Zucchini

To complete the menu, serve seeded Italian breadsticks and a salad of radicchio and marinated artichoke hearts tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. Spumoni ice cream is a perfect ending.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, herbs and spices perks up the grilled chicken and vegetables in this dish. It's all served with wild rice.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Squash was served at the first Thanksgiving, but chayote-common to southwestern cooking-has only recently been sold nationwide. Cilantro, garlic and chives accent this dish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Although lamb is not commonly found in Chinese dishes, Hong Kong restaurants reach out to explore every nuance of Asian cuisine. Lamb is popular with the nomads of Mongolia and Manchuria; they would most likely cook the meat in a firepot. Here it's used in a more delicate stir-fry.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For extra eye appeal, use tricolor pasta in this fresh-from-the-garden salad.

When the weather permits, Deborah grills the vegetables on the barbecue. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An Italian dish that's great with brunch, or as a light lunch or appetizer on its own.

Serve with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You don't know where the fish ends and the potatoes begin in this beautiful and satisfying dish Chef Desmond, of Island Cottage on Hare Island in Ireland, uses turbot that comes from the waters off nearby Clear Island. We call for halibut, which is more readily available here.

Escalivada, from Catalonia in northeastern Spain, is a mixture of vegetables roasted in the ashes of a slow fire. Plenty of wood chips add a smoky nuance here; the finished vegetables are offered at room temperature in a roasted-garlic vinaigrette.