Crab

A narrow strip of land at the southwestern tip of India, the state of Kerala is interlaced with a network of lagoons, canals, lakes, and rivers. Peddlers sell fish from these waters and other food by boat along the canals. This curry is styled after the ones these boatmen cook for themselves. It incorporates many ingredients of the Kerala kitchen: black peppercorns, fiery red chiles, mustard seeds, and the ubiquitous coconut. In India they toss about 20 fresh curry leaves into the kettle along with the onion, garlic, gingerroot, chiles, and peppercorns. These aromatic leaves can be difficult to find in the U.S., but if you locate some, by all means use them.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Pasta, a recent addition to the Irish culinary repertoire, is fast becoming a favorite. At Longueville House in Mallow, Ireland, ravioli is taken to refined heights in this dish, which is served as an appetizer. They make it with large rounds of homemade pasta, but store-bought gyoza wrappers are a good substitute.

Accompany these with your favorite purchased or homemade tartar sauce.

Here's another terrific creation from Hotel Hana-Maui in Maui, Hawaii.

Because these crab cakes are made with lots of crab meat and not much filler, they require gentle handling during cooking, but the results are well worth the extra effort. At the restaurant '21' the chef makes decorative squiggles with the chili mayonnaise using a plastic squeeze-bottle of the type used for ketchup at hot dog stands.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

Market tip: Go for Dungenesse crab from the Pacific coast or blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coast.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Try not to break up the large lumps of crabmeat, because the salad looks best when the fresh, white meat stands out.

You can make the crab mixture and beet purée ahead of time, but don’t assemble these hors d'oeuvres until just before serving or the apple slices will discolor.

A strata can be refrigerated overnight before being baked, so it's perfect for entertaining.

If you can, buy fresh shrimp with shells and heads still intact. If the heads have been removed, don't worry. Peel the shrimp and use the shells to make shrimp stock. Put the shells (and heads) in a small stockpot. Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine sieve, and set aside. If you don't have shrimp stock, water can be substituted.

These crab-stuffed mushrooms are a longtime favorite at Phillips. Tip: Use a melon baller to scoop out the mushroom stems.