Root Vegetable

While staying at the Hotel Villa Flori, which overlooks Italy's Lake Como, I had an outstanding pasta with a chunky pesto sauce," says Patty Owens of Walnut Creek, California. "Is there any chance the chef would share the recipe?" This pesto sauce includes walnuts, a variation on the classic recipe. To give the dish a creamy quality, add some of the pasta cooking water to the sauce.

Chinese egg noodles are at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

If you're bored with corn on the cob, this is an excellent way to use fresh corn. The fritters alone would also be delicious for breakfast, topped with maple syrup, or as a side dish for a ham dinner.

Lemongrass lends a delicate flavor to this simple roast chicken from Market. Begin marinating the chicken one day ahead.

Try a green salad with Champagne vinaigrette on the side, and some dinner rolls. Serve miniature fruit-filled pastries after.

Chlodnik Polish cooks serve this soup (pronounced "hu-WOHD-neek") as a cooling first course for summer meals. It's a delicious alternative to gazpacho.

"I attended a function that featured wonderful hors d'oeuvres—among them, spicy black bean cakes—from chef Matthias Radits of The Breakers in Palm Beach," writes Ruth Acteson of Lantana, Florida. "Do you suppose he would share his recipe?" The chef serves these little cakes with a mango-avocado salsa, but a purchased salsa would make a fine substitute.

Jerk seasoning — here a spicy blend of garlic, onion, chiles, thyme, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon, though recipes vary — originated in Jamaica and is traditionally used on pork and chicken. Because the jerk marinade can burn easily, the chicken requires slow cooking on the grill, which also helps keep the meat moist.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Seafood Salad with Collard Greens Slaw .

If there were just one stock I'd encourage you to make, this is it. Why? Because it is the foundation of more soups and sauces than any other stock I use. For this recipe, you'll need a large stockpot, a colander, and a fine-mesh strainer (or a colander lined with cheesecloth). This recipe is a component of Grill-Roasted Rack of Lamb in Red Mole and Tamarind Barbecued Duck with Smoky Plantain Crema .

Steaming, a method often used by Asian cooks, works well with delicately flavored red snapper, since the aromatics (ginger, scallion, chile) are easily absorbed by the fish.

This custard makes a perfect one-dish brunch, lunch, or supper, especially when paired with a green salad. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr