Pea

This colorful couscous can be prepared in about 15 minutes. To cut that down to 10 minutes, mince the carrots in a processor.

Ginger and garlic give these pea pods a hint of Asian flavor, but we think they're a good all-purpose side dish.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We've called for live lobsters in this recipe, but, to save time, you could use 1 pound (about 3 cups) cooked lobster meat from your fish market.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This lemony pasta dish is great with sesame breadsticks and a salad of sliced tomatoes and Vidalia onions in a red-wine vinaigrette. End with hazelnut cookies and a mixed-melon compote splashed with Champagne.

Vignarola You'll find this dish in trattorias all over Rome during the spring. The long, slow cooking causes the vegetables to lose their bright color, but the sweet flavor of the stew makes up for its rather bland appearance. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

This recipe makes great use of the tough outer leaves of romaine, which are often discarded.

If you can get fresh shelled peas, cook them in a pan of boiling water until they are just tender, 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and toss them with the chives, zest, and pepper. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

This stew is great served with noodles.

Peas and chives really dress up this side dish.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.<P> This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink="101050"Rack of Lamb with Spinach Pine-Nut Crust and Minted Pea Sauce</epi:recipeLink>.

Chinese viceroy Li Hung Chang, visiting San Francisco's Palace Hotel in the 1890s, requested vegetables with a bit of meat "job suey," or "in fine pieces," and chef Joseph Herder obliged.

These hors d'oeuvres should be served warm, so fry a couple of batches at a time as platters need replenishing.

This stew should be made in a large soup kettle measuring at least 10 inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches. I like mashed potatoes with my stew. If you prefer potato chunks in your stew, boil them separately and add them to the pot with the carrots and peas.