Shiitake Mushroom

Cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, and lots of fresh mint accent the salad. Offer chilled beer or a fruity white wine alongside.

Rick Rodgers, cookbook author and teacher, says, "When planning my holiday menu, I'm always sure to include a green vegetable for its bright color and clean flavor, and this year that vegetable is going to be broccoli. But it's not enough to serve it plain or too simply, because that's not what a big-time food fest like Thanksgiving is all about. So I decided to add a luxury ingredient—porcini mushrooms. Now that makes an ordinary vegetable extraordinary."

Le Cirque's elegant take on roast chicken.

An easy and innovative first-course salad.

Making risotto is often thought to be an ordeal of stirring, but it really only takes about 20 minutes. In actuality, it's an easy dish, especially when it's the main course.

These bruschette from the cookbook Simple to Spectacular by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman (Broadway Books), look both simple and beautiful. Each is topped with an array of mushrooms—shiitake, cremini, and chanterelle —that is set off by fresh tarragon. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

In addition to the shiitake mushrooms called for here, look for morels, porcini or even button mushrooms, all of which are available during late spring early summer months.

The following recipe calls for semiboneless quail. This means that the rib cage and backbone have been removed, but the wings and legs are left intact.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Make this intriguing sauce ahead, then just heat it up while the pasta cooks.

Creamy mascarpone cheese and pureed roasted pumpkin are blended with just a delicious touch of cinnamon to make an interesting sauce for the fettuccine starter. Uncork a Dolcetto.

Add the grated peel from half an orange to the dressing if you want a more intense orange flavor in the salad.