Italian

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

A lovely combination of apricots and cherries tops a tender crust in this great summertime treat. Serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Chocolate syrup and mini chocolate chips pack in the flavor for these tender, pecan-accented cookies. They're great with a cup of espresso or regular coffee.

The heat of the cooked spaghetti wilts the mixed greens in this lemony warm pasta salad. Dry Monterey Jack is an aged Jack cheese similar to Parmesan.

This zippy pasta features the best of Italy accented with Mexican serrano chilies. A Zinfandel or Italian Barolo is the right wine.

(Panzanella) In Tuscany, leftover bread is put to many uses: It stars in all kinds of recipes, from appetizers like crostini and fettunta (the Tuscan term for bruschetta) to soups like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Stale bread even appears in salads; this one is called panzanella, which comes from the word pantanella, meaning "little swamp." Although the name is unfortunate, it is appropriate: The chunks of bread are first soaked in water, then mixed with the rest of the salad, where they sop up the zesty vinaigrette. There are several versions of panzanella, but no matter how the salad is made, the bread should be a few days old and coarse in texture. Sometimes wheat bread is used, but the salad is better with white.

Caldo Verde This soup may be made with regular kale, but lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale, cavolo nero, and black kale) has an artichoke-like sweetness that's so flavorful, we even loved the soup without the chorizo.

A popular entrée in Tuscany, and throughout Italy. Our quick version would go well with tagliatelle with herbed tomato sauce and steamed baby zucchini. Offer biscotti and Vin Santo (Tuscan dessert wine) afterward.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min

At the restaurant, the gnocchi are shaped in a time-honored manner that includes pressing each short dough piece against the tines of a fork. Home cooks may find it simpler to roll the dough along the wires of a whisk, as outlined here. Also, if you can't get ground chuck, buy a boneless chuck roast, and ask the butcher to grind it for you.

A salad, some crusty bread and wine are all that's needed with this hearty pasta dish. For the wine, consider serving a bottle of Chianti or Sangiovese.

(Sformati di Asparagi e Parmigiano) Sformato, which is a cross between a savory custard and a soufflé, can be made from a number of different vegetables. Asparagus is ideal and a Tuscan favorite — particularly in April and May when it is at its best. Serve these puddings as a first course or as a side dish; or accompany them with a salad for brunch or a light supper.

(Ciliege al Vino Rosso) Wine is as much a religion in Tuscany as food is, and rare is the table that is set without a bottle of the local vintage. Wine is also an ingredient in sauces, stews and even sweets. Fruit simmered in wine is a common dessert in the region, and cherries are the fruit of choice during their short summer season.

(Brutti-boni) Brutti ma buoni (which means "ugly but pretty") are cookies found in many regions of Italy, usually made from finely ground almonds in a meringue base. But the Mattei bakery, in Prato, makes them in typical Tuscan style, which is quite different. The egg whites are only beaten lightly, and the nuts are coarsely ground. They are known in the Tuscan dialect as brutti-boni.

This can also be prepared with duck breasts, which is how it is often made in Tuscany. Either way, the dish is good with rosemary-flavored mashed potatoes and sautéed artichoke hearts.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.