Parsley

Jim Fobel, cookbook author, says, "My mother always added lots of sage and nutmeg to her stuffing. I loved those flavors when I was a kid, and I still put them in the stuffings that I make today."

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Gently drain the liquid from the top of the yogurt before combining with other ingredients so that the flavors are not diluted.

The same parsley butter (which can be prepared three days ahead) seasons the pasta and the broccoli rabe served alongside.

Unlike most tamal recipes, which use dried corn (masa harina), this one is Cuban-style, made with fresh corn kernels. I've also added a different touch by replacing the traditional pork filling with conch. The flavor and texture proved very popular at Yuca, and it remained on the menu as a fixture. These tamales are very convenient for entertaining. They can be made ahead of time and frozen, or kept in the refrigerator and then popped in the microwave. In fact, it's not worth making a smaller batch, so you'll probably want to freeze some of them. Likewise, the pesto can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

These mussels, flavored with garlic-herb butter and baked instead of steamed, beg for some crusty bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Try them over pasta, too. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

Wonderful as a side dish with grilled sea bass, halibut, or marinated, skewered shrimp.

A nice accompaniment to grilled sea bass, scallops or shrimp.

One piece of gemelli consists of two strands of pasta-both about an inch long-twisted around each other to resemble a braid. These noodles are great for catching the juices in this garlicky entrée. If you can't find gemelli, use fusilli; it will work just as well.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This parsley-based pesto is a nice alternative to the classic basil one--and it's especially handy for December, when there might not be fresh basil at the market. The recipe yields about 1 1/3 cups of sauce.

The term panéed means "panfried" in the New Orleans culinary lexicon. This recipe is from that city's Gabrielle Restaurant.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Table salt works fine here, but teaming sea salt with fleur de sel adds a refined touch.

Three classic heartland ingredients — corn, smoked sausage and wild rice — combine to give this appealing first-course soup its sweet-spicy flavor and interesting texture.

To debeard the mussels, just pull off the hairlike bits coming out of the shell.