Starter

Serve this appetizer with crusty bread and enjoy.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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

For a nice presentation, garnish the plates with thin cucumber slices, watercress sprigs and some radishes.

When you want to put on the "dog" but not the fat, try this colorful salad.

A terrific appetizer for parties.

Syracuse, the beautiful port city on the Ionian Sea, has a cuisine that is marked by highly aromatic combinations of vegetables and seafood. This pasta recipe is a distinctive example.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

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.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Allow 3 to 4 of the large shrimp per person. If only the smaller are available, you will need about 6 per person.