Saute

This recipe was created by chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing of the Longbranch in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It's part of a special menu they created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Pasta with butter and mushrooms is appealing all by itself, but the cheesy, garlicky bread crumbs make this dish a showstopper.

Sweet sun-dried tomatoes and earthy black olives enliven thin veal slices with the vibrant flavors of a sunny coast.

Corkscrew pasta gets a wake-up call with the unexpected übercrunch of toasted panko and a salty jolt from anchovies.

A fennel trifecta—you'll find that the sweet fronds, bulb, and seeds mix harmoniously in this dish.

Think beyond the salad bowl: Cooking escarole tempers its slight bitterness; pine nuts are a mellow complement.

Cauliflower, enhanced with toasty almonds and a briny parsley-olive mixture, holds its own as the star in this simple and slightly spicy vegetarian supper.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. These fancy flavored nuts require almost no effort. Prepare 'em in advance, store 'em in a well-sealed container, and when the time is right, let your salads, desserts, and cheese plates go nuts with sugar or spice or both. To only "caramelize" the nuts, skip the cayenne and black pepper, which make them "spiced."

Serve these with extra lemon wedges.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to The Best Cookbooks of 2006. Vegetables trifolati is a method of slicing and cooking with garlic, olive oil, and parsley. Other ingredients, such as mint, wine, or chiles, are sometimes added. In this recipe we add fresh, ripe tomatoes.

This will be a hit with fans of blue cheese. It's so rich that small portions would also be great as a starter or side dish.

The sweet grapes and tangy capers work beautifully with the fish.

This uses store-bought gravy and can be done a day ahead.