Sausage

Caldo Verde This soup may be made with regular kale, but lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale, cavolo nero, and black kale) has an artichoke-like sweetness that's so flavorful, we even loved the soup without the chorizo.

A quick appetizer or light main course.

This satisfying entrée goes well with a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette. It would also be nice alongside sea bass.

A salad, some crusty bread and wine are all that's needed with this hearty pasta dish. For the wine, consider serving a bottle of Chianti or Sangiovese.

Add eggs and fruit for a nice menu.

Serve with: Baked sweet potatoes and sautéed Swiss chard. Dessert: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Sausage and Potato Mini-Turnovers The dough for these little turnovers may be pressed either by hand or with a tortilla press.

Todd English — the chef/owner of Olives and the four Figs restaurants, all in and around Boston — was named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. He's also the author of two cookbooks. For his "clambake" extravaganza, you'll need a grill with a lid.

Offer this simple, hearty dish with a green salad, crusty garlic bread and a light red wine, like Beaujolais.

The aroma of sausage simmering in tomatoes expresses Naples as well as any long-cooked ragù. Indeed, the ensuing sauce is often called ragù di salsicce. In this recipe, you produce just enough sauce for a first course of pasta — either spaghetti or ziti is perfect — with a beautiful bonus of meat for the second course. To make the most of the sauce, set aside only a spoonful to top each portion of sausage, then add the cooked pasta to the sauce, turning the pasta in the sauce until it is evenly dressed and has soaked up some of the sauce's savor.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Kids love this version of pigs in blankets.