Saute

A long cooking time for collard greens is a southern tradition. We sliver ours, then sauté them only for 1 minute, which renders them crisp-tender but allows the greens to keep their color and full flavor.

Pea shoots are the tender, leafy branch tips of edible pea plants (not to be confused with flowering sweet peas, which are poisonous). There are huge variations in taste among shoots from different varieties, but the sweetest are those from edible podded peas.

If venison isn't for you, beef tenderloin is a good alternative (see cooks' note, below). Because beef is not as dense and rich as venison, the portions are slightly larger (cooking times and temperatures will also be different).

Refried beans are typically made from pinto beans, but black beans work well, too. Add a dab of sour cream if you crave a little richness.

Noël McAlpine of Dallas, Texas, writes: "When I was in Florence for a business conference, I had the pleasure of dining at Trattoria Garga. I really enjoyed the scaloppine al carciofi (veal cutlets with artichokes) and would like to add the recipe to my collection."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Sichuan cooking is popular throughout China, and in recent years, adventurous Chinese restaurant diners have discovered how delicious it can be. This is one of the best known dishes from that area.

I like using Israeli couscous for this dish, although pearl barley may be substituted. This couscous is quite starchy and should be rinsed after cooking.

Smothering is a Cajun cooking term that refers to browning anything from meat to vegetables in oil, then braising it in a small amount of liquid, tightly covered, until tender.

The corn coulis also pairs nicely with pork tenderloin, shrimp, or grilled chicken. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 45 min

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Japanese bread crumbs, called panko , give these cakes a light, crisp coating. Panko is sold at Asian markets and can often be found in the seafood section of large supermarkets. But if it's unavailable, plain dry bread crumbs are an acceptable substitute.

Spaghetti stands in for rice in this version of the Spanish favorite.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 30 min