Sausage

Servings: Makes 10 servings.

"On a tour of the South, I had dinner at The Boathouse, an outstanding restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina," says Marion Hunt of Valhalla, New York. "Their spicy shrimp and sausage with grits was my favorite meal of the entire trip." The creamy grits and spicy sauce create a nice contrast. Adjust the amount of hot pepper sauce to make the dish as hot as you like.

Serve roasted bell peppers and olives before this hearty entrée. Spoon sliced and sugared strawberries over ricotta cheesecake to complete the meal.

Most of the assembly for this layered bread-and-egg dish can be done one day ahead. Serve it hot or warm.

This pie, reminiscent of a frittata, is a great way to use up leftover pasta. Serve it with bread and a salad for lunch, brunch, or dinner.

The sweet bread called for here was introduced to Hawaii by nineteenth-century Portuguese immigrants. The stuffing can also be cooked inside the turkey, provided the bird is roasted immediately after being stuffed. For more flavor, rub the turkey with a mixture of salt and pepper and two tablespoons each of sesame oil, orange juice and lime juice, and let it marinate overnight.

This is a tasty dish for a tapas party, but I also like it served with greens alongside warm lentils for lunch. Spanish fresh pork sausage is flavored with garlic and oregano, but any sweet pork link sausage can be used for this recipe.

This midsummer fare is adapted from a dish I enjoyed at 192, our favorite wine-bar-restaurant in London's Kensington: its inspiration is, I am sure, from Spain. You can buy a whole chunk of chorizo sausage — or a string of smaller ones — to slice yourself. Most good gourmet stores stock chorizo (mild or spicy), and many supermarkets do, too.

As with many widely made classic dishes, the recipe for alubias de Tolosa will vary with each Basque cook; however, this version is fairly representative.

Here is a terrific lower-fat version of the classic New Orleans dish.

A satisfying, easy dish that's also versatile: Accompany with sliced melon and some assorted pastries for brunch, or with a green salad and warm focaccia for dinner.

Steve Delaney, West Chester, Pa.
"My recipe reflects the Caribbean influences in the foods of Miami, where I lived for many years."