Mushroom

When making the following dish, start one or two days ahead to allow time for marinating the pheasant and making stock. The extra time involved, much of it unattended, is necessary to develop the rich flavors of this savory pie. For those who want to forgo the pheasant, the pie would also be delicious (and less time-consuming) made with chicken. Substitute 1 pound chicken thighs, 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, and chicken broth; marinate the chicken and prepare the pie in the manner outlined below.

Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

Lots of mushrooms and bacon flavor this traditional bread stuffing. It goes well with the Roast Turkey with Bacon, Tarragon and Applejack Gravy.

Brushed with garlic oil, grilled over the fire and stacked onto crusty buns with plenty of burger trimmings, portobellos are this season's snazziest alternative sandwich filling.

In this delicious dish from Asterix & Obelix, the orzo is toasted before it's cooked, giving the pasta a nice nutty flavor.

These custards are inspired by the Japanese egg custard chawan mushi, made with dashi broth (a stock of dried kelp and dried bonito flakes). We've used chicken broth for simplicity, but any broth or stock that you have on hand will work fine. Steaming the custards gives them a delicate texture, which is enhanced by the spare use of solid ingredients (the shrimp, scallion, and mushrooms).

Market tip: Go for Dungenesse crab from the Pacific coast or blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coast.

Susan Dlott of Solon, Ohio, writes: "On our last visit to New York City, we spent the day watching the St. Patrick's Day parade, sightseeing, and shopping. We topped off the trip with a marvelous meal at La Dolce Vita. My entrée of pappardelle, pancetta, and mushrooms in a Sherry tomato cream sauce was simply unforgettable. I'd like to duplicate it at home." Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 13/4 hr

The ruffle-edged egg noodles called trenette absorb some of the rich broth in the rabbit mushroom sauce.