Pasta

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

To bring out the best in this dish, buy or order the finest cheeses from a cheese shop or Italian deli: fresh ricotta, mild imported provolone, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I like using Israeli couscous for this dish, although pearl barley may be substituted. This couscous is quite starchy and should be rinsed after cooking.

"I used to go to central New Jersey frequently on business and always made time to stop at Eccoqui, an Italian restaurant in Bernardsville," writes Bobbi Reed of Denver, Colorado. "Since I no longer travel to that area, I miss the restaurant — and especially the pappardelle con salsiccia." Try any of your favorite pasta shapes with this sauce. Pappardelle or mafaldine — broad, flat noodles with rippled edges — work particularly well.

There are two ways to get tender squid: a very quick sauté or a very long simmer. This simple yet impressive recipe uses the former method. We call for a Thai or serrano chile because they're easier to find here — try your local supermarket — than the small, thin Italian hot chiles. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Cacio e Pepe For this recipe, you need to grate the cheese with the ragged-edged holes of a box grater for ease of melting. Don't use the small teardrop-shaped holes or a rasp, as your cheese will clump up in the bowl.

The secret to this Chinese favorite is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce very long — toss them together a few seconds before serving.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Serve with: Leaves of romaine lettuce (for wrapping up scoops of salad) and flatbread.

Spaghetti stands in for rice in this version of the Spanish favorite.

This is a delicious, low-maintenance alternative to traditional risotto.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

"Usually I rely on cookbooks or magazines for recipes, but occasionally I develop one of my own," writes Kimberly R. Diamondidis of Germantown, Maryland. "A few years ago, I created this delicious, hearty soup as a new way to enjoy turkey."

If you love spaghetti and meatballs, then you'll love this upmarket rendition featuring perciatelli-long, hollow pasta. The noodles are topped with a rich tomato and porcini mushroom sauce, and meatballs made with ground veal, Italian sausage and more porcini. Start things off with an antipasto platter of olive, assorted marinated vegetables and cured meats. Offer breadsticks alongside, and pour a full-bodied Chianti.

A simple all-purpose tomato sauce that's perfect over pasta as well as meats and seafood. Prepare a double batch and freeze the extra to have for another time.

Ripe tomatoes, basil and fresh corn enhance a terrific side dish.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crusty Italian bread and mixed greens with a red wine vinaigrette are good with the pasta. Afterward, put out big strawberries and bowls of mascarpone cheese (or sour cream) and brown sugar for dipping.