Soup

This is known as chilpachol in Mexico. Don't forget to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to each bowl.

This light starter reinvents the classic side dish of lima beans and corn.

Virginia Flesher of Charleston, West Virginia, writes: "Last spring I attended my oldest grandson's college graduation in New York. The evening before the ceremony, the entire family dined at Town in the Chambers Hotel. I can still remember chef Geoffrey Zakarian's superb lentil soup."

Many dark, leafy greens, like kale, contain calcium. The beans have it, too.

To start, offer a seafood appetizer, such as chilled cocktail shrimp with herbed mayonnaise. What to drink: Pour Champagne or sparkling wine throughout the meal.

This uncooked soup isn't for the timid — raw garlic, ginger, and shallot impart strong flavors. Unless you can get freshly made vegetable juice from your local juice bar, you will need an electric juicer to make the tomato or carrot juice. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

(Tony Tan's Laksa Lemak)

Serve with warm corn bread or spoon over steamed rice. What to drink: Pale ale or Mexican lager or dark ale, such as Bohemia or Negra Modelo.

Tostadas caseras — corn tortillas that have been seasoned and fried — can be found with the tortillas in most supermarkets. The soup can be made one day before serving.

For a variation, you could throw in a cup of cooked vegetables left over from Thanksgiving to add texture to this creamy chowder. Serve the soup with chowder crackers, along with a spinach and pear salad. Purchased apple turnovers would make an ideal dessert.

Soaking the leek in vinegar and water helps to pull out the dirt and sand. Be sure to rinse well.

Holly Gustafson of Shaker Heights, Ohio, writes: "Noggins Restaurant, Raw Bar & Pub is a great restaurant in my neighborhood that serves the most wonderful artichoke-blue cheese bisque. I've searched many cooking Web sites for something similar, but I can't find anything close to it. Can you help me get the real recipe?" The blue cheese adds a pungent note to this silky, warming soup.

A dash of curry powder transforms this cool fruit soup into a sweetly savory first course.

This classic Roman soup appears on many menus in the city, but we were disappointed with the versions we were served. Our recipe is more of a crowd pleaser. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min