Side

Familiar sides meet in a fresh, colorful salad.

"While driving along the California coast, we stopped at River's End, in Jenner," say Susan and Malcolm Duncan of Waco, Texas. "The fennel slaw was addictive, and we're not even fennel people. Do you think you could get the recipe?"

This recipe for potatoes cooked with whole, unpeeled garlic cloves has been a favorite of Tante Marie's students ever since it was taught to us by Judith Olney. The secret is to cook the potatoes and garlic in plenty of olive oil so the garlic doesn't burn. Serve this dish with roasted chicken or a chicken sauté.

Toni and Lee Marteney of Kula, Maui, Hawaii, write: "Even though we live on Maui, where there are many fantastic restaurants, my husband and I always look forward to our trips to the mainland so we can eat at our favorite Southern California restaurant, Walt's Wharf in Seal Beach. All the food is superb and beautifully presented, but we always look forward to sharing the delicious grilled artichoke appetizer." The artichokes can be steamed in advance and thrown on the grill just before serving, which makes them perfect for entertaining.

For those who prefer macaroni and cheese with a greater ratio of crunchy topping to creamy center, we suggest dividing the macaroni and cheese between two 3-quart shallow baking dishes and doubling the topping recipe, dividing it between the baking dishes.

This recipe makes great use of the tough outer leaves of romaine, which are often discarded.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

We decided to use sweetened flaked coconut rather than fresh coconut for this recipe because it not only saves time but enhances the overall flavor of the dish, adding a touch of subtle sweetness. Soaking the basmati rice strengthens the grains to prevent the rice from breaking down during cooking.

Inspired by the classic Sicilian winter salad of blood oranges and fennel.

Root vegetables have always been popular in Scandinavia because they store well during the long winter months and are therefore available year-round.

Freshly ground pepper makes all the difference in this simple recipe.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 40 min

This salad is wonderfully refreshing even without purslane, but if you can find the green at your produce market, it's worth using for the nice crunch it adds. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

My mother learned to cook this bread during the Depression, when nothing was wasted — especially overripe bananas. We clamored for this treat so often that she frequently bought extra bananas and let them get almost black. I've discovered that overripe bananas can be peeled, mashed, and frozen, then defrosted whenever I want to bake up this memory.