Shellfish

To save even more time, buy the peppercorn medley packaged in a pepper grinder in the spice section of the supermarket. Serve with: Curried rice and sautéed snow peas.

Nancy Scott of Cranston, Rhode Island, writes: "I attended a wine tasting festival in Newport a while ago and enjoyed a shrimp ceviche prepared by Andrew Dicataldo, the executive chef of Patria, in New York City. Can you get the recipe?" In this recipe, the shrimp are cooked by quickly boiling them, whereas in a traditional ceviche the seafood, marinated in a spicy mixture of lemon or lemon-lime juice, appears cooked but isn't. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

Although bisques tend to be thick and creamy, the following intensely flavorful version is light, with very little cream added.

A sophisticated party dish.

There's a lot of liquid here, so be sure to use a very large pot to prepare the stew.

This is lovely paired with Champagne.

This attractive and flavorful main course is perfect for weeknight entertaining.

Thai cooking frequently makes use of cilantro roots; their flavor is more pronounced than that of the leaves.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

(Cacciucco) This seafood soup, called cacciucco (meaning "mixture"), is a specialty of Livorno, a fishing port that is Tuscany's second-largest city. It has been made for hundreds of years, and variations of it appear all along the Tuscan coast. Traditionally, at least five types of fish and shellfish are included (one for each "c" in the name). If you like, do as the Italians do, and place a slice of toasted bread in each bowl before ladling the soup over.

"Andaluca restaurant in Seattle offers a delicious—and beautiful—green gazpacho served with a crabmeat topping," says Elida D. Wilson of Olympia, Washington. "Would chef Wayne Johnson be willing to share his recipe?"

This is a great pasta dish to serve for company. Chances are good that you'll find the Asian ingredients— increasingly carried by everyday food shops—at your local supermarket. We used the Thai Kitchen brand, which is widely available.

This Basque dish is essentially a fish pâté or pudding, called budíns in Spain.