Onion

Northern Italian cooks use peas often; in this side dish, the vegetable gets a boost from the Italian bacon called pancetta. If it is unavailable in your area, finely chopped regular bacon can be substituted.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Dried mixed salad herbs, found in the spice section of the supermarket, can substitute for herbes de Provence, the French seasoning.

Mary Risley, the director of Tante Marie's Cooking School, says, "I come from a family of Connecticut Yankees, and when I was growing up, I spent every Thanksgiving at my grandparents' eighteenth-century home, which was right across from a turkey farm. I’m not quite sure how, but something in that experience inspired this recipe. (Maybe the ingredients reflect what a turkey would like to eat, if asked.)"

San Francisco is famous for its sourdough, and a wide variety of apples are grown in Sonoma. In this sensational dressing, both ingredients are combined with almonds, which are harvested throughout the state. If you are roasting a turkey in a 350°F oven, cook the stuffing alongside, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Cornmeal adds a nice crispness to the coating for the chicken. The salsa and the Three-Pepper Slaw with Chipotle Dressing make this a colorful entrée. For drinks, mix up some tequila-lime spritzers by combining a little tequila with fresh lime juice and sparkling water, or uncork a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer.

"During my first trip west of the Mississippi, I had dinner at an extraordinary restaurant called The Fort, in Morrison, Colorado," says Marcia Walsh of Westford, Massachusetts. "I enjoyed both the ambience and the food, especially the rib roast." The vegetable-herb coating gives the roast extra flavor. This is an easy holiday entrée.

Davina uses this olive paste as a pizza topping, as a flavor pickup for purchased pasta sauces and as a spread for baguette slices.

A typical chili of the depression years consisted of cheap meat stretched by even cheaper beans. Chili remained modestly popular even when the hard times waned, until Lyndon Johnson boosted its national profile during the 1960s. Now chili is back and bigger than ever. Even with the modern addition of smoked jalapeños (chipotles), the inclusion of black beans and beer, and a stylish drizzle of lime crema, this recipe is a classic-hot, hearty and filling.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. May require additional sitting time.

From coast to coast, diners in the eighties showed an insatiable appetite for crab cakes. Some chefs deep-fried them; others spiced them with Old Bay Seasoning. But the best crab cakes, like the ones here, let the sweet flavor of the crab predominate.

The almonds and crisp green beans lend good crunch. For a light lunch, serve this with French bread and a fruit salad.

The veal shanks are extremely tender and have lots of great-tasting sauce. Serve them with the butternut polenta and steamed rapini (also called broccoli rabe), and offer Pinot Noir with dinner.

Quick, light, delicious—a spring supper in thirty minutes, including chopping and peeling. I added a little pasta to the pan stew to give it substance. You want the scallop and pea flavors to dominate, so make sure the pasta shells are thin not thick. (Names, sizes, and thickness vary from brand to brand.)And you want shells, because they will catch the juices. You can, of course, omit the pasta if you prefer.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Tiring of the ultra-refined nouvelle cuisine that epitomized eighties dining, cooks rediscovered the comforting humble cuts such as short ribs and shanks. Orecchiette pasta or mashed potatoes are great to catch the gravy.

This recipe calls for both "true" artichokes — known botanically as globe artichokes — and Jerusalem artichokes, which are actually an unrelated root vegetable (sometimes called Sun Chokes). In the soup, the Jerusalem artichokes enhance the flavor of the leafed variety. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 hr