Scallops and oysters are blanched and minced, then mixed with watercress, onion, parsley, bread crumbs, and melted butter, and stuffed into shells and broiled.

Orange, black, and French lentils are tossed together with a truffle vinaigrette and decorated with a drizzle of a smoky bacon vinaigrette.

Creamy, cheesy, irresistible polenta, similar to American grits, is cooked slowly until impossible soft and then is topped with all types of sauteed mushrooms

For a summer lunch or a simple supper dish with a salad, this basil-custard tart topped with fresh tomatoes is a versatile addition to anyone’s repertoire.

A Zuni Cafe specialty, these little cheese puff sandwiches are filled with bacon, tender baby greens, and peppery pickled onions. Perfect as an hors d’oeuvre.

These breads are chockfull of Portuguese sausage, including linguica and presunto. Add cheese, like a robust Sao Jorge, and they become a meal in themselves.

For this Greek speciality, phyllo, or filo, pastry is filled with a savory creamy custard teeming with sauteed scallions, feta cheese, and ricotta cheese.

These tea sandwiches–nothing more than cold steamed asparagus wrapped in ham and slid between bread spread with a thin layer of cream cheese- are unbeatable.

Sesame-crusted shrimp are deep-fried and served alongside a citrusy tart mango salad for a refreshing Asian-inspired appetizer.

A no-fuss meal, this Portuguese salad–full of meaty chickpeas and flakes of salt cod–is tossed in a cider vinegar dressing and topped with chopped egg.

This recipe for Portuguese soup is an adaptation of sopa de couve, a soup from the Azores in Portugal. It’s replete with beef, beans, onions, potatoes and kale.

One of the most beloved snacks in Portugal, these little fried turnovers are filled with shrimp in a creamy white sauce that has a slight kick of heat to it.

Fresh tuna is marinated in a pepper-garlic-vinegar mixture, sauteed with onions, then stuffed into a sweet potato-cornmeal pastry and fried. Delicious.

These Chinese dumplings filled with pork, ginger, scallions, dried fruit, and chile paste are a great starter. They’re a fun dish to make with a crowd, too.

Fresh figs are stuffed with a foie gras mousse flavored with figs, thyme, nutmeg, black or white truffles, and a touch of Cognac. Black-tie all the way.

Considered Portugal’s national dish, caldo verde, or green soup, is a homey dish of pureed potatoes, kale sliced whisker thin, and smoke-cured pork sausage.

Thin slices of anise- or licorice-flavored fennel are tossed with lettuce, radish, carrot, and red onion and topped with toasted fennel seed vinaigrette.

The hearty fish chowder is an homage to the Portuguese in the New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts, areas. It’s replete with fish, spicy sausage, potatoes.

One of Portugal most beloved dishes, these fritters are made from salt cod, potato, onion, garlic, and egg. A quick fry and they’re ready to be devoured.

Simply and simple Portuguese. Big shrimp are marinated in a piri-piri hot pepper sauce then grilled until just cooked through. A great, quick weekday dinner.

Baked oysters topped with shredded greens–some recipes call for spinach, others parsley or watercress–were a seaside favorite in the early 20th century.

Seared duck breasts sit on wilted greens and are topped with goat cheese so creamy it simply melts in your mouth–a perfect foil to the crunchy walnuts.

This simple dish requires nothing but the best ingredients to shine: dead ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil leaves, sherry vinegar, and a fruit extra-virgin oil.

Classic Jewish potato pancakes, a Hanukkah favorite, are livened up by the of zucchini, scallions, garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Batali stuffs his fresh calamari with plenty of Italian staples, including sun-dried tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, bread crumbs, and parsley.