Wine

Coming right up: an elegant concoction designed for warm-weather happy hour. It's pale pink in color, floral but not too sweet, and completely refreshing.

Cook your mussels in one pot with garlic, fennel seeds, and white wine while your linguine cooks in another pot. Combine the two and then toss them with your favorite herbs from the garden and some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Now make believe you're vacationing on the Italian coast.

Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, and cava, a Spanish sparkler, both work well in this pink drink, which is as pretty as it is refreshing.

When I take people out for Ethiopian food for the first time, this chicken stew, called doro wett (also spelled doro we't, doro wat, and doro wet), is a great introduction. It's the first Ethiopian dish I ever had, and I immediately liked the tender meat, the spicy eggs, and the flavorful sauce laced with berbere and ginger. It's a great dish to make for people who haven't eaten African food before, because it's easy to understand and like. Don't be alarmed when the sauce doesn't bind together and thicken like a traditional European-style sauce—it should in fact be liquidy and broken to soak into the injera it is served on.

This dish is like risotto (only quicker and easier) and features cooked orzo topped with garlicky shrimp.

Grilling the pizza dough adds a smoky flavor to the crust.

Sangria is traditionally made with red wine. In this version, rosé gives the drink a pretty pink blush. If you prefer a stronger drink, mix in some light rum.

Frozen organic strawberries look great in the wineglasses—and help keep this pretty cocktail cool. Double the recipe if you'd like to be able to offer your guests seconds.

The lamb (grass-fed, ideally) needs to marinate overnight, so be sure to begin one day ahead. Ask the butcher to bone and butterfly the lamb for you.

A meal this romantic calls for a sparkling cocktail. This pretty and delicious drink is a new take on the classic Kir Royale, a mixture of Champagne and black-currant liqueur. Here, Prosecco (the Italian bubbly) stands in for the Champagne, and peach nectar and liqueur are used instead of crème de cassis.

Beef Shank and Sausage Ragù with Whole Grain Spaghetti* As much as we love eating at old-school red-sauce joints, we're craving the updated regional Italian cuisine we’re seeing at restaurants across the country. In this dish, instead of marinara, we've got a rich, meaty ragù (a staple in Bologna) made with flavorful bone-in beef shanks and hot Italian sausage. Hearty whole grain pasta is the perfect vehicle for the sauce (and it's a great way to add nutritional value). The long-cooked sauce is the ideal thing to make on a lazy weekend and fills the house with delicious aromas.

Ask any butcher: Humble cuts are hot. They're full of flavor and far less expensive than prime cuts. Of the humble cuts, short ribs are one of our favorites. They’re meaty and fatty (in the best possible way) and still on the bone, which adds delicious depth of flavor. And who says you have to throw all the veggies into the stew? Here, we toss some parsnips into the pot and serve a great potato-parsnip mash on the side.

Making moussaka is something of an undertaking—a rich meat sauce (made here with lamb, but you can substitute other ground meats such as turkey, veal, or even pork, if you prefer), layered with tender eggplant and a cheese sauce. You can make the moussaka in two smaller casserole dishes to serve one now and freeze one to bake later.

Food editor Melissa Roberts learned the ins and outs of making escabeche—a Spanish dish that preserves fish by frying it, then pickling it—at Alicia Juanpere's Catacurian cooking school, near Barcelona. As the fish (in this case, robust sardines or mackerel) absorbs the vinegary dressing over time, its flavor deepens, picking up the notes of paprika and cinnamon, orange and lemon.

What could be more French countryside than pulling a chilled bottle of homemade (or at least home-doctored) wine from the fridge for a special celebration? This orange sipping wine is a little sweeter and stronger than a regular glass of white, and it's the perfect aperitif for the onion tart with mustard and fennel .

In this grown-up float, "sorbato" (a cross between sorbet and gelato) stands in for the ice cream, and bubbly Prosecco is used in place of soda.

Frozen frenched green beans don't need any washing or chopping, and when simmered with cream, white wine, and sage, they become a surprisingly indulgent accompaniment.

The three main elements in this recipe make an unbeatable combination. The soft, sweet taste of the lamb coupled with full green flavor of the spinach and the nutty, full-bodied taste of the lentils makes every bite a gastronomic pleasure. These lentils are one of my favorites. I've interpreted a recipe from the masterful chef Judy Rodgers of San Francisco's Zuni Café.

Whenever the weather begins to get cold, I begin to fantasize about that perfect bowl of French onion soup. The top is golden and crisp, the cheese has blistered and fallen and is completely melted, and gooey bits are stuck to the outer sides of the bowl. When I cut through the cheese, the bread is slightly crisp, but mushy at the same time. I fill my spoon with the rich, full broth crammed with soft, sweet, smoky onions. Here's my fantasy in a bowl.

Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor restaurant in New York City, created this Champagne cocktail. As you add the sparkling wine, note how the drink changes color from green to pink. Freeman uses frozen cherries to make a cherry purée, but you can also use all-fruit spread.