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Spicy Chopped Eggplant and Mushrooms in Lettuce Packages
A vegetarian takeoff on the classic Chinese minced squab dish. Chopped raw vegetables, not fried noodles, add crunch.
Baked Radicchio and Herbed Goat Cheese
Serve this appetizer with crusty bread and enjoy.
Hard-Boiled Egg, Roquefort, and Scallion Dip
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Spicy Gazpacho
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.
Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Capers and Red Onion Relish
For a nice presentation, garnish the plates with thin cucumber slices, watercress sprigs and some radishes.
Lobster Salad with Curried Mango Dressing
When you want to put on the "dog" but not the fat, try this colorful salad.
Bruschetta with White Beans, Tomatoes and Olives
A terrific appetizer for parties.
Spaghetti Syracuse Style
Syracuse, the beautiful port city on the Ionian Sea, has a cuisine that is marked by highly aromatic combinations of vegetables and seafood. This pasta recipe is a distinctive example.
Goat Cheese Toasts
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe
In Apulia, women still make pasta at home. Their favorite pasta shape - and the symbol of the region - is arecchiette, or "little ears". Called recchie or recchietelle in the local dialect, orecchiette is eaten just about daily, but is prepared a different way in almost every village. The sauces for this whimsical pasta are straightforward and usually contain vegetables, beans or legumes. This recipe is one of the most basic.
Fennel and Watercress Salad
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.