Starter

Leigh Vickery of Tyler, Texas, writes: "Even though my weeknights are mostly filled with baseball and soccer practice and helping my kids with their homework, family time at the dinner table is still important to me. To avoid the trap of fast-food restaurants on hectic nights, I keep plenty of recipes on hand that don't take too much time to pull together."

Shirley Phillips was raised on Hooper Island, Maryland, in Chesapeake Bay, and grew up surrounded by the finest seafood imaginable. Given her upbringing, it's no surprising that she married a waterman, Brice Phillips. The couple made their way to Ocean City, Maryland, and opened a crab shack, selling "jimmies" — heavy, fat, perfectly seasoned crabs — to tourists and locals alike. Almost fifty years later, that roadside crab shack has evolved into one of the largest seafood operations in America, Phillips foods. Miss Shirley is still a part of the daily operation of her signature Ocean City restaurant, which serves thousands of crab cakes every season. According to Shirley, the secret to a good crab cake is good crab, lots of lumps, and simple seasoning.

To minimize untended grill time, bring the stuffing and reserved cheese to the grill along with the mushrooms.

Food Editor: Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez
Father: Alexander J. Miraglia, Howard Beach, NY
No matter what Italian restaurant we visit, my dad can't seem to resist ordering linguine with clams. Although they're not technically clams, cockles work best in this dish, since they're very small and have tender, sweet flesh. You can identify them by their tiny size (about 1/2 to 1 inch across) and green-tinged shells.

The quality of the ricotta made near Florence inspired cooks there to create these dumplings. Seasonal leeks add their earthiness to the gnocchi, and bright green favas sautéed in butter with sage are the edible garnish.

Few stuffed pastas are as pretty as these traditional ravioli from Veneto. The rich, sweet filling of roasted beets is complemented by the unique flavor of tiny black poppy seeds. If you don't have time to make fresh pasta, use purchased wonton wrappers.

Puntarelle are the inner hearts of cicoria catalogna, a kind of chicory — and one of the greatest treats of springtime in Rome. The hearts are trimmed out of the large heads and cut into thin shreds that curl up when immersed in ice water. Since puntarelle are not easy to find in this country, a mix of Belgian endive and celery serves as a wonderful substitute: Together, they have the same addictive bittersweet-crisp quality.

Peel these fiery shrimp as you eat them.

Nasi Kerabu
Make sure to buy the larger dried shrimp and select those that are bright pink or pink-orange (they brown and harden with age). Lesser grades of dried shrimp tend to be unpleasantly pungent. It's also important to use a fine-quality rice — what you can buy at most supermarkets will yield mediocre results.

Garlic chives smell more pungent than they taste and are wonderful when cooked. (Keep them wrapped well in your refrigerator.)

Yakitori In Tokyo, these savory skewers are made with Japanese leeks, called negi, which are thinner and more tender than Western leeks. We've substituted scallions, since they have a similar sweetness and are more readily available here.

The combination of garam masala — a blend of sweet and hot spices — and a light sugar syrup adds so much flavor to this refreshing salad that no oil is necessary. The spice blend subtly enhances the natural sweetness of the pear and the avocado, while lending an aromatic note. If Asian pears are not available in your area, you can substitute another firm-ripe pear variety.

This is a simple variation on the classic French brandade, traditionally made with salt cod. Prepare the crostini while your potatoes are simmering.