Red Wine

The robust sauce doubles as a marinade for this easy and elegant entrée. Begin preparing well before serving so that the pork has time to marinate. Accompany with boiled green beans and a full-bodied Zinfandel.

Oeufs en Meurette Sauce meurette is one of the grand classics of French country cooking, a dark concentrated essence of red wine, stock, and vegetables. You would expect it to be paired with the equally powerful flavors of meat or poultry, but no — meurette is unique in accompanying fish, or poached eggs, as here. For extra flavor, I like to poach the eggs in the wine, which is then used for the sauce; they emerge an odd purple hue, but this is later concealed by the glossy brown sauce. For poaching, it's well worth looking for farm-fresh eggs as they hold their shape better than store-bought eggs. Oeufs en meurette is a favorite restaurant dish, not least because it can be prepared ahead and assembled to order. However, most regrettably, it is not a dish to make in a hurry. All the elements can be prepared in advance, but the full glory of oeufs en meurette is ruined by trying to cut corners. Wine for Cooking For six months in the year, we live in northern Burgundy, where the local pinot noirs are inexpensive and appropriately light for this dish. Equally good for meurette would be a pinot from the northern end of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Avoid the "blockbuster" type of heavy pinots that come from the hotter climes of California and Australia. Wine to Drink To do justice to the richly flavored sauce, let's move up to something grander. A premier cru red from one of the villages in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune would do nicely, as would one of the more refined pinots from California's Carneros district.

A true coq au vin is made with the master of the farmyard, a rooster. If you can't find such a beast, use a good-size roasting chicken, and reduce the cooking time (cook it for about one hour, or until the meat is tender and cooked but not falling from the bone).

Melanie Riggs of Jackson, Mississippi, writes: "Last winter, I visited some friends in Minnesota. We had a fabulous meal at Redstone American Grill in Minnetonka, where I ordered an amazing steak with a blue- cheese-flavored crust." The Japanese-style breadcrumbs known as panko give the steaks a light, crispy crust.

This eggplant and lamb casserole, a taverna staple, is known the world over as the Greek national dish. In this lightened version, it's topped with yogurt rather than the customary béchamel sauce. (Moussaka is often made with beef instead of lamb.)

Cabernet Sauvignon can be substituted for the Merlot, but either way, have mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli florets with the veal, and wedges of chocolate mousse cake afterward.

A green salad completes the meal. What to drink: A riserva Chianti.

Here's an elegant and refreshing dish that features a wine syrup drizzled over grapefruit segments (skip the syrup on the kids' portions) and served in hollowed-out halves.

"Years ago, when we were dating, my husband took me to Park Bistro in Manhattan," writes Therese Tetzel of Dallas, Texas. "To this day, we return to the restaurant every time we go to New York. Its version of coq au vin is the best I've had in the United States—similar to one we tried in Burgundy."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"Although I live in Athens," writes Yolanda Paterakis, "my connection to the islands is very strong — my husband, Andreas, is from Crete, and we have a vacation home on the Greek island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea. No matter where we are, we love to entertain our two children, our three grandchildren, and scores of friends. For these get-togethers, I always prepare quick, simple dishes because my busy schedule demands it; I write children's and travel books, and I'm the general secretary of the National Society of Greek Writers. I've often thought that cooking is like writing a story — always best when you put your heart into it." Rich and fragrant, this main course goes well with boiled potatoes or rice.

A boldly flavored dish that's great served over orzo (rice-shaped pasta).

This quick, rich entrée is terrific served over buttered noodles.