Dutch Oven

This hearty soup is served at Belvedere Mansion in Staatsburg, New York.

The name for this beautiful Bordelais dish is mouclade. Use small mussels to approximate the tiny, sweet variety cultivated just off the coast north of Bordeaux. What to drink: Baron Philippe de Rothschild 2000 Mouton Cadet Blanc.

Here is an almost effortless soup. Everything goes into the pot at once, and the finished dish is just the thing on a cold winter day.

The combination of ricotta, Parmesan and goat cheese and porcini and shiitake mushrooms makes this classic dish new again. Offer red wine throughout dinner and Italian ice cream and cookies-gelato and biscotti-for dessert.

A hearty sweet and savory stew that's a perfect seasonal meal when teamed up with crusty bread and a green salad.

These make-ahead savory pies are wonderful centerpiece dishes for a casual dinner.

To cut the spiciness, seed the jalapeño before adding it to the beans; garnish the dish with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

A clever combination of textures and flavors in a spectacular entreè. Asparagus and French rolls are good on the side; offer a dry GewÜrztraminer to drink.

Shullie Neumark of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, writes: "I like cooking but I'm a little bit impatient, which is why I make dishes that can be done ahead of time — and quickly. I hate being rushed before meals, especially when guests are on their way over. Those guests are usually good friends or members of our large family. My husband and I emigrated from South Africa seven years ago. I am retired from preschool teaching, but I still keep busy by cooking for the family. A typical South African dinner is a barbecue with lots of grilled lamb chops and sausages."

Chicharrones are cracklings — the flavorful solids that are left over from making lard; the resemblance these little morsels of chicken bear to them accounts for the name "chicken cracklings." Chicharrones de pollo is a typically South American dish, variations of which can be found all over that continent and up into the Central American peninsula. The chicken is chpped up Chinese-style — bones, skin and all — into small pieces. Then it is usually marinated, rolled in wheat or corn flour, and deep fried — although sometimes it is not marinated, and sometimes it is fried without any breading at all.

In Morocco, the word tagine refers to any of the country's slowly simmered meat, chicken, fish or vegetable stews that often have both savory and sweet flavors. It also refers to the earthenware dish with a conical lid in which the stew is cooked and served. Couscous or bread is a typical accompaniment.

Crusty bread and a salad complete the meal.

This can be prepared one day ahead, making the seder day much easier. Serve steamed broccoli on the side.

For this robust and easy entrée, chicken is baked with a barbecue-style glaze. Removing the skin cuts back on fat.

Broccoli is called sparaceddi in Sicilian. In this side dish, it is "drowned" in a heady mixture of olive oil, onions, anchovies, olives, red wine and cheese. While there are variations of the basic preparation throughout Italy, food historians generally think it to be of Sicilian origin.