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Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr This recipe, which accompanied our 1954 article on Tunisia, called for what were then two very exotic ingredients. One, the granular pasta called couscous, is now commonplace in supermarkets across America. The other, dried rose petals, is available by mail order.

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.

Making chipotle vinegar is about as difficult as making a cup of tea. It is a fantastic tool to have in your repertoire when you want to add acidity with smoke in one easy pour. Use it in your favorite salads or anywhere you want to add smokiness. This recipe is a component of Tamarind Barbecued Duck with Smoky Plantain Crema .

There are generally two kinds of wheat berries available at natural foods stores: hard (high-protein), which are reddish brown, and soft (low-protein), which are blond. We prefer the chewiness of the hard variety for this recipe. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This recipe is an accompaniment for Boca Negra Chocolate Chipotle Cakes .

The classic Hungarian dish relies on sour cream both to thicken the sauce and to balance the heat of the paprika.

If you can't find one type of the greens for this recipe, you can either increase the other two kinds proportionally or substitute kale and/or chard.

Canela, a Latin American cousin of cinnamon, is a leading player in this sauce. Once used by affluent Romans in love potions and perfumes, the spice, derived from the inner bark of a tropical evergreen, is hugely popular in New World cuisine, in everything from soups to desserts. This recipe is a component of Grill-Roasted Rack of Lamb in Red Mole .

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This recipe originally accompanied Goan Curried Clams .

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At fenix restaurant in The Argyle hotel in Los Angeles, chef Ken Frank layers the ice cream with spice cake, then tops it with the rum-spiked bananas.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin making these frozen treats at least one day before serving.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, on the tiny island of Ventotene off the coast of Naples, 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." This rich dessert is called a semifreddo ("half frozen") in Italian.

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

Arroz con Leche Mexican cooks prefer Ceylon cinnamon, a less pungent variety than the cassia cinnamon sold in U.S. markets. In Latin American markets, it will simply be labeled canela (Spanish for "cinnamon"). In supermarkets or specialty foods stores, look for Ceylon or Sri Lanka cinnamon.