Artichoke

Sicilian caponata is a salad or side dish composed of several vegetables cooked separately and joined together by a sauce, often of tomato. Serve it as an antipasto or with grilled meat or fish. To keep artichokes from browning as trim them, run a paring knife through a lemon before each cut. The juice on the knife acidulates the surface of the artichoke.

These are equally good with either ground pork or ground lamb.

Artichoke hearts and hearts of palm combine in an elegant salad.

If you prefer to serve prosciutto without the mayonnaise, the spread here can be replaced by tomato slices sprinkled with a little chopped rosemary.

Parmesan cheese and tarragon add to the distinctive flavor of this comforting main course. Accompany the hash with biscuits, and conclude the evening with fresh fruit and a platter of brownies.

These twice-fried artichokes, or carciofi alla giudea, are made using a technique created by Jewish cooks in Rome. The first frying is done at a lower heat and simply cooks the artichokes. The second frying, in hotter oil, causes the leaves to spring open and gives them their crisp finish. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 55 min

For a nice vegetarian meal, offer these latkes with a Greek salad. Stir chopped fresh mint into yogurt to have with the latkes.

This low-fat rendition of the classic dish comes from Gil Martínez Soto of Restaurante Virrey de Palafox in El Burgo de Osma, Spain.

Mark Taylor of West Hartford, Connecticut, writes: "I started cooking out of necessity when I first graduated from college, since I couldn't afford to eat out. Having grown up watching my mother cook for our large family, I used her recipes. She was always trying new dishes whenever we had guests and sharing her adventurous attitude toward eating. These days, even though my wife and I both work, we still cook several times a week. Now I tend to rely on recipes I've picked up from restaurants and friends. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and figuring out new ways to improve a recipe, as I've done with the one here."

Served with a salad, this dish is a complete dinner. Though the procedure for trimming artichokes may look involved, it's really quite easy.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Steamed baby potatoes and a baguette are good partners for the fish. For dessert, spoon sugared raspberries over angel food cake.

Carciofi alla Romana Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Asparagus or peas may be added to this recipe. Gremolata—a mixture of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley typically sprinkled over osso buco (braised veal shank)—is not traditionally used in Italian Jewish vegetable dishes, but it gives this one lightness and sparkle.

An elegant but easy first course. Frozen artichoke hearts are used for the filling, and purchased gyoza or wonton wrappers replace homemade pasta.