Blender

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This romesco-style sauce is good on grilled fish or vegetables as well as burgers.

Sopa de Camarones con Chile Pasilla Fried pasilla chile strips add an alluring crunch and intense caramelized flavor.

This silky puree can be made one day ahead. What to drink: That's easy — offer guests Irish ale throughout the meal.

This recipe was created to accompany <epi:recipelink id="14144">Camarones Adobados a La Parrilla (Grilled Shrimp with Ancho Pasilla Sauce).</epi:recipelink> Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

Made with yogurt instead of cream, this pureed soup is deceptively light. The green apple peels, thinly sliced and fried, make a delicious garnish.

I use a small, plump, shrewdly marketed black lentil dubbed "beluga" for this soup, but you can use dark green French lentils or flat olive-green ones, or you can try other pulses such as split peas — green, orange, or gold. Just be prepared to adjust the amount of stock or water. Whole cumin and black peppercorns, crushed just before you add them to the soup, flavor it boldly. I have served this soup three different ways — straight from the pot, irregularly mashed in a mortar, and fully puréed in a blender or processor. Each method produces a different texture and character, and I like all three.

Fresh pumpkin or squash puree is always delicious but not nearly as handy as canned pumpkin.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

This variation on the classic chilled leek and potato soup includes a cucumber-chive puree, which adds a refreshing and flavorful twist.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Don't waste your time looking for green peas in this recipe. In Jamaica, you'll often hear kidney beans called peas. Locals consume "rice and peas" so frequently that some people say it should be on the nation's coat of arms. In this version — which Lezlene Brown, a cook at a villa in Ocho Rios, serves to guests and family — the Scotch bonnet chile is there to contribute only the merest hint of heat and to amplify the flavors of the other ingredients.

What to drink: Hagafen 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley (kosher) or Brancott Vineyards 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.