Saute

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.

"Before we got married, my husband, Gregg, and I were working at a small restaurant, and it kept us ridiculously busy," writes Anita L. S. Eberhardt of Beverly, Massachusetts. "Now that we have both left the restaurant business, we have a much saner schedule, although raising two kids certainly keeps us busy. My experience as a professional cook makes it easier for me to throw together a quick meal, which is good because I'm not a convenience-food mom: I try to limit fat and salt, emphasize fruits and vegetables, and use a minimum of prepared foods." Serve with rice to soak up the flavorful sauce.

You also can use this sauce with small ravioli or crescent-shaped agnolotti filled with pumpkin, cheese, or meat.

"I recently took out-of-town guests to Zarela in Manhattan for an authentic Mexican meal," writes Kelly Sfarra of Hawthorne, New York. "Everything was fantastic, but the shrimp with chipotle chilies was especially memorable. Can you please get the recipe?" After a trip to Veracruz, Mexico, chef Zarela Martínez came up with this dish, which is called camarones enchipotlados at the restaurant. A bowl of rice and some warm corn tortillas would be great with the spicy, smoky shrimp.

Veracruz-style mixed seafood is the centerpiece of a festive meal that's rounded out with rice and vegetables. To present it as pictured, mound the seafood salad over the Mexican Rice and surround with the Tricolor Vegetable Sauté . A piquant dressing is drizzled over the seafood and mixed into the rice.

Serve with: Potato and green bean salad.

Offer crusty bread to dip into the wonderful broth. What to drink: A crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from California or ice-cold pale ale.

Pairing chick-peas and Swiss chard is nothing new—Armenians have been doing it for generations. But with great tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon, this quick vegetable stew is as fresh as summer. If you can’t find Swiss chard, spinach is an authentic substitute.

Round out the main course with leaves of romaine lettuce topped with purchased guacamole and salsa; also offer rice pilaf. For dessert, spoon Kahlùa and chocolate sauce over coffee ice cream.

Great served as a side dish with roast chicken, pork chops or veal chops.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 9 1/2 hr (includes chilling) The potatoes in this recipe are chilled after boiling to get them very firm so they won't fall apart when you slice and sauté them. Some of our editors think chilling also helps the potatoes develop a better-browned crust when sautéing.

The chile-tamarind sauce is a refined, complex variation on classic satay sauce, which is traditionally thickened with peanuts. This rendition owes its silky texture to mashed kabocha squash. At Arun's, this is served both as an appetizer and as a main course.

"My wife, Jean, and I run a coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii," writes George Fike of Keauhou Mauka, Hawaii. "I really love to cook, so we entertain a lot, and I enjoy planning the dinners as much as I do making them. I tell people the best restaurant in town is our house! Since I do most of the cooking, recipes must either be relatively fast or look after themselves." This recipe is an accompaniment for Hawaiian-Style Braised Pork with Stir-Fried Cabbage .

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

The sautéed fennel and carrots is an excellent accompaniment to these chops. Boiled potatoes and sautéed greens would also be a good match.