30 Minutes or Less

George Kelso of Edinburgh, Scotland, writes: "Although I grew up in Scotland and spent my early years as a chef here, I didn't start specializing in Scottish food until much later in my career. After working in London and at various restaurants in England, I returned to Scotland in 1988 to become chef at Ardsheal House in Argyll, where I started cooking exclusively with Scottish ingredients. We grew our own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and even raised our own hens and ducks. That experience inspired the kind of cooking I do today at Haldanes, where I'm chef and owner. I keep the food preparation simple and use the freshest produce. That's why I use local suppliers as much as possible." Slices of prosciutto are fried until crisp for a delicious garnish.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Star anise has been showing up all over restaurant menus lately, even in seafood dishes. This light and lively first course was inspired by such recipes.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To make this recipe even easier to prepare, substitute three tablespoons diced canned green chilies for the fresh Anaheim chili.

Any nut can be substituted for the pine nuts. Toast them for fuller flavor.

Great on its own or served alongside grilled fish, chicken or steak.

The heat of the cooked spaghetti wilts the mixed greens in this lemony warm pasta salad. Dry Monterey Jack is an aged Jack cheese similar to Parmesan.

For a savory and simple dinner, serve this trout with some roasted potatoes and a green salad tossed with pears and crumbled blue cheese.

Pork may be overcooked a little, but don't overcook the vegetables. They should retain good color and texture.

Buy steaks that are at least 1 1/4 inches thick; that way, they can be seared without getting overdone. The Mediterranean-flavored butter adds a great taste accent. Also offer mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, and drink a Burgundy or Pinot Noir.

Green peppercorns can be found packed in brine in the specialty foods section of most large supermarkets.

(Panzanella) In Tuscany, leftover bread is put to many uses: It stars in all kinds of recipes, from appetizers like crostini and fettunta (the Tuscan term for bruschetta) to soups like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Stale bread even appears in salads; this one is called panzanella, which comes from the word pantanella, meaning "little swamp." Although the name is unfortunate, it is appropriate: The chunks of bread are first soaked in water, then mixed with the rest of the salad, where they sop up the zesty vinaigrette. There are several versions of panzanella, but no matter how the salad is made, the bread should be a few days old and coarse in texture. Sometimes wheat bread is used, but the salad is better with white.

A popular entrée in Tuscany, and throughout Italy. Our quick version would go well with tagliatelle with herbed tomato sauce and steamed baby zucchini. Offer biscotti and Vin Santo (Tuscan dessert wine) afterward.

"My family has subscribed to Gourmet since 1942 or 1943," says Hope Mihalap of Norfolk, Virginia. "This uncomplicated hors d'oeuvre was first served to me at a cocktail party in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, some 35 years ago." "Since then I have discovered other people who make it. Some thinly slice the onion and top it with the mayonnaise and cheese, while others chop the onion and mix it into the mayonnaise. Either way, it's delicious." This is one retro recipe we're glad to revisit. Of the two preparation methods Hope Mihalap describes, we preferred chopping up the onions — the toasts are a bit easier to eat that way. Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 15 min

An excellent complement to roast pork.