Bean and Legume

Components of this salad can be prepared one day ahead, then tossed together at the last minute. Offer white wine spritzers and iced tea with lunch. Colorful ornamental kale can be found at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

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

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At Aruns in Chicago, owner and chef Arun Sampanthavivat has come up with this fresh take on a traditional Thai recipe.

Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of your market.

The dressing is packed with intense flavors, so only a limited amount of oil is necessary.

This main-course soup is ideal for winter evenings. It originated in Portugal's Ribatejo province, famed for its horses, bulls and bullfighters. The soup gets its name from the kidney beans, which are referred to as "stones" by the Portuguese.

Pasta Fazool is slang for the classic Italian pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans). This recipe includes Italian sausage and beef along with kidney beans and pasta. It's all topped with Fontina.

Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Risotto de Bulgour aux Pois et Asperges At the restaurant, this is made with spelt, a chewy grain that requires much longer cooking than does the more readily available bulgur called for here.

This dish is equally delicious prepared with turkey, seafood, beef, or pork.

The sweet potato and coconut milk balance the spiciness of this dish. Serve it over white rice, and dinner is ready.

There is a historical reason why most Hanukkah menus offer foods that have been fried in oil. In the second century B.C., a one-day supply of oil inexplicably burned for eight days and eight nights after Judah Maccabee and his followers recaptured Jerusalem's Holy Temple from their Syrian oppressors. Hanukkah is the celebration of that miracle, and fried foods are served to commemorate the oil. In this country, the Eastern European potato latke is usually featured. These fritters are a Sephardic contribution to that tradition.