Starter

Thai food lovers will recognize this soup as the classic tom yaam goong. In its homeland the dish would have far more hot chilies. We've toned down the heat for newcomers to this cuisine, but veterans can add more chilies to make this soup as incendiary as they wish.

Based on the classic Thai dish called larb, this pretty appetizer is easy to put together.

The tender greens in this salad are a wonderful foil for blue cheeses.

The lavish efforts involved — the vegetables are braised, then marinated, and finally sautéed — result in a succulent savory casserole that's spicy with pepper and juniper berries and sweet and sour with cherry nectar and vinegar; each vegetable gives the sweet and sour a slightly different twist. The chestnuts, cooked with salt pork, are particularly wonderful, salty and satisfying. Begin preparations at least 7 hours ahead of serving, since the vegetables must marinate for 6 hours.

(Cheese Pastries)

The vinaigrette for this salad benefits from standing for 1 hour to let the flavors of the thyme and garlic develop.

Garam means "hot" and masala means "spiced," though the mixture is not chili-hot. Instead the classic garam masala spices called for in the recipe-cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cumin, and cinnamon-are warmly aromatic.

When buying flour tortillas, it is important that they be as fresh and soft as possible—neither rigid, dry, nor cracked around the edges. For the recipe below, the tortilla cake slices have a smokier flavor and are crisper when cooked on the grill than when broiled, which leaves them moister.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

Save the beet tops for a quick side dish: just sauté them with garlic and olive oil, sprinkle with lemon, salt and pepper, and serve.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.