There is no better fish to exemplify maritime territoriality than the cod, sought after and fought over by fleets of many nations. Sacred cod.

I believe my earliest contact with sesame seeds was in the crunchy honey and sesame seed candy that I am still partial to. Or halvah.

Although every self-respecting supermarket stocks zucchini at this time of year, now is really root vegetable season, coming to the "six weeks' want" of bygone eras when the root cellar was empty and the first wild greens of springtime had not yet pushed through the thawing soil. Potatoes, onions, parsnips, turnips, carrots. Carrots!

Homemade pasta is both a challenge and a glory. There are machines to help you cut it but mixing the dough requires a “feel,” that sense of knowing when it is right. Otherwise your result may be permanently al dente to an unpleasant degree.

As has been my habit in the Thanksgiving issue of the Star, I am again offering a suggestion for the remains of the big bird. Chances are, by the time you read this, much of the white meat, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, mince, or apple pies will have been consumed and you will be contemplating some sort of tetrazzini or a la king.

This is still pumpkin time, so it’s not too late to call your attention to a recipe recommended by Howard and Isot Weissberg of East Hampton.

What does pumpkin taste like? The flavor commonly associated with the flesh of autumn’s orange globe is actually that of the spices traditionally used with it. Ginger is the most noticeable, with heavy helpings of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Pumpkin alone is quite bland. Moreover, it can be cast in various other directions.

Fluke are flatfish, a species of Atlantic flounder, also called “summer flounder.” They can weigh in at a pound or so or be heaved aboard in seven to ten-pound sizes. For some reason, fluke were scarce for a few years but that has changed. Fluke fillets may be cooked like sole or flounder. The flesh is moist and sweet.

We are not devotees of strawberry ice cream—except when it is freshly made from freshly gathered strawberries. Several years ago I bought one of those small Salton ice cream makers. The idea of not having to fuss with rock salt and ice, of being able to tuck it into the freezer to do its work, appealed to me.

Salads are for globetrotters. Start with the dressings—"French,” “Italian," "Russian,” “Thousand Islands,” even "Roquefort.” The salads themselves are a Baedeker, not a menu. “Nicoise,” fragrant, herbed, to be enjoyed in the summer sunshine.

Artichokes, ancient, wild, Mediterranean thistles, tamed and cultivated, require a commitment on the part of the diner. You may leave your peas or string beans on the plate but you cannot ignore the stunning presence of an artichoke.

Hors d'oeuvres demand attention.

There are two ways in which a pound and a half of boneless beef stew can be made to serve eight. If the meat is really terrible, it might feed even more than eight (unless the diners are too hungry to care). On the other hand, excellent boneless beef, cut into small cubes and simmered in a rich, spicy "Gulyassuppe" will satisfy eight. Simply provide bread, salad, and dessert to round out the meal.

Herewith a casserole of extreme simplicity but terrific flavor, suitable for entertaining the hungry on Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving (by which time one has presumably regained one's appetite). Not only will it make use of every last scrap of meat still clinging to the bones, but the very bones themselves can be simmered to make stock for the dish. A final advantage is that it does not come across as poultry particularly, but rather, something hearty and good.

Although very little of what happens in the Hamptons escapes being news, the dunes and bluffs and potato fields manage to hold a few secrets. One of the best kept of these involves the formula for the stuff Frank Tillotson slathered on his ducks as they turned on their spits.

The sea robin, still a nuisance in the nets, abandoned on the beach, is a bizarre, dark, vaguely beaky-faced fish about a foot long. Two pretty, reddish fan-like fins at its sides resemble wings. A charming design for a Japanese kite, perhaps. But look closely.

If there is ever an egg season, it occurs now, in early spring. The symbolism of germinating, hatching and rebirth was celebrated by primitive man and embraced by modern religions. The folklore, if not the ritual, of Easter rejoices in the egg. In every Christian nation it becomes an artform, its culinary attributes outdistanced by the spell of talented brush. 

Covered-dish parties, one of East Hampton’s more venerable social institutions, are meant to provide tasty surprises. The hit of one several years ago was Picadillo, a dish provided by a participant born in Cuba. I have been making it ever since.

The cultivated apricot has about the shortest seasons of any fruit. In the colder seasons, the intensified flavor of jams, preserves or the dried fruit is always on hand to enhance pastry, mousses, and bavarians. One delightfully refreshing preparation is apricot sherbet, offering a bright finale to a hearty dinner.

If you are in the mood to make gingerbread cookies, Whimseys offers this excellent recipe.