Fry

Easy sides would be a salad of mixed lettuces with balsamic vinaigrette, a whole wheat baguette and roasted baby potatoes. Finish with apple tarts.

You can form the sweet-potato pancakes up to six hours ahead, leaving only a quick frying before serving.

Traditional fish cakes are made with salt cod and potatoes. To create a lighter, more delicate cake, we used fresh cod and left out the potatoes. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min

Serve with: Steamed carrots and scalloped potatoes. Dessert: A bakery strawberry tart.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Ginger Salad .

Unlike oven-baked versions, griddle-cooked scones get a wonderful golden crust, which is a delicious contrast to the soft, tender interior. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

This recipe is from Andalusia in the south. The North African touches of honey and mint come by way of the Moors, who ruled the region for centuries.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Ginger Salad and Long Bean Salad .

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

These fresh and pretty wraps fuse three different Asian influences: Chinese stir-fry, Japanese ingredients, and a Vietnamese dipping sauce.

The idea for this salad came from Carlos Conrique, who worked at Billy Cross's cooking school in Morelia, a beautiful 16th-century Mexican town. Today, Conrique is a chef at the Blue Door, in Miami's Delano Hotel, where his dishes are still influenced by his childhood in Guadalajara.

Known as bifteck haché in France, this dish would go well with potatoes au gratin from the freezer case and buttered, lightly steamed spinach. End with chocolate mousse.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Nearly everyone has tasted a Spring Roll, as they are served in dim sum houses and Chinese restaurants all over America: But a homemade Spring Roll is a rare treat. The roll should have a crackling crisp skin with a filling of fine shreds of mushroom, barbecued pork, celery, cabbage, and just a touch of bean sprouts. Most restaurant spring rolls are full of bamboo shoots, celery, and bean sprouts; have a chewy or soggy wrapper; and are seldom fried in fresh oil. The wrapping dough is available in most Chinese markets, sold as spring roll wrappers, and should be as thin as possible. There are about ten wrappers per package, although most packages do not indicated how many they contain. Keep the dough covered with a slightly damp cloth as you work with it, to prevent it from drying out.