Asparagus

Allen Susser is the man behind Chef Allen's, a favorite special-occasion restaurant near Miami. (He is also a cookbook author, has his own line of sauces, puts out a newsletter and has a Web site—www.chefallen.com.) Calling his food New World Cuisine, Susser uses an international repertoire of cooking techniques to prepare dishes with the best local ingredients. His focus on simple but powerful flavors shows in this dish.

In this preparation, orzo is treated like risotto, which produces richer flavors and a creamier texture — with almost no stirring.

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.

Though penne is Faith Heller Willinger's pasta of choice for this dish, we tried other types—such as mafalde (broad, rippled noodles similar to lasagna noodles but not quite as wide)—and found they work well, too.

Accompany this dish with a salad of baby lettuces and sliced sweet onion- such as Vidalia or Maui- and some seeded breadsticks. End with chocolate frozen yogurt drizzled with coffee liqueur or chocolate sauce.

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

Here's a rich, creamy pasta from chef Cory Mattson of the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

When you want to put on the "dog" but not the fat, try this colorful salad.

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast."

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

White asparagus has a delicate flavor that works especially well with our truffle vinaigrette, but try the dish with green asparagus, too.

The asparagus and orange segments are arranged in a sunburst pattern on a large platter, with baby greens and sliced red onion in the center.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.