Italian

Serve with: Three-bean deli salad spooned over arugula. Dessert: Ice cream bars.

Round out this meatless — but hearty — main course with a big spoonful of deli pasta salad on a bed of arugula, and end with purchased tiramisù topped with berries.

This salad was inspired by a couple of dishes our food editors encountered at restaurants in Rome.

Serve with: Tomato salad and crusty semolina bread. Dessert: Amaretti cookies.

Minestra You just know the Soprano family is eating the kind of Italian food that's getting harder and harder to find in our increasingly upscale Italian restaurants. This dish has that real-thing feeling; surely this is someone's grandmother's famous soup recipe. The soup is delicate but filling at the same time, with its pasta and baby meatballs. Unless you have Soprano-size appetites, this is a main-dish soup. We've cut the recipe in half so it will fit in your soup pot.

"Being a vegetarian, I was delighted to find a hearty meatless main dish at the Stamford Plaza hotel in Auckland, New Zealand," writes Barbara Abbott of Santa Rosa, California. "The mushroom risotto was outstanding; I'd be pleased if you could get the recipe."

Veal and pork combine in the rustic sauce.

Foster's variation on a simple Tuscan classic might be considered heresy to purists, but our customers are crazy about the addition of olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. It's a great dish for summer buffets. The salad can be made a day in advance; serve it lightly chilled or at room temperature.

Cavolo Arricciato e Sformato Di Porri Although cavolo nero (a.k.a. Tuscan kale, lacinato kale, or dinosaur kale) is what Roman cooks would likely use for this flan, the dish works well with other kale varieties, too.

Petto di Pollo alla Valdostana con Lenticchie Brasate I sometimes suggest some side dishes to go along with main courses and let you make up your mind which you prefer to serve. I love this combination so much, though, that I'm including the side dish as part of the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.