Broccoli Rabe

The peppers can be roasted and the broccoli blanched a day ahead, leaving just the sautéing to do before serving. This dish is equally delicious served right off the stove or at room temperature.

Pecorino cheese brings more bold flavor to this side dish, which is an excellent complement to Broiled Veal Chops with Mixed Peppercorns.

I'm not a big fan of microwaving, but in this case, it preserves both vegetables' deep color and nutrients as it speeds cooking. The honey and sweet sherry accents temper the bitter broccoli raab for a side dish that's fast, fresh, pretty.

For this recipe, Lisa uses broccoli rabe, a type of bitter Italian green. But the everyday supermarket broccoli works fine, too.

Broccoli rabe, which is also called rapini, is a slightly bitter green with tiny, broccoli-like florets. It's available in specialty markets and most supermarkets.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

If you have leftover cooked chicken or turkey on hand, use it instead of the shrimp.

In Apulia, women still make pasta at home. Their favorite pasta shape - and the symbol of the region - is arecchiette, or "little ears". Called recchie or recchietelle in the local dialect, orecchiette is eaten just about daily, but is prepared a different way in almost every village. The sauces for this whimsical pasta are straightforward and usually contain vegetables, beans or legumes. This recipe is one of the most basic.

The epitome of low effort, high reward.

Seared broccoli rabe and broccolini get dressed in a dairy-free, umami-jacked dressing and topped with crisp and nutty cornbread.

Creamy-cheesy broccoli become a charred wonder in this vegetarian side you’ll be taking to all your summer gatherings.