Parsley

Any nut can be substituted for the pine nuts. Toast them for fuller flavor.

John serves the peppers as an appetizer with toasted country bread.

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 but requires additional unattended time.

Here's a versatile pesto. It's great with goat cheese as an appetizer, mixed with balsamic vinegar as a vinaigrette, spread on sandwiches, tossed with steamed carrots, or mixed with a little cream and chicken broth and served over pasta.

In addition to the fried parsnip the executive chef at Ashford Castle, Denis Lenihan, often adorns this soup with a poached carved apple.

This vinegary dressing reflects the tastes and traditions of the sizable German population in the Midwest.

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.

Lighter, brighter flavors make this old-fashioned salad new again.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A persillade is a mixture of chopped parsley - persil in French - and garlic that is added to dishes as a flavoring or garnish.

(Carciofi Ritti) The best artichokes in Tuscany are the small purple ones that come from the area around Grosseto, a southern city near the sea. But the variety is endless: big ones, little ones, violet ones; served boiled, steamed, even raw. In this dish, which is an interpretation of a classic Florentine recipe, artichokes are filled with a savory mixture of pancetta and parsley, drizzled with olive oil, and braised.

"I developed this recipe last winter and think it makes excellent cold-weather fare," says Lora Anderson of Cincinnati, Ohio.