Fall

This soup hails from Morocco.

Janet Fletcher, food writer, says, "Sure, I loved sweet potatoes with marshmallows when I was a child, but some tastes you leave behind. Now I prefer a more grown-up preparation, with an intriguing hint of Sherry."

If you've never thought of roasted squash as a side dish, try this recipe. Just rub pieces of butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake until their flesh is tender and roasted to tawny gold. Serve the squash the way it's eaten in country houses in the part of the Emilia-Romagna region where nearly every family makes its own balsamic vinegar. Small bottles of balsamico are set out on the table, and everyone seasons their squash to taste with the vinegar. Try the squash with grilled lamb chops, roast chicken, pork and simple sautéed fish dishes.

This recipe makes more chutney than you'll need for the corn bread rounds see the leftovers as a condiment for cheese and crackers or for roasted meats. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Assemble the strudels a day ahead, and bake them up to six hours before serving.

This delicious stuffing is similar to a savory bread pudding. It's best baked alongside, rather than inside, the bird.

This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

Frozen desserts seem especially festive — and no less refreshing — in the cooler months.

BURGUNDY Known in France as Côtes de Porc Vigneronnes (Grape Growers' Pork Chops), this provincial dish is typical of the simple yet substantial fare served after a hard day of harvesting grapes. Serve with wilted spinach in cream. What to drink: Red Burgundy or a Burgundian Pinot Noir.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 5 hr

Tomates Rellenos Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min Long before guacamole, tortilla chips, and Margaritas became a popular light dinner, guacamole was often served in tomatoes, and we were charmed by this presentation.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Butternut is one of my favorite squashes. We often bake a small butternut squash (about 1 pound) at home; we split it lengthwise, seed it, score the flesh with a knife, sprinkle on a little salt, and bake, skin side down, for 1 hour in a 400-degree oven. Excellent in soup and pureed, butternut squash is always welcome at our table. This gratin is quite rich and should be reserved for special occasions, like Thanksgiving.

"While traveling in the Northern California wine country with friends," writes Stephen Carkeet of Merced, California, "we ate dinner at Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar in Healdsburg and had one of the best meals I can remember. Chef Jeff Mall prepared a wonderful chicken dish he called 'coq au Zin.' It was a winner." A taste — and word — play on the classic French dish coq au vin, this time made with red Zinfandel. At the restaurant, this is served with creamy mashed potatoes.

For convenience, you can begin making the crust up to two days before you plan to serve the pie. Maple sugar is available at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores.

Celery root, a popular fall vegetable, tastes like a cross between celery and parsley.