Saute

Here's a rich, creamy pasta from chef Cory Mattson of the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Finish off this meal with some cookies from the bakery and fresh fruit.

Easy to prepare and impressive to serve, this dish is perfect for an impromptu week-night dinner party.

A little pork goes a long way in this Chinese dinner. Chicken breast can be used as a substitute for the pork. Chinese crepes are available frozen in most Asian markets, but easy-to-find tortillas work, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ask your butcher to remove the backbones from the racks to make carving easier. If the lamb has not been trimmed, cut off the outer layer of fat and about two inches of the fat between the bones (the bones will be exposed); this technique is called "Frenching." Begin preparing the lamb a day before serving to allow time for marinating.

Good accompaniments to this Sicilian-style pasta are an arugula and fig salad, breadsticks, and gelato with amaretti.

Unlike most tamal recipes, which use dried corn (masa harina), this one is Cuban-style, made with fresh corn kernels. I've also added a different touch by replacing the traditional pork filling with conch. The flavor and texture proved very popular at Yuca, and it remained on the menu as a fixture. These tamales are very convenient for entertaining. They can be made ahead of time and frozen, or kept in the refrigerator and then popped in the microwave. In fact, it's not worth making a smaller batch, so you'll probably want to freeze some of them. Likewise, the pesto can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

Serve this dish, from chef Matthew Reichel, with potato pancakes or rice pilaf.

Broccoflower, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, looks like green cauliflower and has a milder flavor than broccoli.

This pasta celebrates the month of September, when tomatoes are truly in full season and just exploding. It's our favorite take on pasta al pomodoro.

This soup stands on its own as a main course when paired with a green salad and some crusty bread.

Parmesan isn't usually served with seafood pasta, but the cheese adds a nice richness to this linguine.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min When we think of fall fruits, persimmons are all too often forgotten — but they're wonderful. Here, they make a salsa-like chutney that's perfect for lamb chops.

Puréeing the corn with low-fat milk gives the soup a creamy texture. Serve it as a starter or as a light main course with a green salad and crusty bread.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Clams in an oil and garlic sauce are found all over Spain but are especially good in Andalusia, where tiny bean clams are used. Cockles, Manila clams, and small littlenecks work well, too. Serve plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.