Starter

A simple way to prepare artichokes, whether they are then to be stuffed and cooked whole, or cut up and cooked as a component in a dish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Pour a chilled dry Gewürztraminer to accompany the salad and offer crusty bread throughout dinner.

A sophisticated yet simple dip that is wonderful with toast triangles, crackers or some assorted raw vegetables.

Clearly this is an Italian soup. Biete is Swiss chard, usually green, although I have a fondness for the drama and beefy taste of the red-stemmed kind.

A twist on the traditional sauce for raw oysters. It works well with steamed clams, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Phyllo-wrapped goat cheese gives this salad served at Un Grand Café in Chicago, Illinois, an elegant touch.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(BAGNA CAUDA) The name of this warm dip of melted butter, olive oil, anchovies and garlic means "hot bath." It is usually accompanied by raw vegetables. Pour a dry white Arneis or a Gavi with this.

Lavash, a Middle Eastern flatbread, comes in a variety of sizes and textures, from crisp rectangular crackers to large folded pliable rounds. It is the latter called for here. To form the lavash into cups, you'll need a pan with 12 mini-muffin (1/8-cup) molds, each about 1 3/4 inches across the top and 3/4 inch deep. Caponata is a piquant Sicilian dish of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, and capers, generously laced with olive oil; this variation is much lighter-and contains no added fat-because it omits the oil, anchovies, and olives.

This soup has the classic flavors of a baked potato topped with sour cream and chives. It would be perfect as a starter to a meal of steak and salad, or terrific teamed with crusty bread for lunch.

Little polenta "tarts" are filled with tomatoes, pine nuts, and blue cheese, then popped into the oven until the cheese melts.