Starter

In this redesigned French bistro classic, softened red onions join salty Manchego, and star anise gives the peppery broth a subtle undercurrent of sweetness.

This dip is similar to the original green goddess dressing, which was created in the 1920s at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel. Here, sour cream stands in for mayo.

Brandade is a salt cod puree from Provence. In this all-American take on the dish, an heirloom bean puree is mixed with Dungeness crab and two kinds of cheese.

True to its name, this rustic salad calls for a flavorful mix of sweet and savory ingredients, such as fresh and dried fruit, cured meat, and assorted greens. Serve this colorful salad as a side to a savory main course, or have it for lunch.

Pumpkin seeds are available at many supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Latin markets. The pumpkin seed oil can be found at specialty foods stores and at surfasonline.com.

The traditional crostini topping is a soft pâté, but the wild mushrooms with truffle oil served by chef Julian Marucci at Baltimore's Cinghiale are just as indulgent.

These quick, flavorful biscuits with a touch of cornmeal are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Texture and flavor contrasts make for an addictive side dish or starter.

The brown rice in this side dish is full of fiber. (Cooked white has none.)

If possible, use flat no-cook lasagna noodles: They look and taste more like homemade than the curly kind.

Pomegranate seeds add brightness to the look and flavor of this starter.

Until quite recently, Italian restaurants in the U.S. served just one version of gnocchi: the potato kind. But gnocchi made from semolina (such as this one from the James Beard Award-nominated, industrial-chic Osteria in Philadelphia) is equally authentic.

To make this fresh salad, you'll need the following on hand: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, walnuts, a Gala apple, tart cherries, minced shallots, honey, and frisée.

A Sicilian combination—artichokes and beans—becomes another creative variation on crostini at Cinghiale.

Most burrata—cream-filled fresh mozzarella—is made in just two places: Puglia and Southern California. But this addictive cheese is catching on. Chef Nancy Silverton combines it with leeks and breadcrumbs at her (and Mario Batali's) Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. Look for burrata at Italian delis and cheese stores.