Starter

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Briefly cooking the spices brings out their oils and enhances the flavor. Before pureeing the soup, be sure the carrots are tender. Once the orange juice has been added, reheat the soup over very low heat.

Candida Sportiello writes: "As owner and chef of Il Giardino restaurant, I've been cooking professionally for twenty-five years — but I've been cooking for pleasure for a good fifty years. As is the Italian way, most of my favorite recipes were handed down from my mother and grandmother, so they date from the early 1900s."

New herbed chicken broth is used in this soup; adding the cheese-garlic bread makes it a filling entrée. Serve with a salad of chopped tomato and herbed olives tossed in bottled or fresh balsamic vinaigrette with chopped fresh marjoram. End with slices of pound cake spread with bottled lemon curd and surrounded by tangerine sections.

Cele Bullis of Gainesville, Georgia, writes: "My husband and I recently went to a restaurant in Alpharetta, Georgia, called Vinny's on Windward. He ordered a pasta entrée with lobster and cream sauce and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd love to make the dish for him. Can you get the recipe?" This can be prepared with 20 ounces of large raw shrimp instead of lobster, if you like. Peel and devein the shrimp, then sauté uncovered in butter until opaque in center, about three minutes. Cut each shrimp lengthwise in half.

We wanted to give this savory starter a modern look for the photograph, so we cut away the curved edges of the celery to make flat pieces. If you're short on time, it looks just as nice with the edges left on. You will have about 1/4 cup deviled ham left over — you can make a few more celery hors d'oeuvres or simply put it in the fridge to serve on crackers the next day.

Insalata di Radicchio, Frisée, e Carciofi Including raw artichokes in a salad is an Italian trademark — their flavor is fresher and milder than that of cooked artichokes. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

The dumplings can be assembled and chilled up to eight hours before steaming.

These rice-coated meatballs, commonly referred to as zhen zhu, meaning "pearls" in Chinese, are often prepared at home in New York City's Chinatown. Steaming them on lettuce leaves helps prevent them from sticking to the steamer rack. They are traditionally made with sticky rice (sometimes called sweet rice), but we've used long-grain rice, which is easier to find.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These hearty mushrooms, from Il Radicchio in Washington, D.C., are a stellar start to the meal.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.