Simmer

We've substituted the florets of regular broccoli for broccoli rabe, since they are more readily available. Use rabe if you can find it at your market; it will lend a stronger, more authentic flavor to the dish.

Top this homey dessert with green grapes and orange slices for a pretty presentation.

Start with hearts of romaine topped with balsamic dressing and diced feta cheese, and pass whole grain bread. Have chocolate cupcakes afterward.

Purchase a roasted turkey leg or whole chicken at your market. This is also a great use for leftover turkey.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The juices from any roast—poultry or meat—caramelize in the pan, leaving a residue of brown glaze with intense flavor. In the process called "deglazing," we melt these brown bits in hot liquid (wine, stock, and/or water), to create a quick sauce of concentrated natural essences. Make this pan sauce for either of our roast chickens.

GELATO DI MELONE

This recipe is an accompaniment for Mascarpone Cheesecake with Quince Compote .

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 4 1/4 hr (includes making stock and rouille)

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 12 hr (includes chilling)

Spoon these cherries over ice cream or pound cake, or serve them topped with whipped cream and biscotti.

We thought of this dish as a main course for lunch, but it would also be great for dinner, particularly with grilled steak. (Serves four as a starter or side dish.)

This is like a frozen mousse, which helps explain its name: semifreddo, or "half-frozen." Start preparation a day ahead.

The word mash means mung bean in Farsi and Farsi-related languages like Azeri and Tajik, as well as in Turkic languages such as Uzbek and Uighur. The word kichiri is like the Hindi word kitchri, a name for rice dishes made by cooking rice together with other ingredients. (The British took the idea and the name and turned it into "kedgeree.") We like this satisfying meal-in-one stew we learned in Tajikistan. Potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes give variety of taste and texture to the main event, a spiced combination of mung beans (yellow dal) and long-grain rice. Mashkichiri is quick and easy to prepare once the mung beans have soaked, and all too easy to eat in large quantities when accompanied by plenty of yogurt. Serve it as a simple meal in one, or serve with kebabs and a side dish of something crunchy, like sliced cucumbers or radishes, or Persian pickled radish. The winter version of this dish would have no tomatoes, and would use more carrots and onions instead. Winters in Central Asia are harsh, and there are few fresh vegetables to be had. Root vegetables, which can be stored and used when other vegetables are available, aren't an important part of the winter diet.