Italian

Orzo--the small rice-shaped pasta used here--is available at Italian markets and most supermarkets.

The sauce is a recipe from Sue Ann's father. She uses it with purchased tortellini in this recipe, but she also pours it over chicken, which is then baked, for an instant cacciatore-style dish.

(FRAGOLE ED UVE CON MENTA E VINIGLIA) This colorful salad is accented with mint, a favorite ingredient in native cooking.

Tracy Tortora of Marion, Massachusetts, calls these cookies Venetians and said they were the best from the assortment her grandmother baked every Christmas.

You can use purchased sauce here, your own homemade or the versatile This is terrific over pasta.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These biscotti can be baked in different size pans — even free form on a baking sheet — depending on what shape you’d like them to be. We used an 11- by 4-inch pan for a square shape. A 9- by 5- by 3-inch pan yields a long, narrow rectangle. The cooking time will not be affected by the pan you use.

A radicchio and fennel salad with red wine vinaigrette adds color and crunch, and warm focaccia rounds out the entrée. End the meal with poached pears and biscotti.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes A simple ragout of shellfish and sausage, so easy to prepare it's almost a heat-and-serve dish. Cook the shallots and garlic, then the sausage, add the wine and rosemary, then the mussels, which will release their juices into the pan, and finish with the parsley and bread crumbs — a rustic, spicy, brothy dish to be eaten with good crusty bread.

Fennel seeds add a flavorful new twist to this vegetarian main course.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

From being a regional dish from Piedmont in Italy, osso buco has caught the imagination worldwide. Thick slices from the veal shank with its central marrow bone are key to osso buco, so that the meat remains moist and becomes tender enough to fall from the bone. When the dish is cooked ahead, the flavor will deepen and mellow. As for the curious gremolata flavoring of garlic, parsley, and lemon, I myself like to add a generous sprinkling to my veal at the table, although purists use only just enough for a delicate nuance. Risotto milanese, flavored with veal stock and saffron is the classic accompaniment. Wine for Cooking Gavi di Gavi (sometimes labeled as cortese di Gavi) is Piedmont's best-known white wine. Gavi is no longer inexpensive, however, and oyu might do just as well with an Italian chardonnay, which is rapidly supplanting cortese as the most widely planted white grape in Piedmont. Wine to Drink When osso buco reaches the table, an authoritative red from Piedmont is in order — a mature barolo or barbaresco, whose bouquet and will match the complexity of this Italian classic.

(SPAGHETTI ALLA CHIUMMENZANA) This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. To eat this dish the Caprese way, serve the pasta very al dente.

This dessert is an Italian takeoff on a classic French dish, Poire Belle-Hélène-poached pear with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Here the pear is teamed with a hazelnut-orange_semifreddo_ (a sweet Italian frozen mousse) and a Frangelico chocolate sauce. For smaller appetites, cut the semifreddo into eight portions and the pears in half.

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

Pesto made with basil also works beautifully in this dish.

White chocolate custard tops espresso custard in this luxurious make-ahead dessert. It's pretty garnished with fresh strawberries and coffee beans.

This bruschetta tastes best with tomatoes fresh from the garden. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.