Potato

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Todd English — the chef/owner of Olives and the four Figs restaurants, all in and around Boston — was named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. He's also the author of two cookbooks. For his "clambake" extravaganza, you'll need a grill with a lid.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The combination of dried porcini and fresh crimini mushrooms gives this dish an intensely earthy flavor.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In the following recipe, scalloped potatoes, often soaked with cream and cheese, are combined with parsnips and cooked with broth and low-fat milk instead. Though lighter, they are still delicious.

Sephardic Jews from Turkey, Greece, Morocco, and other countries of the Mediterranean region say seven special blessings over seven different symbolic foods at their Rosh Hashanah dinner. Five of these blessings are over vegetables — apples (candied or dipped in sugar or honey), leeks, beet greens or spinach, dates, and zucchini or squash. These blessings symbolize their hopes for the New Year. Many of these Jews trace their ancestors back to Spain, which is called Sepharad in the Bible. Over the centuries, the Sephardic Jews took advantage of the abundance of vegetables available in the Mediterranean countries, often throughout the year. Among these vegetables are sweet potatoes and squash, great favorites of my family. The special blessing you can say over your sweet potatoes and squash at the beginning of your Rosh Hashanah dinner goes like this: Yehi ratzon mi-le-faneha Adonai Eloheinu ve-lo-hei avoteinu she-tik-rah ro-a gezar dinenu ve-yi-karehu lefa-neha za-hee-yo-teinu. May it be thy will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that you should tear up any evil decree and let only our merits be read before You.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

One of the very best things about this stew is its practical nature: If you blanch the vegetables, boil the potatoes, and make the infused broth a day ahead, this dish takes only 15 minutes to cook.

Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish of veal shanks simmered in a pungent tomato sauce and topped with gremolata. Ming Tsai's clever version is made with fish.

This recipe is an accompaniment for epi:recipeLink id="10953">Lobster Potpies Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

<p>This recipe originally accompanied <epi:recipeLink id"100941">Roasted Pousins with Cumin and Lemon</epi:recipeLink>.</p> <p>You can roast these potatoes along with the poussins. Simply put them into the upper third of the oven about 10 minutes before the birds go in. Then move the potatoes to the lower third of the oven so that the birds can fit in the upper third, and roast them about 45 minutes more.</p>

Fish from the Mediterranean waters is put to a variety of uses in Tunisian cuisine, and a simple soup such as this one of the most common. It's flavored with an appealing blend of herbs, spices and citrus.

This is a nice starter for brunch or supper. It can be made a day ahead and rewarmed before serving.