Leafy Greens

Serve these pastries as the first course of a special-occasion supper — maybe with a bottle of chilled Champagne.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin by offering crisp breadsticks with roasted red peppers, black olives and marinated artichoke hearts on a bed of arugula. Follow the stew with apple pie.

Fermented soybean paste-called miso-is the key ingredient here.

Here, lamb chops are presented atop a salad that was inspired by the flavors of Sardinia. A perfect first course or a light main course.

Serve with: Steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes. Dessert: Baked apples.

Unfortunately, beets are not on the top-ten list of favorite foods for many people. Most people hate them because they've only eaten them boiled or canned, but I was fortunate enough to try the real thing at an early age. So they're on my top-ten list, and this recipe might just be a great way to get them on yours. The roasting brings out the sweetness and intensifies the depth of flavor that is lost when you boil. Once you roast a beet, you'll never go back. Don't throw away the beet greens: braise or sauté them if they are large, or add them to salad greens if they are small. The rich, thick Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing is also great on burgers or grilled portobello mushrooms or mixed into greens.

It’s unclear just who the Louis of Crab Louis salad fame was; perhaps he was affiliated with the Olympic Club in Seattle, where opera star Enrico Caruso, who visited there in 1904, is said to have fallen in love with the crab salad. San Francisco also claims the dish, which reached its zenith there in the teens, as a specialty at Solari’s restaurant and at the St. Francis Hotel.

These sandwiches make a savory lunch or, served with a bowl of soup, a perfect Sunday supper. We prefer Madras curry powder for this recipe because its subtle, sweet flavor complements the apple and cheese particularly well.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

A tangy feta and yogurt sauce is the perfect foil for these fresh-tasting latkes. They make a nice starter for a party of ten.

Rich and decadent, these are a surefire way to please a crowd. Use mushrooms that are slightly larger than bite-size because they will shrink a little when cooked. The mushrooms can be prepared the day before and then baked prior to serving.