Shiitake Mushroom

Here's a hearty and satisfying pasta that makes an easy entrée for a dinner party.

The 2nd Avenue Deli in New York offers this satisfying soup.

Pennsylvania is now a national center for cultivated exotic or "specialty" mushrooms like shiitake and crimini, but early colonists found plenty of familiar wild mushrooms growing free for the picking in the forests of their new world. The tradition finds expression in this mushroom-lover's dressing, which blends both wild and cultivated fungi for maximum flavor.

Serve with: Orzo with parsley, and steamed carrots and green beans. Dessert: Pear tart.

With its use of dried porcini in the turkey rub and fresh shiitakes in the light gravy, this recipe from the late food writer Michael McLaughlin is a fine example of his signature style: deeply flavorful seasonal cooking. You can make the turkey stock for the gravy up to two days ahead.

For ease of preparation, ask for the full round, not the short cut or partial leg, and have the butcher butterfly it for you.

Here is an Asian twist on stuffed mushrooms. Chinese plum sauce and sesame oil make the satisfying, intensely flavored glaze. Small portobellos can be substituted for the shiitakes, if you like.

Big chunks of portobello and shiitake mushrooms make for a hearty soup.

A salad of snow peas, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts and rice vinegar dressing is a good side dish. Fresh pineapple topped with coconut shavings ends the meal nicely.

What to drink: Gainey Vineyard 2000 Sauvignon Blanc, Limited Selection, Santa Ynez Valley, or another full-bodied, heavily oaked Sauvignon Blanc.

Chinese egg noodles are at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Marty Rosencranz of River Vale, New Jersey, writes: "Even though I am a professional chef — at the Valley Brook Golf Club in New Jersey — when I cook at home I make dishes that are good but fast. The warm steak sandwich is one of the best things to eat for lunch on a cold day." Croissant steak sandwiches with caramelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise Although this sandwich tastes great with a croissant, any bread can be used.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.