Parsley

This dish is ideal for entertaining, because you can prepare the sauce ahead and then simply toss it with the cooked pasta. Do not overcook the shrimp!

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

If fresh chervil is unavailable in your area, substitute fresh basil leaves for the oil and garnish the mussels with tiny basil leaves.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Chiles Anchos Rellenos de Atún con Papas This is more sweet than spicy, because the chiles are softened in brown sugar and vinegar before stuffing.

Use this stock to prepare Chicken with Parsley and Thyme Stuffing and Roasted Potatoes .

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 18 hr (includes chilling)

Stitt likes to use rock salt — the kind used for old-fashioned ice cream churners — as a bed for these oysters because it keeps the shells from tipping and sliding around in the pan and on the plates. Rock salt is sold at many supermarkets, but kosher salt is a good substitute. At the restaurant, Stitt makes this recipe with local Apalachicola oysters, though he also likes the flavor of East Coast varieties such as Blue Point, Pemaquid, and Malpeque, so feel free to use your favorite.

A classic of the Balearic Islands, where lobster is found in abundance, this stew (known as caldereta) is intensely flavorful and fun to eat. Live lobster is essential, since the tomalley (liver) is a key ingredient. Serve the stew with plenty of crusty country-style bread.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"One night when friends were coming over for cocktails, I wanted to make some hors d'oeuvres," says Amy Sue Keck of San Diego, California. "Though most tapenades I've tasted have been made with black olives and anchovies, I only had green olives in my cabinet—and no anchovies! So I added some toasted almonds instead, and my green "tapenade" was a hit. I still make it this way."

Have the butcher "french" the lamb racks, which entails trimming the fat from the lamb and between the bones.

Though Rose Pascale always uses fresh octopus (sold as pulpo in many Latino markets), we found that it's generally sold frozen. You may need to special-order or reserve octopus from your local fish market several days ahead.

A classic Italian topping, gremolata is usually sprinkled over osso buco.