Saute

An interesting mix of spices lends wonderful flavor to this simple pasta dish — known as pastitsada — from Tavern Tripa.

Spicy Szechuan dishes were quite the thing in the seventies; around that time, pasta was also coming into its own. This recipe features ingredients that are widely available in the Asian foods section of most markets. If you like, add snow peas and sliced red bell pepper for some crunch.

Hey-mul Pajun Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from restaurateur Jenny Kwak's book, Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen. Kwak also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Kwak and Korean cuisine, click here. It is said that because Korea was almost all surrounded by water, Koreans looked seaward for culinary inspiration. Hey-mul pajun, a simple and reliable treat, is a good example of this. My parents both spoke of this dish when I was growing up. My father ate it when his family had little to eat, and still to this day he enjoys it with a bottle of soju (sweet potato vodka). My mother told me that the aroma of the dish was so good that it would entice her neighborhood girlfriends to peek over the walls that divided the homes and ask, "Hey, can I come eat that with you?" And because the girls enjoyed the company as much as the food, they sat by the fire cooking up one pancake at a time, talking and eating until their mothers called them back home.

Rouget, or red mullet, is renowned in the Mediterranean for its delicate flavor. It is increasingly available here in the U.S. (Incidentally, the fish is not a true mullet but is a member of another piscine family.) We loved the commingling of flavors that resulted when we put this concoction on a bed of zucchini potato lemon-thyme mash .

Leave the roots on the leeks while simmering them so they don't fall apart. Afterward, trim off the roots very close to the bulb end.

The mild flavor of leeks adds a nice touch to the pasta's tomato-based sauce.

This simple preparation can be made with any firm white fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A favorite accompaniment is the rice-shaped pasta called orzo.

Lemon juice is an integral part of this classic dish. Choose the smallest clams possible, and make sure not to overcook them.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Round out this menu with boiled green beans and corn muffins. Finish with chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream.

Nasi goreng, which is Indonesian for fried rice, is a staple in Indonesia. It's delicious on its own for lunch or as a side dish for an Asian-style dinner.

This slightly spicy side dish is excellent with grilled meat or chicken.

Steamed asparagus and buttered white rice with some grated lemon peel round out the main course. Angel food cake drizzled with chocolate sauce is just right afterward.