Tomato

Greeks call this fassolakia Iadera. It's a traditional vegetable mixture that is often eaten cold, accompanied by hunks of country bread and feta cheese.

My mother's neighbor Beth Yaffe serves this dip often at parties and barbecues. It's always the first thing to go!

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A nice hors d'oeuvre teaming fresh vegetables with a simplified version of rouille, the spicy red pepper and garlic sauce that typically accompanies French fish soups.

This simple entrée is a variation of a dish from Ristorante Don Alfonso in the town of Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, just outside Naples. There, it's sometimes served on toasted Italian bread, which soaks up the "crazy water" - the tomato-based sauce. The fish is quick to prepare and is also low in fat.

Using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil cuts down on fat. You can find them at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

Debbie uses whatever cheese she has on hand, and she's always happy with the results. This could be a meatless main course or a rich side dish.

This Mediterranean-style treatment of lamb shanks is delicious over orzo.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is a terrific version of osso buco alla Milanese. To bring out the flavors, the veal is sprinkled with gremolata, a snappy mixture of chopped parsley, garlic and grated lemon peel. Uncork a bottle of Nebbiolo d'Alba or Nebbiolo delle Langhe to go with this classic do-ahead entrée.

If you have cooked lamb, beef, or turkey on hand, use it instead of the chicken.

Reinforce the southwestern theme with accompaniments like corn bread and a spinach salad with grapefruit segments and toasted pine nuts. For dessert, stir some cinnamon into sweetened whipped cream to dress up slices of chocolate pound cake. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We loved these tomatoes after they were cooked for 6 hours. We served them on crusty bread with a little olive oil and thought they'd also work well as a side dish. But to toss with pasta, we wanted a more intense flavor, so we cooked them an additional 2 hours. They were perfect.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Since the tomatoes in the sauce are cooked just briefly, this dish is a breeze to make.

A classic duo adds an Italian accent to an American favorite.