Condiment

For snacking, try this tropical topper with Hawaiian lavash crackers, or serve over grilled chicken.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Chef Beverly Gannon accompanies the bread with this salsa, plus a garlic-ginger yogurt dipping sauce and a tomato-mint sauce.

This recipe originally accompanied Gingerbread with Dried Fig, Apricot and Cherry compote Also sensational over vanilla ice cream.

This recipe originally accompanied Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake with Cranberry Raspberry Compote Also good over ice cream or frozen yogurt.

A Scandinavian table is seldom without them.

This all-in-one main course can be made several hours ahead.

A flavorful accompaniment for roast pork, chicken, burgers, or grilled shrimp.

Outstanding in flavor and freshness, these marinated vegetables are unlike anything you'll find in a jar or deli case. But do make a trip to your local Italian delicatessen for sliced assorted cold cuts and crusty bread to go with the vegetables. It all adds up to an impressive no-hassle starter.

Spicy and sophisticated.

Try this with any roasted meat or as a topper for crostini. Begin making it a day ahead.

"A friend served my homemade pear chutney at her dinner party, and everyone thought it was an unusual and delicious accompaniment for chicken," says Susan Banks of Seattle, Washington.

Preserving a Meyer lemon captures its glorious perfume. We’ve adapted cookbook author Paula Wolfert’s quick method, our favorite, and made it even faster by blanching the lemons first. The rind of a preserved lemon is a common ingredient in Moroccan dishes; we also love it in all kinds of soups, stews, and salads and as a low-fat alternative to olives. Save the pulp for Bloody Marys or anything else enlivened by a little lemon juice and salt.

Colorful salsas and relishes made with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs became popular in this decade of diets. The toppings are light and fresh and packed with flavor-just right with grilled low-fat fish.

I first tasted this Cantonese pickle in a commercial version that I bought in Seattle's International District. The pickle contained stem ginger, in thick pieces so tender that you could eat them right along with the other vegetables. If you happen to grow your own ginger, by all means use the stems in this recipe. Otherwise, include the ginger just as a flavoring. The children who have tasted this pickle love it just as much as the adults do.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Unlike sauces from Texas and Kansas City, this sauce from South Carolina's Piedmont area is thin and vinegary. Note that it is not cooked. To tone down the tartness, add more ketchup and brown sugar to taste.