Fennel

This easy dish features thinly sliced, roasted leeks and fennel with grated Parmesan and poppy seeds baked inside a store-bought puff pastry crust. Serve the tart for with a green salad on the side.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min.

This thick and comforting dish is delicious sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For a sophisticated touch, crumbled goat cheese is sprinkled over the fennel and broiled until just beginning to brown.

The fresh flavors and crisp textures in this salsa complement the tender sea bass.

A taverna standard, saganaki (fried cheese slices) is named for the two-handled pan it's cooked in. Here, the cheese is melted to make a sauce for fish. Chef Costas Spiliades uses a medium-textured feta, such as Mt. Vikos or Dodoni brands, for this dish. He also uses a Greek Chardonnay, Katsaros, which is sold at some U.S. wine shops. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

The riper the tomatoes, the better the flavor of this delicate consommé. To clarify it, we've used the traditional French method of creating an egg-white "raft," which attracts particles from the simmering broth and is then discarded. Though the consommé is served cold, it is not jellied.

Most turkey breasts are sold with the bone and skin still attached. Another option is to ask your butcher to bone it for you — the weight of the turkey breast without the bone should be 4 to 5 pounds.

Inspired by the classic Sicilian winter salad of blood oranges and fennel.

This soup is also wonderful hot.

Steve Silverman of South Burlington, Vermont, writes: "In my cooking I tend to be very quick and health-conscious. During the summer, my wife, Mary, and I usually grill chicken or fish and make salads. I'll use whatever fresh vegetables and ingredients I have on hand and come up with a wonderful meal for the two of us." To make this a substantial main course, add 1 1/4 pounds cooked shrimp.

A stunning vegetarian platter.

Be sure to have the fishmonger remove all skin from the fillets.