Cilantro

These versatile quesadilla can be passed as hors d'oeuvres, or offered at dinner as a first course or at lunch as the entrée.

This recipe was created to accompany Grilled Chicken with Peach and Apple Salsa.

The bread, the lamb and the charmoula--a spicy mix of red bell pepper, onion, cilantro and spices--combine beautifully in this bread from executive chef Rafih Benjelloun of Imperial Fez restaurant in Atlanta.

Orange roughy or red snapper would also be delicious in this recipe.

Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Serve the frittata with chunky salsa, and put together an avocado, jicama and red onion salad with cumin vinaigrette to have alongside. Melon wedges and pine nut cookies are just right for dessert.

A narrow strip of land at the southwestern tip of India, the state of Kerala is interlaced with a network of lagoons, canals, lakes, and rivers. Peddlers sell fish from these waters and other food by boat along the canals. This curry is styled after the ones these boatmen cook for themselves. It incorporates many ingredients of the Kerala kitchen: black peppercorns, fiery red chiles, mustard seeds, and the ubiquitous coconut. In India they toss about 20 fresh curry leaves into the kettle along with the onion, garlic, gingerroot, chiles, and peppercorns. These aromatic leaves can be difficult to find in the U.S., but if you locate some, by all means use them.

There is a historical reason why most Hanukkah menus offer foods that have been fried in oil. In the second century B.C., a one-day supply of oil inexplicably burned for eight days and eight nights after Judah Maccabee and his followers recaptured Jerusalem's Holy Temple from their Syrian oppressors. Hanukkah is the celebration of that miracle, and fried foods are served to commemorate the oil. In this country, the Eastern European potato latke is usually featured. These fritters are a Sephardic contribution to that tradition.

Here's a terrific salad with the bold tastes of cilantro and cumin. Cold beer is the ideal beverage go-with.

We ordered our lamb chops ahead to allow time for the butcher to french them to the eye (to trim them of all fat and scrape the rib bone clean). This not only makes for a nice presentation but also makes it much easier for guests to pick them up. Our chops, purchased from a fancy Manhattan butcher, cost $400 and were by far the most expensive part of this wedding menu. Sounds like a lot, we know, but just think what a caterer would charge. Charmoula is a fragrant, spicy Moroccan marinade and sauce often used with fish and seafood.

This Vietnamese classic is usually made with top or bottom round beef, which is sliced and then marinated and grilled. We've adapted the recipe to use skirt or flank steak and made it easier by grilling the meat before slicing it.

This zesty condiment is a wonderful addition to sandwiches. It also makes a great dip for raw vegetables and a superb sauce for fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A simple corn and cornmeal topping makes these halibut fillets a party entrée.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Pick up a rotisserie chicken at the market, or use leftovers to keep the preparation easy.