Balsamic Vinegar

One of the joys of using balsamic vinegar is that it lends itself to simple preparations. Here are some tips for using it:*Combine 3 parts to 1 or 2 parts to one, depending on taste, with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with salad greens.*Just before taking spaghetti sauce off stove, stir in a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Or add a few drops at end of cooking to stew.*Chef Michael Gettier, of M. Gettier: Sprinkle fresh sliced tomatoes with fresh-ground black pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

*TC You use it by the drop, not by the dollop. But it has the power to make salads sing and pastas pop. It can cheer up a grilled chicken breast, glaze a festive fowl such as duck or turkey, add sparkle to roasted vegetables."

The Ferrari of vinegars? That would be balsamic vinegar, made exclusively in northern Italy in the provinces of Reggio and Modena (the latter also famous for producing Ferraris and tenor Luciano Pavarotti). The finest balsamics -- artisan-made or "tradizionale" as opposed to commercially produced -- have more in common with fine liqueur, port or sherry than with other vinegars, and over the centuries have been served in thimble-sized goblets for toasts on extraordinary occasions. A hard-to-come-by bottle of the nectar can now cost more than $100, and little is available to the public.

It's so pretty that its appearance alone seems reason enough to buy it.But summer squash, now in its peak season, offers other attractions as well: It's fun to cook with and good to eat.The assortment is surprising if you've never taken close notice. Just about everybody knows zucchini, that prodigious over-producer of countless gardens, but there are many other kinds: yellow crookneck, chayote, green or yellow pattypan and more.What's the difference between summer and winter squash? Winter squash, such as acorn or butternut, has a thick, hard skin and will keep a long time after it's picked if properly stored.

Occasionally, almost everyone develops a craving for a hearty meal of red meat. With this 30-minute recipe for Roast Pork Tenderloin with Red Pepper Sauce, you can satisfy a carnivorous craving without wolfing down a plateful of greasy ribs or a slab of steak.The recipe starts with the tenderloin, which is the leanest cut of pork. For quick cooking, slice the tenderloin into 1-inch medallions and top each nugget of meat with a simple, robust sauce made of a roasted, peeled red bell pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar.

With the overwhelming displays of salsas, chips, prepared dips and spreads in specialty-food shops and supermarkets, it seems food manufacturers and in-store chefs have freed us from the need to make appetizers ever again.Some of these products are mundane, but others are freshly made and very good. I serve them to company and snack on them myself without the least hesitation.But part of me, the part that loves the challenge of deadlines, misses that frantic search through the refrigerator and pantry to find something -- anything -- that could be thrown together to appease the pre-meal hunger of guests just about to knock on the door.

There's no doubt that fresh spinach is good for us, and it can be delicious, too. But it used to take so much time and devotion to clean it. The stems had to be cut or pulled off and the leaves submerged in plenty of cold water; sometimes it took two or three changes of water to remove every trace of grit and grime. Then it needed to be drained and dried.Now it's in the bag, prominently displayed in the produce section. It's clean and ready to cook or eat raw.Place several handfuls of clean spinach-in-the-bag in a microwave-safe casserole -- stems and all; the leaves can be left whole or chopped for easier eating.

You get back from vacation and the hordes descend. Hordes of junk mail, hordes of tomatoes, and hordes of eggplant.The arrival of the eggplant throng proved a theory proposed by an acquaintance of mine. Namely the best way to get your garden to grow is to get out of town.It worked on my garden this year. After weeks of puttering at below-average pace, the garden went into a growth spurt the minute I left the city limits.When I got back, bright red tomatoes and purple eggplants were weighing down the plants.

The well-dressed salad these days is not just a bowl of super-fresh ingredients. Good salad dressings are a must to enhance the delicate flavors of lettuce, vegetables and fruit.Yet trying to keep salads low in fat with homemade dressings is tricky -- a classic vinaigrette contains 10 grams of fat per tablespoon. Is there a secret to keeping flavor in and fat out?I've found a number of successful substitutions for oil in homemade dressings. The key is to retain the proper balance of flavors.

In this menu it's important to pay as much attention to technique as to the food items -- the latter can be interchanged at your pleasure. Salmon can be traded for other fish fillets, or even for boneless skinless chicken breasts, or some cuts of pork. Crookneck squash, tomato halves or even eggplant can replace the zucchini. If you want a spicier meal, use cayenne pepper instead of paprika or try other favorite herbs in lieu of the ones suggested here.This meal makes full use of one cooking source from entree to dessert.