Parsley

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This parsley-based pesto is a nice alternative to the classic basil one--and it's especially handy for December, when there might not be fresh basil at the market. The recipe yields about 1 1/3 cups of sauce.

The term panéed means "panfried" in the New Orleans culinary lexicon. This recipe is from that city's Gabrielle Restaurant.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Table salt works fine here, but teaming sea salt with fleur de sel adds a refined touch.

To debeard the mussels, just pull off the hairlike bits coming out of the shell.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Add canned white tuna (packed in water) for a delicious main course. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Forget gefilte fish and try this instead: a version of a French classic called carpe à la juive. (It calls for salmon trout instead of carp.) The fish (opposite) is chilled overnight, so begin the recipe a day ahead. Pour a Riesling.

Team this dish with roasted potatoes, green beans tossed with shallot butter, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. To finish, buy a lemon cheesecake from your favorite bakery.

On the island of Corsica, whole fish is simply baked or grilled for maximum flavor. Local cooks often use mountain trout, sea bream, grouper or mullet, but you can use sea trout, lingcod or sea bass with good results.