Ginger

Any fat from the consommé can be used to make the matzo balls. If you need to purchase chicken fat, it's available in the freezer section of some supermarkets. Look for fresh lemongrass in supermarkets and Asian markets.

Rhubarb adds a touch of tangy sweetness to simmered red cabbage. If you like, seared chicken breast can be used in place of the roasted salmon.

You'll get about five cups of preserves from this recipe. Try leftovers alongside soft cheeses or over vanilla ice cream. Fresh ricotta is available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

It's only natural to use leftover chicken broth (from Blade Steaks with Rosemary White–Bean Purée ) to make chicken soup. But what a soup! Steeping ginger and scallion greens in the stock and then poaching the chicken in it is a quick way to achieve a depth of flavor. The final soup is enriched with silky ribbons of just–cooked eggs, shreds of tender chicken, and fresh rings of scallion. Best of all, this satisfying soup is easy enough to pull together after work.

These small dumplings come with both a story and a significant history. According to legend, they were born in the imperial kitchen when a cook, making dumplings for the emperor, forgot a batch that was slowly cooking. They were singed brown, slightly burned. With no time to spare, and an impatient, hungry emperor waiting, the cook, a nimble and adaptive fellow, arranged the dumplings on a platter, burned sides up, and presented them to the emperor as a new dish that he called, quotie, which means "stuck bottom." The emperor was delighted. Legend or not, it is a fact that these browned half-moons filled with pork and vegetables were eventually sold daily by the thousands from small streetside stands to satisfy the morning habits of people in Beijing and Tianjin, who called them jiaozi, or "little dumplings." It is a tradition that exists to this day. As popular foods do, these jiaozi migrated to Shanghai, where they became known by their imperial name of quotie, to describe their cooking process. The habit of morning pot stickers swept Shanghai, and to this day they are sold, as in Beijing, from small streetside stands. Over the years, they migrated south to Guangzhou and Hong Kong, carried by Shanghainese fleeing the Japanese invasion of their city, and sold first by refugees on the streets as a way of making a living. They have become part of the accommodating dim sum repertoire, and are referred to in Cantonese as wor tip, or "pot stickers." Serve them with a ginger-vinegar sauce (see note).

Grandma also serves the rich, spicy soup with cucumber salad and scallion pancakes.

A light, tender cake that’s perfectly spiced. Any leftovers would be delicious with coffee or tea the next day.

The Original: Poached and shredded chicken mixed with a curry-powder sauce. Our Version: Chicken thighs simmered with cauliflower, tomatoes, and peas, then seasoned with a mix of freshly toasted and ground spices.

To crack the spices, place in a resealable plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin.

Lamb khorma is sensuous curry made by simmering lamb with yogurt and cream and thickening the sauce with a cashew paste. If you can find goat's milk yogurt or sheep's milk yogurt, it will make a discernable difference in this dish.

This speedy, savory meal pairs well with a workout. Quinoa is an unexpected source of energizing iron and amino acids, protein's building blocks, to nourish newly toned muscles. Body bonus: Potassium in the grain can help beat bloat.

This scrumptious dessert serves up sweet, seasonal fruit in filling, foolproof portions. And whole-grain oats top it off with a fluffy cobbler cap that's lusciously lowfat.

This refreshing yet rich northern Thai soup is called tom kha gai. It is quite easy to prepare, and much of the flavor comes from the garnishes stirred with the soup after it is cooked: the fresh lime juice, the chiles, the cilantro leaves, and the nam prik pao, a roasted chile curry paste that can be bought in most supermarkets. The Thai red curry paste, fish sauce, and canned coconut milk called for in the ingredient list are all sold in the international aisle of the local supermarket, or you can try to get all the Thai ingredients called for through the fun, online Thai supermarkets at www.importfood.com and www.templeofthai.com.

Healthy steak from the California Health & Longevity Institute near Los Angeles.

This homey dessert gets its name from its lack of structure, which causes it to slump on the plate. Slumps are also known as grunts, a name that may describe the sound berries make as they cook. No matter which name you use, this old-fashioned treat is usually made of cooked fruit with a biscuit topping. Here, dried figs, apricots, tart cherries, and raisins make up the filling. The light, airy biscuits are similar to dumplings.

A tagine is a Moroccan stew. In this version, tender beef meatballs are braised with vegetables, then served over herbed couscous.