Pastas and Grains

Quicker than roasting, broiling adds a depth of rich flavor to these Mediterranean-style vegetables.

By CCA Member Barbara Williams; Pumxsy, Pennsylvania

Salt pork adds long-simmered flavor to this quick sauce.

This peasant-style pasta is a meal in itself.

Plum tomatoes are best for sauces because they produce a sauce with more pulp and less juice, but any full-flavored vine-ripened tomato may be used as long as the excess juice is quickly reduced. Extra-virgin olive oil is not usually used for sautéing because the flavor dissipates when exposed to heat. But this sauce is cooked so quickly that the fruitiness of the oil gives an added dimension to the olives.

Mature sorrel leaves can have very thick stems. To remove the stem, hold it firmly with one hand and pull the leaf downward or fold the leaf in half and slice it off.

Roasted red peppers are pureed with chicken broth to create a piquant alternative to tomato sauce.

Pasta with a sauce of cream, tomato and vodka is a classic Italian dish. In this version, smoked salmon adds a luscious element.

Young asparagus lends itself to quick cooking. Here, it’s flash-fried in a skillet and tossed with grape tomatoes, linguine and Parmesan.

Taking corn off the cob is easy. Just cut off the wide end of the cob to make it flat, then stand it on that flat end and cut down the ear with a knife, slicing off the kernels.