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Here, lemon vinaigrette sharpens creamy white beans for a lively vegetarian meal.

Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Harumi's Japanese Cooking , by Harumi Kurihara. To read more about Harumi, click here. Mentaiko Spaghettini This is one of the most popular types of pasta in Japan and is a great example of how a foreign ingredient has been adapted to Japanese taste. I think you will find it quite an eye opener.

In Trinidad and Tobago, crabs are traditionally cooked whole and the meat picked out. This sophisticated dish combines American-style crab cakes with the island flavor of callaloo, a green stew that's the national dish of Trinidad. Here, the stew becomes a sauce, creating an elegant starter or light lunch.

The flavor intensity of watercress can vary, so the amount needed for this soup will vary, too, depending on whether you like a strong or mild watercress taste.

In Lynne Rossetto Kasper's opinion, fennel and Parmigiano-Reggiano ("the celestial eating cheese of all time") rank as one of the most underrated combinations in Italy. After tasting this quick hors d'oeuvre, we have to agree.

The pesto works well as a sauce for pasta, chicken, or fish, too.

Ann Gillespie of Alexandria, Virginia, writes: "Because I'm balancing graduate school and a family, I try to cook things that don't take a lot of time. But I love experimenting with ingredients, so most of my recipes are easy to make and use interesting flavor combinations. During the week, salads are our mainstay. When we get bored with veggies, we add different fruits, like the blueberries in the recipe here."

This take on curried deviled eggs has a more authentic Indian flavor, thanks to the inclusion of mango chutney and garam masala (an aromatic spice blend used in South Asian cooking).

These little appetizer pizzas are perfect finger food.

Featuring flat little pieces of pasta filled with semisoft cheese, this soup is made by families in the countryside around the ancient spa town of Brisighella, in Romagna. If you don't have time to make the broth called for here, use your favorite homemade broth instead.

Burricotti are superb whole-milk mozzarella rounds filled with ricotta (see box). Fresh ricotta also works well in this recipe, which would be a great cheese course, or a simple dessert.

This soup features the flavors of India: aromatic nigella seeds, curry powder, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.

George Hendrix of Carbondale, Colorado, writes: "My family is usually in a hurry to eat, so dinner has to be on the table fast. This soup was one of my mom's standbys when I was growing up. I often make it in big batches and just ladle it out and microwave as needed." This soup is even better the day after it's made, when the flavors have had a chance to mellow.

A meatless yet rich dish that would make a perfect appetizer for St. Patrick's Day dinner.