Simmer

Complement the delicious soup with biscuits and a spinach and red bell pepper salad. Top it all off with some sliced sweetened plums spooned over vanilla ice cream.

For a nice gift, simply decorate the jars with gold ribbon, and attach tags that include the rewarming instructions. Or pack a basket with a jar of this sauce, Chocolate-Almond Sauce , an ice cream scoop and four or six sundae goblets.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended preparation time.

The crisp Rosemary Toasts taste great dunked into this flavorful soup. To serve on the side, toss arugula with sliced red onions and basalmic vinaigrette, then top the salad with shavings of Parmesan cheese. For dessert, keep it simple with ripe pears and amaretti (almond cookies).

Begin with melon slices and prosciutto; alongside the soup, serve baguette slices with a garlic and herb cheese spread, then offer macaroons and apricots afterward.

Pass extra salsa at the table.

(PASTA ALLA NORMA) Because the small Italian eggplants generally used in this dish can be hard to find in this country, we have substituted Asian eggplants.

Using canned black beans makes this soup a snap to prepare. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Using such a tender cut of beef reduces the stew's cooking time.