Saute

Serve with white rice to soak up the juices. A bottle of Gewürztraminer would pair nicely with the spiciness of the shrimp.

BURGUNDY Known in France as Côtes de Porc Vigneronnes (Grape Growers' Pork Chops), this provincial dish is typical of the simple yet substantial fare served after a hard day of harvesting grapes. Serve with wilted spinach in cream. What to drink: Red Burgundy or a Burgundian Pinot Noir.

Remember, you absolutely cannot make delicious fried rice using freshly cooked rice! If you cook the rice yourself (a day to a week ahead), buy long-grain (Carolina) rice and follow the package directions for making drier rice. Otherwise, use leftover Chinese take-out rice.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

People who turn their noses up at rice often find this tiny pasta irresistible. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Swiss Chard a l'Italienne Swiss chard is a rare gift of winter, and this is my favorite way to eat it. You can use this as a base and add tomato sauce, cheese, or hot peppers.

A spicy spin on the classic side dish. Any leftovers make an excellent omelet filling when paired with turkey and Monterey Jack cheese.

"While traveling in the Northern California wine country with friends," writes Stephen Carkeet of Merced, California, "we ate dinner at Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar in Healdsburg and had one of the best meals I can remember. Chef Jeff Mall prepared a wonderful chicken dish he called 'coq au Zin.' It was a winner." A taste — and word — play on the classic French dish coq au vin, this time made with red Zinfandel. At the restaurant, this is served with creamy mashed potatoes.

In a restaurant, speed is of the essence. Dishes must be quick to make, easy to prepare ahead, and just a little bit different, like this little sauté of red peppers piled on crusty bread and broiled with a topping of goat cheese.

Add cooked shrimp to transform this salad into a light main course.

"I've always loved to cook," writes Mary Gareffa of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, "and though at eighty-nine I'm slowing down, I still love it. My grandfather and my father were both cooks in a monastery in Reggio Calabria, Italy, before they moved to this country, and luckily for me, my father was my cooking teacher. He showed me how to make the tomato-and-sausage sauce for the pasta. When my son was young, he used to tease me for standing over the pot of sauce, stirring and simmering it slowly, but that's the way my father showed me. A sauce is like a baby; you have to be gentle with it. And I know I must be doing something right, because my grandson, Jason, called me just last week to get the recipe." Tender meatballs — bound with bread softened in milk — in a good old-fashioned Tomato-Sausage sauce.

Celery root, a popular fall vegetable, tastes like a cross between celery and parsley.

Broil slices of packaged polenta to go with the chicken. Round out the main course with an arugula salad and chunks of crusty whole wheat Italian bread. For dessert? Brownies topped with vanilla gelato drizzled with sambuca.

Crusty bread, an arugula and endive salad with balsamic dressing, and lemon sorbet with chocolate-dipped biscotti turn this simple Italian dinner into a special one.

Bangkok-style noodles with shrimp, chicken and Thai chilies from Arun's in Chicago.

In this Basque-inspired dish, a bell pepper mixture is slow-cooked to produce an unusual — and flavorful — confit.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 hr