Spinach

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Calcutta, former seat of the British Empire and today capital of West Bengal, sits just above the Ganges delta. Fish is cooked here in harmonious combinations with root vegetables, squash, and leafy greens, incorporating Bengali seasonings such as pungent kalonji seeds and ground mustard seeds. In the following recipe, for a truly authentic taste use mustard oil instead of vegetable oil. Be sure, though, to heat the mustard oil to the smoking point and let it smoke for 3 to 5 seconds. This tempers its pungency.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Complete the entrée with a dilled cucumber salad, steamed squash and popovers (from a mix). End with purchased strawberry tarts.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Jamie Oliver calls this "another great pan-baked recipe that is perfect for coping with lots of people without a huge deal of effort." Oliver uses plaice, a popular flatfish in England favored over flounder, but lemon sole is a good substitute. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

For this recipe the lamb racks are frenched all the way down to the eye of the meat. For decorative purposes, we asked our butcher to leave a 1-inch-wide strip of fat along the top of the eye of the rack.

"This is a recipe inspired by a salad I had as part of a sumptuous feast at Adriatica, an exquisite restaurant atop Seattle's Queen Anne Hill," says Lise R. Bonin of Austin, Texas. "Both the view and the food made for a most memorable anniversary dinner for my husband and me several years ago."

This risotto has the classic creamy yet al dente texture and features a combination of Parmesan cheese and seafood. Contrary to popular belief, Italians do partner cheese with seafood in some dishes; we recommend it here without reservation.

In this recipe we call for a 10 1/2- by 7 1/2- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan. The tart could also be made using a baking sheet or a jelly-roll pan, as the filling is dense enough to hold its shape on its own.

This earthy pasta dish is delicious made with the wide, long noodles called pappardelle, or with the thinner and more readily available fettuccine.

Preparing for the Super Bowl? Think bread bowl. This spinach dip is housed in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. Choose pumpernickel or sourdough and have other items for dipping on hand—those bread bites go fast!

Serve these pastries as the first course of a special-occasion supper — maybe with a bottle of chilled Champagne.