Celery

Although bisques tend to be thick and creamy, the following intensely flavorful version is light, with very little cream added.

(Cacciucco) This seafood soup, called cacciucco (meaning "mixture"), is a specialty of Livorno, a fishing port that is Tuscany's second-largest city. It has been made for hundreds of years, and variations of it appear all along the Tuscan coast. Traditionally, at least five types of fish and shellfish are included (one for each "c" in the name). If you like, do as the Italians do, and place a slice of toasted bread in each bowl before ladling the soup over.

Some of the ingredients need to marinate overnight in the Dijon-red wine vinaigrette, so plan accordingly.

This recipe was created to accompany <a></a>Turkey with Sherry Wine Vinegar Gravy .

Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr (includes making stock)

Chilies add a southwestern twist to this traditional chowder.

"The day before Thanksgiving, my grandmother would make trays of corn bread for this stuffing," says food writer Janet Fletcher. "We grandkids would crack the pecans for the stuffing; the nuts came from the trees in her back yard."

Add chopped jalapeños for some extra zip.

To accompany the pork, toss egg noodles with butter and chives, and sprinkle lemon juice over sautéed vegetables. Finish with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce.

Buttery, slightly sweet pumpkin is the perfect mate for the briny flavor of oysters, scallops, or other crustaceans. This soup is made with shrimp, whose shells are turned into an aromatic stock that serves as the soup's liquid. Classic shellfish bisques are thickened with rice, but here pumpkin provides body for the soup. Sage's earthy flavor complements both pumpkin and shrimp and steers the focus of flavor from sweet to savory. This is a satisfying soup to prepare throughout the fall. If you serve it as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner, you might start a tradition in your family.

This light and lovely main course comes from executive chef Jeff Tunks at the acclaimed DC Coast in Washington, D.C.