The best way to chop dill is not with a knife on a cutting board. Use scissors to snip the fronds into small pieces.

Paprika loses its punch if kept too long on the shelf. Check before using. It smells pungent when fresh.

Moroccan Dressing or both. You will have plenty of time to fine-tune a menu, however you wish to do it, because the salmon takes barely a minute to prepare. The oven does the rest.

make. The salmon can be marinated and grilled ahead; it can even be refrigerated several hours in advance of serving. All you really have to factor in is the half hour that is needed for it to stand at room temperature to come to full flavor.

From a purely practical point of view, lentils, unlike beans, do not need to be soaked in advance of cooking. They also cook in about half the time. This makes a luscious weekend meal, with soup and a great bread.

Along with the barley, you will find familiar Asian overtones a touch of sesame oil, some red pepper flakes, and crisp broccoli florets. Fish would make a very fine

accompaniment, roasted, poached, or, easiest of all, steamed.

like rice or baked in sweet puddings. Buckwheat flour figures in the wonderful Russian pancakes called blini.

Here the grain is toasted, paired with shiitake mushrooms, and glossed with porcini oil. This fragrant oil really makes the salad; there is no substitute for it in this recipe.

This is colorful and pretty. You can prepare the two main components-the wheat berries and beets- in advance, making this easy to put together. If you are looking to add to your list of healthier salads, this is a good place to start.

At the height of summer, it is always fun to use heirloom tomatoes in this glorious combination. If you haven't a farmer's market nearby where heirlooms are sometimes available, no matter. Simply choose the reddest, ripest tomatoes you can find. Good-quality olive oil is a plus here, too, but you don't have to go overboard. The point of this simple salad? Delicious ingredients, in season, simply prepared. Serve this with almost anything you like. A crust of wonderful bread will do.

There are a couple of key factors to serving marvelous-tasting tomatoes: Start with the best tomatoes you can find, preferably luscious and truly ripe, and do not under any circumstances refrigerate them before using.

You can make the preparation very easy for yourself: Either roast the eggplant the day before or roast it at the same time that you roast the potatoes, which should be about 2 hours before serving. That way you can hold the roasted vegetables at room temperature, no refrigeration needed, which is unquestionably the best option when it comes to maintaining flavor and texture.

If you do have time, there is a way to enhance this already lovely combination. Add a dozen or so roasted shallots to the platter.

Or make them several hours ahead for serving at a buffet. They also make a great sandwich filling.

goes beautifully with simply grilled or roasted fish and is exquisite with the Mexican-inspired red snapper we suggest below.

Use the tender inner leaves, the hearts, of the romaine. The outer leaves are tough and unsuitable. Be sure that the leaves are well dried after a careful rinsing.

Good Parmigiano-Reggiano is a must. It is a large flavor component. Just as important is when to add it: at the end, just before the croutons, so that it does not have a chance to absorb a lot of dressing before the salad is served.

Classic Caesar dressing contains raw egg. Raw ingredients should not be left to stand at room temperature for any length of time. In short, once assembled, the salad should be served and enjoyed.

This recipe, in particular, is ideal for a large party or gathering. The yield is generous, and each of the components-the lettuce, dressing, and croutons—can be prepared in advance.

Plan on making this no more than 1 hour before serving. You don't want the crumbs, a large part of the pleasure when fresh, to become soggy.. For how to get a jumpstart on prepping the ingredients, go to the end of the recipe.

The capers in the pesto make a sizable contribution. If you don't have parsley pesto, stir capers into a flavored mayonnaise. Or use olive paste or plain pesto. The point is to use the spread, whatever it might be, to provide a burst of big flavor for the turkey and bread. Pane rustico is a crusty rustic bread traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven. Look for it in specialty markets.

There is a way you can make these even more interesting. Use smoked prosciutto in place of the regular. Known as speck, it originated in northern Italy, where there weren't always enough sunny or dry days to cure the pork legs. Someone resourceful did the next best thing: moved the legs inside the chimney to dry. Smoked prosciutto has a deep rosy color and exquisite flavor. While it is still not widely available, it is becoming easier to find and is definitely worth the search.

A preparation note: While there are few ways to use leftover roasted potatoes that we can recommend, this recipe happens to be an exception. They work deliciously here.

A note on Pecorino Romano: It can be tricky to slice. For optimum results, have the cheese at room temperature and slice it with a cheese slicer or a sharp knife. Shards taste just as good if you can't get thin even slices.

Which leaves the walnut bread. Now that's what should you use your time looking for here.

Make the meat loaf 1 day ahead if you like. Then it is just a matter of quickly sautéing the mushrooms and assembling the sandwiches. All in all, not much to ask for all you get in return.

While many people think of sandwiches only at lunchtime, this one makes a swell supper served alongside a simple green salad.

Soft-shell crab lovers, and there are legions of them, anticipate soft-shell crab season as a very special time of year. If you count yourself among them, plan a gathering of like-minded connoisseurs in spring or early summer; then make a feast of this superb seasonal sandwich. Pile the platter high. Don't even think about trying to make these ahead of time, though. They are "make-and-serve."

This sandwich is simplicity itself to make, perfect for a quick snack for lastminute guests, and can be fully prepared in advance. Serve with plenty of napkins, as these are delicious but messy.

This recipe calls for grilled tuna. If you are not planning to use your grill, cook your tuna under the broiler. You can also pan-sear it if your kitchen has good ventilation. Either way, it is a matter of quickly searing the tuna, using intense heat to create a crust while the inside remains rare as you would do with a charbroiled beefsteak.

For very practical reasons, we suggest you fry the fillets in advance. In that way, any smell of fish, which deters some people from cooking fish at home, should have disappeared from your house by the time you are ready to eat. To keep things really easy, make the tartar sauce ahead of time, too. This brings us to the bread: Pane Rustico, a variation of country bread, is crusty and not too flavorful. It is the contrast of textures-crustiness on the outside, and softness within that makes it so appealing. You will have to assemble the sandwiches before serving, but even so, when it comes to dishes that are good for entertaining, these tasty sandwiches figure near the top of the easy-to-prepare list.

Smoked mozzarella is becoming more widely available, but if you can't find it, fresh mozzarella can be substituted. It won't be the same sandwich, but it will still be very good.

We have tapenade on hand as a matter of course. If you don't, use storebought black or green olive paste here. Both are readily available in jars at most supermarkets and are useful to have on hand for additional bursts of flavor on sandwiches or even stirred into pasta. But make our tapenade when you have the time. It stores beautifully.

The ancho chile sauce on these sandwiches serves as a strong accent. It can be made well in advance and is good to have in the refrigerator to spice up any number of dishes. If you make both the hummus and sauce in advance, then it is just a matter of filling the pita pockets, which makes for a quick lunch or light supper with a bowl of soup. Remember the hummus when you want an easy appetizer, and serve it with triangles of pita bread. Use the sauce as you do here, as an accent.

When you are entertaining, Wild Rice and Roasted Corn Salad make a fine accompaniment and look especially appealing with this soup.

With the exception of roasting the peppers, which can be done ahead of time, no other cooking is required here. Raw tomatoes and garlic are blended together until smooth, crushed tomatoes are added for texture, and that is basically it. Serve just as is, no chilling required, as a luncheon entree on a summer afternoon with toasted slices of country bread topped with mashed anchovies and a few capers.

This soup comforts. Even though it is hearty, it sets the stage beautifully as a first course to be followed by grilled or roasted meat or poultry, and a green salad. Or make a meal of it with good bread.

In addition to being easy to make, this can be served hot or chilled advantageous for the busy cook. If you're serving it cold, add a splash of fresh orange juice for a fresh citrus taste. You can spice it up a bit, too, depending upon how well your refrigerator is stocked with what we call "accents": Stir in a teaspoon of harissa, the Tunisian (not Moroccan, although it is used there, too) hot chili sauce, just before serving. Failing that, you can add a spoonful of chipotle chile salsa, something we have on tap frequently. If you don't have either of those and you like a touch of heat, add hot salsa from the jar.

This soup can, and should, be made year-round, with local fresh corn in the summer and frozen kernels at other times. Ideally, buy corn that has been picked the same day and start the soup when you get home from the farmstand or farmer's market. Which is to say, if the only "fresh" corn available to you is shucked and prewrapped, think twice about buying it.

If you are making this in advance, be sure to add the roughly cut parsley right before serving so that you get the most out of its vibrant color and fresh flavor. When it comes to adding fresh herbs, Mangia's rule of thumb is the rougher the cut, the more the herb contributes.

This makes a special Sunday lunch or early supper on a cool fall or winter weekend, served with a bottle of crisp white wine and Caesar Salad. It can be made in advance up to the addition of the porcini oil, which happens right before serving.

To make the full recipe, about 70 cookies, you will need 3 or 4 large baking sheets, some parchment paper, and plenty of time. A final reminder: If you are making only half the recipe, remember to halve the almond topping and filling measurements as well.

Crystal sugar has larger granules than granulated sugar and is used for decorating. While optional, it makes these look pretty. The sugar can be purchased at baking supply stores and some supermarkets.

A note about storing this cake. Because it is low in fat, it will dry out if stored for any length of time. If you need to hold it overnight, wrap it well in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature.

Remember this recipe when you are putting together a lunch to go- be it a brown bag for school, a picnic basket for an outing, or a picnic hamper, the kind with all the bells and whistles, for a concert in the park. Peanut butter may not be a sophisticated taste, but it is universally loved.

Serve these lovely-looking, sweet-tasting muffins for summer breakfasts, but of course, do not stop there. They make a superb dessert served with slices of fresh or roasted pineapple or topped with gelato or sorbet. These muffins will disappear as soon as you put them out. When strawberry season is in full bloom, it's a good idea to make several batches and freeze them.

A note about poppyseeds: Like nuts, they can turn rancid if stored for too long at room temperature, or if kept at too high a temperature. To ensure freshness, keep the jar in the freezer.

If you are looking for a savory scone that is more family-friendly, try the bacon variation that follows this recipe. We're keen on those topped with a rough-cut marmalade, like orange or ginger. A drizzle of maple syrup on a still-warm split bacon scone is very good, too.

You can also serve them for lunch or at tea. Halve and top the scones with thinly sliced prosciutto or shavings of manchego cheese two possibilities, among lots of others, that play nicely off the sweetness of all those raisins.