Pasta

When tomatoes are not at their prime, baking caramelizes them and brings out the sugar, making them as sweet as summer's best.

Just serve any of these dishes with a salad and some bread and you've got an easy, complete meal. You can find good-quality prepared pesto in the refrigerator section of your supermarket.

Whole-wheat spaghetti can replace the soba noodles used here.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Clearly this is an Italian soup. Biete is Swiss chard, usually green, although I have a fondness for the drama and beefy taste of the red-stemmed kind.

Florentine summers are hot and sticky — no time to even think about eating a plate of hot pasta. So, when Torquato Innocenti, whose produce I seek out in my local market, mentioned cold garlic pasta I raced home with his vague hints and produced the following dish. As we compared notes the next day, I realized that Torquato's garlic sauce, and not the pasta, was cold. But no one at my table complained. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Good as an entrée or served in smaller portions alongside chicken or beef.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In this preparation, orzo is treated like risotto, which produces richer flavors and a creamier texture — with almost no stirring.

A nice side dish for grilled fish or lamb.

Here, meltingly rich veal shanks combine wonderfully with the chewiness of orecchiette, ear-shaped pasta shells made of semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat).