Saffron

If you're also making the slow-cooked onion salad , you can cook the cauliflower for this recipe while your onions finish roasting. Steam the mussels and cod after the onions are done, just before assembling your salad.

At Mo Mo, chef Greg Malouf serves his b'stilla in individual portions, but we've opted to make a large pie designed to be served in wedges.

A colorful, aromatic rice that is good with the Spicy Lamb Stew with Apricots and Cardamom, or with broiled chicken, fish or vegetables.

'50s I LOVE LUCY When Ricky and Fred switch roles with Lucy and Ethel ("Job Switching" first aired on September 15, 1952), Ricky decides he wants to make his native Cuban arroz con pollo for dinner. You know there's going to be trouble when Ricky asks Fred if a pound of rice per person sounds right — and sure enough, before long, mountains of rice are bubbling out of a pot, and chicken is exploding from a pressure cooker. Here's a tamer approach. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 4 1/4 hr (includes making stock and rouille)

In this recipe, a casserole dish stands in for the traditional tagine. Serve with couscous or an Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber, and sweet onion.

Mrouzia Mrouzia is a dish traditionally made after the celebration of Aid el Kebir ("Feast of the Slaughter of the Lamb"), an occasion when, historically, a family would have large amounts of meat on hand. In the days before refrigeration, the lamb was cooked in copious amounts of fat and spices to preserve it. Don't worry — this version has much less butter and less intense spicing than the original. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 3 hr

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

A cross between brioche and challah, this bread is a lightly sweetened, egg-glazed cylinder, often baked in a coffee can to make a tall loaf. The kulich would sit proudly in the center of the family Easter basket, surrounded by meats, cheeses, butter, and eggs. It's a central part of the Easter meal, served with sweet paskha cheese or unsalted butter.

The saffron adds not only a lovely aroma but vivid color as well. Open a bottle of Chardonnay to go with the meal.

Although bisques tend to be thick and creamy, the following intensely flavorful version is light, with very little cream added.

The traditional b'stilla is an enormous pigeon or chicken pie wrapped in golden paper-thin pastry leaves. However, we made individual pies for ease of serving. The idea of meat mixed with spices and encased in pastry was brought to Morocco by Arabs from the Middle East; the delicate pastry sheets, it is thought, came specifically from Persia. Spices play a big part in Moroccan cooking. This legendary spice mixture is translated as "top of the shop."

A fabulous all-in-one dish, similar to paella, from Lucques in Los Angeles.

An Armenian dish that's the perfect accompaniment to roast turkey, goose or ham. This version is dressed up for the holidays with golden saffron and studded with dried fruit and nuts.

The bold flavors of Spain's famous paella-sausage, seafood and saffron-meet the luscious, creamy texture of Italy's risotto in this beautiful rice dish. Pour a chilled dry white wine during dinner, and offer flan for dessert.

This dish is named after the copper Portuguese cooking vessel, the cataplana, in which it is traditionally cooked.

Peas and chives really dress up this side dish.

Team the fish with steamed rice and sautéed spinach, and pour a Sauvignon Blanc.