Mediterranean

Leaping off the backs of onion-soup-mix boxes and showing up at cocktail parties everywhere, Lipton’s sour cream-and-onion dip took the country by storm. Convenient and quick, the dip also tasted great on potato chips, without which, in the fifties anyway, it wasn’t a party. These days it isn’t a party without little toasts topped by something Mediterranean-hence this zesty update.

Quick, upscale and delicious. Leftover garbanzo bean spread makes a great dip for carrot and celery sticks.

Purchased tabbouleh spooned onto whole romaine lettuce leaves is ideal with these Mediterranean-inspired sandwiches. Follow with baklava and fresh grapes.

Be sure to serve this with thick slices of good bread to soak up the dressing.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Eggs are a staple of the Turkish diet. An ingredient in many dishes, they are also prepared on their own as a main course for lunch or as an appetizer for dinner. Here they are poached, set on a bed of yogurt (another staple) and drizzled with a red pepper-sage butter. The red pepper that fires up Turkish cooking - a cross between paprika and dried crushed red pepper - is much more popular than black pepper, especially outside the large cities.

Reflecting the cuisines of Israel and the surrounding Mediterranean Middle Eastern countries, this meatless stew is seasoned with mint and lemon. Serve it with sesame seed rolls and a tomato and cucumber salad; have pistachio ice cream for dessert.

There are many different versions of this traditional island dish, which is known as sopas mallorquínas. Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) is distinctive and worth seeking out for its unique flavor.

"When my ancestors left Spain and settled on the Greek island of Rhodes five hundred years ago," writes Rebecca Levy of Los Angeles, California, "they brought with them their Sephardic culture. Likewise, when I fled Greece during World War II and eventually relocated to Los Angeles, I brought with me the traditions of my home. Many of my recipes are centuries old, and since each one is connected to a story, I always try to tell a little anecdote about the food so that the history will not be lost." Serve the stew over rice to soak up the juices.

The Mediterranean fish soup bourride is something like a bouillabaisse but has a consistency more like stew. Instead of putting the aïoli directly into the soup, as is traditional, Adams likes to dollop it onto toasts.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Pita bread serves as the crust for this pizza-style dish. Look for prepackaged mixed black and green brine-cured olives in the deli section of most supermarkets. Serve with: Tabbouleh (bulgur salad), arugula salad with red wine vinaigrette, and marinated artichoke hearts.

Here is one of the most popular ways for cooking shrimp in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. In American-Italian cuisine, this recipe would be referred to as "Shrimp Scampi," a curious title since scampi means shrimp, which means the name, literally translated, is "Shrimp Shrimp." Good Italian or French bread should always be served with this dish for sopping up the good garlicky sauce.

Grapefruit zest stands in for lemon peel in the gremolata, an aromatic garnish.

Figs' — of Boston, MA — farinata is very similar to Niçois socca, chickpea-flour cakes with a distinct, nutty flavor. Serve the wedges alongside any green salad.

Nice with grilled fish or chicken, this can also be served on toasted baguette slices as an appetizer.