Cured Meat

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast. It's nice that the dishes I learned as a girl are enduring favorites in my own family. I still make the carrot and rice soup for my daughter Eileen." A colorful soup that's smooth and rich.

In 1917, a society grande dame asked Julius Keller, maître d’ of the Casino restaurant in New York, to surprise her with a new dish. Keller presented clams baked on the half shell, topped with minced bell pepper, herb butter and bacon. By the twenties, Clams Casino, as Keller called it, was ubiquitous on restaurant menus. Here is a lightened version with great lively flavors.

This is a delicate, light-tasting soup.

(Carciofi Ritti) The best artichokes in Tuscany are the small purple ones that come from the area around Grosseto, a southern city near the sea. But the variety is endless: big ones, little ones, violet ones; served boiled, steamed, even raw. In this dish, which is an interpretation of a classic Florentine recipe, artichokes are filled with a savory mixture of pancetta and parsley, drizzled with olive oil, and braised.

Roasted poblano chilies add a wonderful smoky flavor to this pizza; however, if they are not available in your area just omit them from the recipe.

Do not attempt this dish unless the fish is very fresh. Steaming is used only for fresh, delicately flavored fish.

"Because my family loves this hearty stew so much, I included it in a cookbook I put together for my children," Joy Smith, Glastonbury, Connecticut. "It makes a comforting meal on cold winter evenings here in Connecticut, and it's a convenient dish that freezes and reheats well."

One of our favorite convenience products--packaged pizza crust--is put to excellent use in this recipe, which transforms readily available ingredients into a unique party snack or a fast and easy main course.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Serve this with steamed baby carrots, coleslaw and pickled cucumbers.

Bacon, eggs, and potatoes all in one dish, plus the mild oniony flavor of chives. Elegant for breakfast, brunch, or supper.

Fast-rising yeast makes this bread a snap to prepare. A dry red wine, like Chianti, is ideal with this Italian-accented menu.

Terrific for a first course or a side dish, this recipe is adapted from the lobster succotash at Kinkead's in Washington, D.C. Chef Bob Kinkead's original uses chunks of lobster, which can be substituted for the large shrimp called for here.

"Drunken" Beans