Onion

A few years ago, when I was in southeastern Turkey working on my book Mediterranean Grains and Greens, I noticed that the women didn't soak their bulgur in water for some summer preparations. When I asked a Turkish friend about this, she let out a laugh. "In Turkey, no man would marry a woman who just used water! For cold bulgur dishes we always soak in tomato juice, onion juice, or fresh pressed and strained sour grape juice to flavor the bulgur first."

You will have twice as much of the pesto as you need. You can cut the pesto amount in half, but I encourage you to make the full recipe. It will disappear quickly on bread, toast, or baked potatoes. This salad is even greater if you use your best olive oil.

Use leftover roast chicken for this, or buy a cooked chicken at the market. For an extra-special treat, top each baked slice with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocado.

Fresh corn from a farmers' market or a grower's farmstand will taste the sweetest.

Save time by using vacuum-sealed pouches of tuna, which don't need to be drained.

As a working mother with four daughters, my mom had very little spare time, yet she always managed to turn out meals reminiscent of her native Canton, China. This dish, one of her specialties, takes its name from the moist, velvety texture the chicken gets from being poached at a low temperature. My mother loved the short preparation time (the chicken finishes cooking through heat retained in a covered pot) and that the poaching liquid can be strained and then chilled or frozen to be used again. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

There's no need to trim the watercress; you can use every bit of it in this recipe. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr(includes chilling)

Serve with: French fries or potato chips, and steamed broccoli.

New York Filipinos are sentimental about adobo — meat or fish with lots of garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. We used cider vinegar to good effect, but authentic Filipino cuisine calls for coconut, palm, or sugarcane vinegar. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 40 min

Regular mozzarella can be substituted for the smoked variety in this quick and easy dish.

Moroccan Turkey Pie Traditionally, Moroccan b'stilla is a pie made with minced squab.

"At the Manhattan law office where I'm a legal secretary, it seems as though the phones are always ringing," writes Lisa Caiazzo of Franklin Square, New York. "And if it isn't the phones that have me occupied, then there are lots of documents that need my attention. By the time I get home from the city, I usually have only about 45 minutes to put together dinner for my husband, Angelo, and myself. Still, that's enough time to make something filling and delicious, like a salad and a hearty pasta or soup. My best cooking, though, is done on Sundays during the fall and winter, when I become a football widow. An afternoon of cooking can be very therapeutic after a busy week." Any mixture of vegetables you have on hand would make a great filling. Serve the wraps with purchased salsa and sour cream.

This recipe was created to accompany Spiced Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Mango Salsa. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Toasted pistachios, apricots, cinnamon and allspice bring great flavor to this accompaniment for the chicken.

On the eastern side of the Indian peninsula, fronting the Bay of Bengal, is Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. This recipe from that cosmopolitan city is typically made with sardines, mackerel, and crab, but we have substituted orange roughy for a more delicately flavored dish.

Great on their own or in pastas and salads.