Red Pepper Flakes

Recently I spent a month working in Paris. I ate in bistros and small restaurants, visited the city's myriad food emporiums and shopped almost daily in the local markets. All the while I was searching for ideas for recipes to bring home.During my culinary forays I made an interesting discovery: Parisians have become enthralled with panini - Italian-style sandwiches made with rolls or crusty-style peasant bread. Much to my surprise, I found panini available in many bakeries, and while walking through the capital's streets I saw signs for them in the windows of many French takeout food stores.

When people tell me how much they like Bluestone, they stop short of gushing. They talk about Bluestone in terms of satisfaction, what a consistent and reliable place it is, but they don't use many superlatives when they do. Partly I think they're worried I'll be bored by Bluestone's straight-ahead American cuisine, but mostly I think they're concerned about whether I'll respond to Bluestone's industrial park setting. No one has anything bad to say about Bluestone either. It seems to be everybody's fourth or sixth favorite restaurant, which means, essentially, that Bluestone is crowded all the time.

There seems to be no end to the number of Italian eateries springing up in the Baltimore area, whether they be coffeehouses, delis, or trattorie. Cucina Italiano is big these days.Tomato reigns in this cuisine, and nothing is more gratifying than a robust red sauce over noodles. This nearly instant meal hails from an Old World Italian cookbook and is so nourishing for family, friends and certainly vegetarians. The small, exploded rounds of cherry tomatoes add a dense, interesting texture as a new twist for a marinara.

Make this pizza - it's faster than sending out and easy on the pocketbook. Anything goes on pizza these days. Use this pizza or use whatever you have on hand to create your own. You can find thin crust pizza bases in the market, or try a pita bread base or left over crusty country-style bread. Pizza with red and green bell peppers is a wonderful vegetarian dish. Or, substitute goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for a more California version. Crushed red pepper flakes give extra zing to the pizza.

San Franciscans have long had a love affair with a spicy seafood stew that is not unlike the famed bouillabaisse of France. Shellfish and whitefish swimming in a garlicky tomato and white wine base make up the standard ingredients. Fennel bulb adds a delicate sweetness and works so well with fish. This entree is deceptively simple and very low in fat.Serve the soupy dish over al dente linguine or spaghetti, or, if you prefer a crunchy contrast, just pair it with a crusty country-style bread.

Two friends, who on any given weekend usually have some social gathering marked on their calendars, confided the same thing to me recently. Each confessed that although they love being invited out to dinner, the typically rich meals served on such occasions were wreaking havoc with their weight. As guests, nothing would please them more, they declared, than to encounter an interesting menu that wasn't laden with fat. My choice for a light spring menu began with a soup made of chicken stock with fresh peas, scallions, snow peas and penne pasta.

My husband and I are only moderately competent when it comes to computers, but the students at the college where my spouse teaches are whizzes. So, a few weeks ago when we needed to have a new program installed in our computer, we asked a gifted young sophomore to come and help us. When we inquired about his hourly rates, he responded that a home-cooked meal was all he wanted. I was delighted to take care of this request and tried to plan a meal that would be more enticing than those offered in the school's cafeteria.

Ask any gardener: Mint wants to take over the world. It grows profusely, pushing aside its neighbors. Sadly, all that enthusiasm gets ignored in the kitchen. Basil and oregano are the herbs of choice for so many Italian dishes, but mint is a worthy ingredient, with just as much right to reign in a tomato sauce. So here we give it its due. Tip The fresh mint sold in supermarket produce sections is usually spearmint; any mint - peppermint or, for that matter, basil - will work just as well.

Leftover ham offers a wonderful opportunity to make my favorite busy-day bean soup even more flavorful. This quick blend of beans, tomatoes and herbs tastes as if you've spent a lot more time in the kitchen. Tips: * Purchase ham from the deli. * Buy diced onion, chopped celery and minced garlic from a salad bar. Menu: White bean and tomato soup with ham Green salad with herb vinaigrette Bread sticks and softened butter for dipping Raspberry sherbet and butter cookies Pilsener or apple cider The Chicago Tribune is a Tribune Publishing newspaper.

Leftover Thanksgiving turkey is never a problem at our house. My family looks forward just as much to the dishes assembled with leftover turkey as they do to the stately fowl that takes center stage on our holiday table. In fact, after more than three decades of cooking and entertaining during this long holiday weekend, I've learned to buy a bird several pounds larger than needed just to ensure that there will be plenty of roasted turkey for leftovers. For my family, Dagwood-style club sandwiches are a perennial hit, as are warm, open-faced creations served on toasted bread and drizzled with hot gravy.

A spur-of-the-moment dinner for friends is often far simpler and a lot more fun than one I've planned two weeks in advance. I feel less pressured to have the house cleaned to the nines, thus avoiding the usual tiff with my spouse about his picking up piles of books and pairs of shoes strewn throughout our home. Last-minute menus require simplicity, so I base mine on what's in the fridge and on what I can quickly pick up at the store -- I don't even make a grocery list. Best of all, though, inviting someone to come and share a meal with you at the last moment seems to give host and guest alike a lift, adding a spark to an ordinary day. This was the experience I had last week.

Gazpacho, that quintessential summer soup, comes in all colors and flavors. In addition to the traditional red hued, tomato-based original, I've seen recipes for white gazpachos made with cucumbers, and for green ones prepared with scallions and verdant herbs. Some versions are assembled with almonds, while a few "nouvel" variations include additions of shellfish or prosciutto. Last year in a small Parisian bistro, I sampled the most unusual creation to date -- a watermelon gazpacho. A delicious deep rose, the soup was served icy cold and was so enticing on a warm summer night that I asked if the chef would share the recipe.

This is the rub recipe that I developed after seven successive years of judging at the Memphis in May national barbecue contest. It's not authentically Southern because I'm no child of the South, but it has been called pretty doggoned good for a Yankee girl. We give oven instructions here (in case of inclement weather) but barbecue is usually cooked in a smoker or covered grill over indirect heat. It'll take about the same time. Consult your grill's instructions or visit a reliable outdoor-cooking Web site.

On Easter morning, my husband and I will rise early and hide a few dozen pale-hued eggs in our backyard. A couple of hours later, our two grandchildren will arrive. Like last April, when we held our first egg hunt for the children, we'll stand on the sidelines and watch the delight as the little ones discover the hidden eggs tucked under rocks, stashed in flower beds and not-so-well-hidden in the bushes. This scene, of course, will be repeated in countless yards around the country. Easter-egg searches and church services are on many families' schedules for Easter Sunday, and for those of us hosting lunch, there won't be much free time for cooking.

Ask any gardener: Mint wants to take over the world. It grows profusely, pushing aside its neighbors. Sadly, all that enthusiasm gets ignored in the kitchen. Basil and oregano are the herbs of choice for so many Italian dishes, but mint is a worthy ingredient, with just as much right to reign in a tomato sauce. So here we give it its due. Tip The fresh mint sold in supermarket produce sections is usually spearmint; any mint - peppermint or, for that matter, basil - will work just as well.

Dottie Crow and her husband of Pismo Beach, Calif., enjoyed a pasta dish with shrimp, mussels and chopped tomatoes that was served to them while they were visiting the Carmel Mission Inn. She was hoping someone would have a similar recipe that she could prepare at home. Carl Covington from Boonville, Mo., apparently did some Internet research and sent in several versions of shrimp and mussels over pasta. The recipe he submitted for Fettuccine Provencal With Mussels and Shrimp seemed to most closely resemble what the Crows are looking for. This seafood dish is grand enough to serve to company yet simple enough to prepare anytime, particularly in winter when fresh mussels from the Atlantic Ocean are at their peak of quality.

As the calendar announces spring's arrival, I long for new vegetables to appear in the markets and start to think of lighter menus. However, in many parts of the country (including my own New England), winter often lingers longer than everyone would like. So, during this transitional period of "seasonal limbo," I plan meals that are satisfying (to stave off the chill outdoors), but that also have a refreshing touch (to acknowledge spring). One such dish, which I made recently, was particularly successful on both counts.

On Easter morning, my husband and I will rise early and hide a few dozen pale-hued eggs in our backyard. A couple of hours later, our two grandchildren will arrive. Like last April, when we held our first egg hunt for the children, we'll stand on the sidelines and watch the delight as the little ones discover the hidden eggs tucked under rocks, stashed in flower beds and not-so-well-hidden in the bushes. This scene, of course, will be repeated in countless yards around the country. Easter-egg searches and church services are on many families' schedules for Easter Sunday, and for those of us hosting lunch, there won't be much free time for cooking.

Tiny bites of sausage, shellfish and poultry are combined in this hearty stew, which blends delicious flavors remembered from my grandmother's creole repertoire. This dinner's regional accent depends on market availability. Add fresh fish fillets and serve with French bread, and the pendulum swings toward creole dining. Leave out the red snapper and serve with wheat rolls, and the meal takes on a hint of cold-weather fare from the prairie. This time of year, when onions from the produce section tend to be harsh, I replace them with shallots or green onions to avoid the strong and sometimes bitter tones creeping into bulbs stored over the winter.

"I just think of big ugly fish with whiskers," one colleague responded when this menu was announced. But she gave it a thumbs up for delicate flavor after a sample. If an advertising campaign can succeed in upgrading the lowly prune into dried plums, I say it's time to gather a marketing team to come up with a catchy new name for catfish. In the meantime, if you plan to feed doubters, you could refer to this refreshing dish as fish fillets with tomatoes and pecans. Tips: Pecan toasting isn't mandatory.