Poultry

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Sauté any remaining greens from the beets to serve on the side with the lentils with port-glazed shallots . A Moulin-à-Vent is the wine of choice; purchased cheesecake topped with cherries marinated in brandy and sugar is a scrumptious finale.

Causa Limena Editor's Note: This recipe and introductory text are excerpted from The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, by Copeland Marks. We've also added some tips of our own below. For a complete guide to Peruvian cuisine, click here. This appetizer, a popular national dish, is from Lima, the capital city of Peru, which has metropolitan and modern ideas. The dictionary does not reveal how the word "causa” came to be applied to a concoction, albeit a delicious one, that features cold mashed potatoes. A causa is considered a light lunch or snack, a most appealing dish that is often served at weddings or other celebrations.

We used grocery rotisserie chickens for this recipe, but leftover turkey from the holiday table works equally well.

For a quick and easy meal, grill some vegetables — like red onions, bell peppers and eggplant — alongside the chicken. Sharpen your chopping skills and learn how to joint a whole chicken with our technique videos.

If most of the coconut sauces you've encountered have been heavy and cloying, this one — light and frothy, with delicate flavor — will be a delicious surprise. It would also be perfect for spicing up poached skinless boneless chicken. This recipe is an accompaniment for Pistachio Sea Bass with Crab Salad and Coconut Sauce .

Lorraine Stevenski of Clearwater, Florida, writes: "As a kid growing up in an Italian family, I loved being in the kitchen. But I didn't become serious about cooking until I got married and had my own kitchen to experiment in. My husband and I lived in Queens, New York, within walking distance of many Greek, Italian, and Spanish food shops. The new foods I discovered there inspired my passion for cooking." Panko is available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.

Brining ensures moist, succulent meat, and this recipe from Bruce Aidells, chef and founder of Aidells Sausage Company, could not be easier or more low-tech. The special equipment required? Two 30-gallon plastic bags and one very large (16-quart) bowl that will fit in the fridge. You'll want to get started a day ahead, because the turkey is brined for 18 to 20 hours. Stuffing this turkey is not recommended; the brine remaining in the meat may soak into the stuffing during roasting.

The deep garnet glaze, made with pomegranate molasses, adds a richly piquant, sweet-tart depth of flavor to the turkey.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

Chuletas de Pollo al Limón I first tasted this light but winning dish at La Troje restaurant in Orizaba. As you doubtless know by now, soy and Maggi sauce are as Mexican as chutney is English. Serve with pilaf-style white rice.

Though it's not essential to make both sauces for these wings, we think the contrast between the rich peanut sauce and the light-yet-spicy gai yang — a classic Thai sauce for poultry — is a flavor combination that shouldn't be missed.

Hazelnuts and prosciutto are combined in a seasoned butter that coats the turkey as it roasts, and also flavors the gravy.

With its use of dried porcini in the turkey rub and fresh shiitakes in the light gravy, this recipe from the late food writer Michael McLaughlin is a fine example of his signature style: deeply flavorful seasonal cooking. You can make the turkey stock for the gravy up to two days ahead.

BORDEAUX The juniper berries are an earthy contrast to the sweet prunes — a prized regional product — in this dish. Serve roasted sliced potatoes and sautéed mushrooms alongside. What to drink: Red Bordeaux or a varietal blend of Cabernet and Merlot.