retired master chef in contemporary Taiwan makes elaborate Sunday dinners for his three increasingly uninterested daughters in this 1994 film. While the women carry on their busy lives, the chef discovers he is losing his sense of taste and finds solace in a new love.

Tony Kerum's deliciously satisfying version of Croatian moussaka — featuring potatoes in place of the more traditional eggplant — keeps film crews well fed.

Pommes allumettes There are two temptations in this recipe that you need to resist: Do not use a small pot for frying the potatoes — the oil will bubble up and overflow, which is extremely dangerous. And do not try to cook the potatoes in fewer than 6 batches or they won't get crisp enough. Because the timing for this menu can be complicated, we recommend that you make the potatoes ahead. They are just as delicious at room temperature as they are when hot.

Diane Semrad Anderson of Louisville, Kentucky, writes: "This is a peasant dish inspired by my Bohemian grandmother, who used her own homemade sausage in a similar creation. It is simple and delicious."

Inspired by Jamón Jamón In a desolate area of Spain, the fortunes of two families become intertwined through sex and a mutual longing for acceptance. In this 1992 black comedy, ham becomes a metaphor for life and death.