Leafy Greens

Danny Toma of Naples, Italy, writes: "As an expatriate southerner working in Italy, I created this recipe to combine my Mississippi roots with my temporary Italian home." This recipe makes a large quantity of pesto. Use half the pesto for 1 pound of cooked pasta and chill the rest in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Coarse kosher salt — or any other coarse salt — will add texture and enhance the flavor of the meat. Serve with: Oven-roasted new potatoes, thin green beans, and a crusty baguette.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Braising the cabbage in cider gives it a light but distinct apple flavor.

Start this easy Greek-style meal with a refreshing salad of tomatoes, cucumber, chopped red onion and Kalamata olives tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Drizzle orange sections with ouzo, the Greek anise-flavored liqueur, to wind it up.

Note: To slice the cucumber in the following recipe into a paper-thin spiral, we used a Japanese rotary device known as the Benriner vegetable slicer.

Grated roasted beets lend interest here.

Miso, a fermented soybean paste, can be found in Asian markets, specialty foods stores and in the Asian section of most supermarkets. It is usually sold in plastic tubs and has a long shelf life.

Begin making the coleslaw two days ahead and the whitefish one day ahead. Pour a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir with dinner.

Here is a beautiful and inventive salad that combines hearty beets, sweet-tart plums and tangy goat cheese.