Bell Pepper

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For snacking, try this tropical topper with Hawaiian lavash crackers, or serve over grilled chicken.

This simple starter is delicious served with crusty Italian bread.

Jalapeño-Cilantro Salsa and Tomato Salsa are colorful accompaniments to this great entrée.

(BELL PEPPERS FILLED WITH CAPERS, OLIVES, ANCHOVIES, RAISINS AND PINE NUTS) This classic starter highlights many of the distinctive flavors of southern Italian cooking. Pour a rich Taurasi-Campania's best red wine-during the meal, or if you prefer something lighter, try to find a red Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio from a top-quality producer.

Majorcans love to talk about the quality of their vegetables, and this dish of sautéd eggplant, potatoes and bell peppers in fresh tomato sauce, called tumbet, is one of their favorite creations. We suggest serving it with grilled fish or lamb chops, as Majorcans do.

You can prepare this brightly colored dip up to two days ahead.

(Braised Beef, Peppers, and Onions) Ropa vieja, or "old clothes," describes the shreds of meat, peppers, and onions resembling a mess of colorful rags. Robust stews such as this Cuban specialty are at the heart of West Indian cuisine.

Here is a light and festive way to introduce a holiday meal. This elegant soup goes very well with Champagne.

Known as coca, this is the traditional street food of Palma. The name derives from the Latin verb coquere, which means "to cook". Shaped in a long oval or rectangle, baked in a wood-fired oven and sold in room-temperature squares, coca is usually eaten as a snack, but it can also be a great starter for a casual meal. Unlike its Italian counterpart, it is covered only with vegetables, never with cheese. There are sweet cocas and special holiday versions, too. When made with frozen bread dough, coca is a snap to prepare.

At the fish market, ask them to remove the head, tail and bones from the trout, then to cut each trout into two fillets, leaving the skin intact.