Soup/Stew

This Portuguese classic cooked in the style of the Ribatejo region, consists of pork and shellfish in a red wine sauce. The recipe comes from Antonio's restaurant, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they accompany the stew with fried potatoes.

Briefly cooking the spices brings out their oils and enhances the flavor. Before pureeing the soup, be sure the carrots are tender. Once the orange juice has been added, reheat the soup over very low heat.

New herbed chicken broth is used in this soup; adding the cheese-garlic bread makes it a filling entrée. Serve with a salad of chopped tomato and herbed olives tossed in bottled or fresh balsamic vinaigrette with chopped fresh marjoram. End with slices of pound cake spread with bottled lemon curd and surrounded by tangerine sections.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr This recipe, which accompanied our 1954 article on Tunisia, called for what were then two very exotic ingredients. One, the granular pasta called couscous, is now commonplace in supermarkets across America. The other, dried rose petals, is available by mail order.

If you can't find one type of the greens for this recipe, you can either increase the other two kinds proportionally or substitute kale and/or chard.

Sopa de Camarones con Chile Pasilla Fried pasilla chile strips add an alluring crunch and intense caramelized flavor.

This silky puree can be made one day ahead. What to drink: That's easy — offer guests Irish ale throughout the meal.

Made with yogurt instead of cream, this pureed soup is deceptively light. The green apple peels, thinly sliced and fried, make a delicious garnish.

Soupe aux Pois Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 1/2 hr

I use a small, plump, shrewdly marketed black lentil dubbed "beluga" for this soup, but you can use dark green French lentils or flat olive-green ones, or you can try other pulses such as split peas — green, orange, or gold. Just be prepared to adjust the amount of stock or water. Whole cumin and black peppercorns, crushed just before you add them to the soup, flavor it boldly. I have served this soup three different ways — straight from the pot, irregularly mashed in a mortar, and fully puréed in a blender or processor. Each method produces a different texture and character, and I like all three.

A great starter for a robust autumn or winter dinner—even for the Thanksgiving meal.

This variation on the classic chilled leek and potato soup includes a cucumber-chive puree, which adds a refreshing and flavorful twist.

Pre-marinated pork tenderloins can be found in the supermarket meat section. To round out the meal, add a romaine salad dressed with Dijon vinaigrette and a basket of warm cranberry-corn muffins; finish with wedges of apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese.

What to drink: Hagafen 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley (kosher) or Brancott Vineyards 2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Offer seasoned tortilla chips alongside, as well as bagged lettuce tossed with ranch dressing. Try vanilla pudding topped with diced pineapple for dessert.