Seafood

Flounder Rolls with Herbed Butter Filling

This Portuguese classic cooked in the style of the Ribatejo region, consists of pork and shellfish in a red wine sauce. The recipe comes from Antonio's restaurant, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they accompany the stew with fried potatoes.

The following antipasto is based on an octopus and cannellini salad served at La Baraonda in Florence.

Fideua con Láminas de Sepia Salteadas Fideos are a vermicelli-style noodle, sold in nests, that comes in several thicknesses. For this delicate dish, it's important to use the thinnest fideos possible, cabello de ángel (angel hair). Cuttlefish (sepia), a marine cephalopod of the same family as octopus and squid, is widely available throughout northern Spain; fresh squid is much easier to get in this country, however.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s."

Collen Healey of Denver, Colorado, writes: "During my visit to the Myrtle Beach area last summer, some locals recommended that I go to Flo's Place for the best shrimp po'boy ever. They were right!" Ground saltine crackers would work in place of cracker meal.

Cele Bullis of Gainesville, Georgia, writes: "My husband and I recently went to a restaurant in Alpharetta, Georgia, called Vinny's on Windward. He ordered a pasta entrée with lobster and cream sauce and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd love to make the dish for him. Can you get the recipe?" This can be prepared with 20 ounces of large raw shrimp instead of lobster, if you like. Peel and devein the shrimp, then sauté uncovered in butter until opaque in center, about three minutes. Cut each shrimp lengthwise in half.

This dish bursts with flavor yet is so simple to prepare. Adjust the heat by adding the curry paste to taste.

Portobellos make this simple dish shine. It's from Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook written with Andrew Friedman (Broadway Books). Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Sopa de Camarones con Chile Pasilla Fried pasilla chile strips add an alluring crunch and intense caramelized flavor.

Shrimp or sea scallops would also work well in this recipe. Serve with: Grilled plum tomatoes, herbed orzo salad, and grilled French bread.