Dairy

Featuring flat little pieces of pasta filled with semisoft cheese, this soup is made by families in the countryside around the ancient spa town of Brisighella, in Romagna. If you don't have time to make the broth called for here, use your favorite homemade broth instead.

Keep the final course sweet and simple.

For brunch or a light supper, this open-face sandwich is spicy and satisfying.

Burricotti are superb whole-milk mozzarella rounds filled with ricotta (see box). Fresh ricotta also works well in this recipe, which would be a great cheese course, or a simple dessert.

Real French Muenster (available at specialty foods stores) will make a big difference in this soufflé. What to drink: A dry white wine with plenty of perfume, like Gewürztraminer.

Without the ice cream and served warm, these make a great brunch dish.

A meatless yet rich dish that would make a perfect appetizer for St. Patrick's Day dinner.

A new take on carrot cake.

A thoroughly modern take on the classic baked potato with sour cream.

If you can't find burrata, substitute fresh whole-milk mozzarella.

Eaten with great gusto all over Quebec, poutine was once just a late-night diner staple. It is now served at some of the province's finest restaurants.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious. This bacony soup with toasted cheese couldn't be more satisfying.

The eggplant and garlic in this recipe are roasted until they are so soft, they create a spread that nearly melts into the crisp slices of baguette.

Using prepared pizza dough, you can make these homemade cheese-filled calzones just as fast as your favorite pizzeria could deliver them.

Slices of succulent pork, a sauce made from the pan juices, sautéed onions and peppers, and cheese add up to the perfect halftime sandwich.

Using purchased pizza dough to make one large calzone saves lots of time. lighten up: For a lower-calorie, lower-fat calzone, use part-skim mozzarella.