White Wine

Serve garlic toast with this to mop up all the savory broth.

We enjoyed this dish served at room temperature, but it is also delicious warm.

Warm garlic toast and an arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette are good partners with the pasta. A purchased lemon tart is a fitting dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This easy zuppa di pesce is a staple of the anchovy packers of Mazara del Vallo on the northwestern coast of Sicily. It always comes with bread to soak up the juices.

You won't want to miss a bit of the wonderfully aromatic sauce, so serve either the Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes or plenty of French bread to catch every drop. Round out the menu with buttered carrots, a spinach and toasted walnut salad with walnut oil vinaigrette, and mocha layer cake for dessert.

I usually forget how satisfying it is to eat mussels this way — splashing into the steamy bowl fragrant with spring herbs — until I'm at a restaurant eating them and think, "Mmm, I should make these again, soon."

Israeli couscous, sometimes known as pearl pasta, is available at Middle Eastern markets. You could also order it from Joan's on Third in Los Angeles; 323-655-2285.

The secret to the crisp coating in this recipe? Crushed potato chips.

This sauce is traditionally served with fish, but we like it over steak and vegetables as well.

Jim Fobel, cookbook author, says, "During my high school years, I always had two Thanksgiving dinners: one with my family at midday, and another later at the home of my girlfriend, Susie Mednick. Her mother cooked the turkey on a bed of caramelized onions, which mixed with the turkey drippings to produce the best gravy I’ve ever tasted. This gravy features those onions along with my mother's favored seasonings: sage and nutmeg." Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

For a cozy supper, accompany this quickly prepared dish with pumpernickel bread and hot mustard. Finish with a European-style dessert of cheese and fruit.