Tomato

O.K., it's time to think about dinner, but in the summer, just the idea of turning on the stove — let alone the oven — leaves you less than enthusiastic. That probably means using the grill, but you've had your share of hot dogs, kebabs and barbecued chicken. Our solution? Something unexpected grilled pizzas. The dough is a snap to make; the pizzas are small and easy to manage; and since the sausages and colorful summer vegetables are also grilled, there's almost nothing to clean up. Plus, we splurged and added three kinds of cheese. After you try this recipe once, you'll erase the local pizza joint's number from your speed dial. And who knows? You might just forget about your stove.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Tabbouleh is made with bulgur, but we decided to shake things up a bit by mixing tabbouleh flavors (parsley, tomato, and lemon) with rice and lentils, a common Middle Eastern pairing. Served chilled or at room temperature, the salad is terrific with any meat, poultry, or fish. You could add chickpeas, corn, or more lentils for a vegetarian main course. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min

Cook: Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Source: Cucinaamore.com It's difficult to imagine a more mundane-sounding dish than Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce — and yet this extremely simple pasta is a breakthrough, not like any other you've ever eaten. And so good you'll make it again and again. The sauce is made from roasted cherry tomatoes, very ripe ones. These diminutive tomatoes with the big taste are then covered with a cheesey-garlicky-bread crumb mixture and set in the oven. Just before serving, you tear some basil leaves into the roasted tomato mixture and that's your sauce, right in the oven dish: add some corkscrew or butterfly pasta and you have dinner. Italian cookbook author Nancy Harmon Jenkins points out that the ony trick to this dish is using really ripe cherry tomatoes'which are easy to find all year long. If they're not available, use any red, ripe tomatoes and quarter them.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Cacciucco) This seafood soup, called cacciucco (meaning "mixture"), is a specialty of Livorno, a fishing port that is Tuscany's second-largest city. It has been made for hundreds of years, and variations of it appear all along the Tuscan coast. Traditionally, at least five types of fish and shellfish are included (one for each "c" in the name). If you like, do as the Italians do, and place a slice of toasted bread in each bowl before ladling the soup over.

An easy-to-make side dish.

The contrast of textures and flavors—crunchy pine nuts, creamy goat cheese, acidic tomatoes, and spicy arugula—adds complexity to this simple salad. It makes a great side dish to steak or chicken or a light lunch for two.

"I often don't have the energy to cook a big meal, but I keep my dinners from being boring by preparing interesting fresh salads," says Terry Kirts of Indianapolis Indiana. "I really like this particular recipe because the salad is so easy to make and the dressing keeps for days."

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pappardelle Bolognese .

"An Indian friend of my mother's gave her this recipe for beef curry back in 1936," writes Bill Goodhue of Chino, California. "The recipe has been passed on to me, so I can still enjoy the sweet-spicy flavors of this stew more than 60 years later."

Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr (includes making stock)

Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, capers and thyme add Mediterranean flavor to the fish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.