Leafy Greens

An inviting first course would be grilled or roasted vegetables tossed with olive oil and arranged on a platter with olives and spicy peppers. Buy some tiramisu for dessert.

A great combination of flavors that makes an elegant first course--for brunch or for dinner. The timbales need to be chilled overnight, so begin preparing this dish a day before serving.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Start with grilled country bread spread with olive paste, or olivada, available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets. Or puree pitted, black, brine-cured olive oil in a processor.

Make the salad in a clear glass bowl to show off the colors. Pass some purchased red wine vinaigrette or buttermilk dressing alongside.

Irish chefs are gifted at making something special out of the simplest ingredients. This pretty side dish is a good example.

This creamy dressing is also terrific over chilled steamed vegetables.

The deep hollow created by emptying the bread is filled with lots of goodies, and this becomes a deep-dish pizza.

Good as the centerpiece of a meatless meal.

When Roy Yamaguchi invited me to cook at the 5th Anniversary celebration of his Oahu restaurant, I wanted to bring him something special from my neck of the woods and decided to attempt to transport soft-shelled crabs. I say "attempt" because soft-shells are very delicate and I wasn't sure they'd survive the long trip to Hawaii. Happily, of the 10 dozen live ones we packed up, about 8 dozen were still kicking when we got to our destination. I served them with simple accompaniments like wilted spinach and a crushed summer tomato vinaigrette. If you like using breaded soft-shell crabs, use panko, which will help maintain the visual character of the fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

There is no oil in this most original salad.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires addtional sitting time. Serve this salad as a fiery first course for an Asian-style entrée such as a stir-fry, or use it as a side dish for grilled chicken or fish.