Garlic

A light and flavorful way to cook fish.

An essential ingredient in their cuisine of Corfu, vinegar provides the distinctive taste in this traditional main course named "sofrito". The veal is commonly served with mashed potatoes.

Here's a new take on calabacitas, a traditional Mexican side dish with zucchini, onions and peppers.

In Italy this classic peasant soup is known as aquacotta, or "cooked water."

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For this traditional Asian fondue, raw strips of chicken are cooked quickly at the table in a pot of boiling broth. Guests then place the cooked chicken strips on lettuce leaves, add noodles and whatever garnishes they choose, roll up the leaves and complete the packages with a bit of the Sweet-and-Spicy Dipping Sauce. When all of the chicken has been eaten, divide the remaining broth among the guests.

Reduce oven gridlock with this fantastic stove-top side. (The garlic can be roasted in the oven a day in advance.)

Chicken gets a south-of-the-border treatment with a tomato-chipotle sauce infused with lime and garlic.

Unlike most tamal recipes, which use dried corn (masa harina), this one is Cuban-style, made with fresh corn kernels. I've also added a different touch by replacing the traditional pork filling with conch. The flavor and texture proved very popular at Yuca, and it remained on the menu as a fixture. These tamales are very convenient for entertaining. They can be made ahead of time and frozen, or kept in the refrigerator and then popped in the microwave. In fact, it's not worth making a smaller batch, so you'll probably want to freeze some of them. Likewise, the pesto can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

This assertive-tasting aioli would be a great spread for turkey sandwiches.

"I have a 'stragglers Thanksgiving' — that's what I call it — at my house every year," writes Frances Teasley of North Hollywood, California. "I know a lot of people who, like me, don't have any family nearby. Thirteen years ago I started inviting a few people for dinner. And that small holiday gathering has become a big tradition among my friends. For weekday meals, I look for shortcuts and do-aheads. But for holiday meals, I like to do everything the same day because I love the smell of cooking that fills the house."

"While visiting Chicago, I had dinner at The Berghoff," writes Mary H. Wright of Arlington, Virginia. "I'd like to prepare the excellent lamb chops for my family."

Parmesan isn't usually served with seafood pasta, but the cheese adds a nice richness to this linguine.

These mussels, flavored with garlic-herb butter and baked instead of steamed, beg for some crusty bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Try them over pasta, too. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

Do not use a dark aluminum baking pan (including nonstick) for this recipe because the potatoes will burn. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Puréeing the corn with low-fat milk gives the soup a creamy texture. Serve it as a starter or as a light main course with a green salad and crusty bread.