Pasta

Robert Colombi of Paris, France, writes: "My mother was Sicilian and my father, Corsican, but I was born in Morocco and lived there for many years. I learned how to cook mostly from my mother (which is why pasta often turns up at dinnertime), but also from my many travels throughout Morocco (which is why my favorite spices are coriander, thyme, and cumin). As I became older, I developed a stronger interest in cooking, especially after I moved to France and got married. I guess I started to feel very nostalgic about the country of my childhood, and it became more important for me to remember and re-create those tastes for my French friends and family." This intriguingly flavored dish comes together in minutes.

At Babbo in New York, chef Mario Batali serves this dish with freshly made pappardelle pasta. We've simplified the entrée for the home cook by substituting purchased fettuccine.

"The tagliatelle with parsnips and pancetta at Babbo is a wonder," says Aleksandra Crapanzano of New York, New York. " I would be thrilled to have the recipe." A good substitute for the homemade tagliatelle used at Babbo is dried egg fettuccine or taglierini—we particularly like the Cipriani brand. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Sharon Hooykaas of Los Alamitos, California, writes: "During a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, my husband and I went to Edward's at Kanaloa for dinner, where I enjoyed the best fish I've ever tasted: snapper served on angel hair pasta with creamy citrus sauce."

The Moroccan theme continues with this delicious salad and the vegetable kebabs .

Serve with: Tomato salad and crusty semolina bread. Dessert: Amaretti cookies.

This golden curry cooks quickly, so the vegetables are just tender. A flourish of mint adds the final spark.

Pasta with shellfish is an old Italian tradition. Have crusty bread on hand to serve.

This couscous with coriander seeds and apricots is a nice alternative to rice. Try it with roasted chicken or vegetables.

Veal and pork combine in the rustic sauce.

While this recipe makes more pasta that the four rectangles you'll need for the Pumpkin Cannelloni with Clams and Sage Brown Butter , Jody Adams recommends rolling out all of the pasta and cutting the extra into tagliatelle, which, when tossed with butter and cheese, makes a wonderful dinner later in the week. For rolling and cutting, she likes to use the pasta-maker attachment for the KitchenAid standing mixer.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min