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Time: 30 to 40 Minutes No doubt shrimp with cocktail sauce is a luxury dish, but it has sunk to the point where too frequently it means a pile of shrimp cooked days in advance, served on a bed of iceberg lettuce with some bottled sauce that always needs more help than it ever receives. There is a better way, however. Cook the shrimp yourself; in the meantime, prepare a simple ketchup-based sauce that has so much flavor, you'll find it becoming a part of your standard repertoire.

Although it may sound heavy, this dressing has a light, silky texture that keeps it from weighing down the delicate lettuce. The salad needs to be eaten immediately, before the dressing cools. Serve it as a first course or a side dish—it would go especially well with grilled steak.

Fabio Picchi, owner and chef of the restaurant Cibrèo in Florence, cooks like a Florentine granny with a spicy palate. He takes full advantage of seasonal abundance from the Sant' Ambrogio market next to his restaurant. Fabio's recipes are wonderful but imprecise, quantities are vague, and I've got to pay strict attention so he doesn't skip an ingredient or a step. His refreshing summery tomato aspic is simple and uses traditional ingredients in a novel way, creating a spicy tomato sauce with a wiggle, barely jelled, more fun than a formal aspic. Bright red, speckled with herbs, zapped with chili and garlic, Fabio's appetizer is a far cry from the ladies-lunch image of conventional, transparent consommé aspics. Even my gelatin-hating husband and son love this dish. Double the extra virgin for more authentic Tuscan flavor.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Round out this satisfying soup with a composed platter of marinated beets, red onions, sliced hard-boiled eggs, pickled vegetables and a wedge of imported Parmesan. Try a purchased berry tart for a pretty dessert.

Using purchased ready-to-bake bread dough makes this super-easy to prepare.

Anchovies really perk up plain wax beans, while celery adds a crisp, clean element to the dish. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

Great with pumpernickel bread.

(Roasted Potato Slices with Salt Cod Purée and Roasted Red Pepper)

When I was growing up, my mom periodically brewed a pot of this bitter, allegedly medicinal soup and forced me to drink a bowl (she says the ginseng promotes general well-being). Although I used to sit at the kitchen table for an hour, slowly spooning each dreadful bit into my mouth, I've since discovered that the only way to tolerate it is to gulp the liquid down as quickly as possible. Now nearly every time I go home, she prepares this special (and unfortunately simple-to-make) soup just for me — which probably explains why I don't go home very often.

I like to serve these colorful peppers, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, as part of an antipasto platter. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 week for flavors to develop)

Prick the pastry with a fork so that it doesn't puff up during baking. This tart works as an entree or, cut into smaller pieces, as hors d'oeuvres.

These peppers flavor up Fireside Lamb Stew as well as a simple sandwich.