Two delectable desserts for cooling off during the summertime Granitas, sorbets are frozen delights

Two great frozen desserts are granitas, which are coarse-grained Italian ices, and sorbets, which have a creamy texture even when they're not made with milk.
For both, begin by pureeing the fruit that is in abundance now. Add super-fine sugar and fresh citrus juice for a tart twist that adds depth to the fruit flavor.
Spend a few minutes with the fruit you've just juiced. Carefully scrape out the remaining shell of lemons, limes, oranges, or even grapefruits, removing the pith (white membrane) with a spoon and -- presto -- you've got serving bowls. Take a thin slice from the bottom of the bowl so it will stay level.
Sorbets can be made in an ice cream maker, but it isn't necessary. When you're done processing, heap the mixture into the bowls and freeze for several hours. Alternatively, you can add the puree directly and freeze; the result will be no less delicious.
For granita, put the base into a shallow pan in the freezer and "rake" it with a fork every 30 minutes for two hours. This breaks up the crystals as the mixture begins to solidify, giving it a rough, homey texture -- like a slush.
Fruit isn't the only base you can use. Leftover strong coffee makes a wonderful granita, too. Serve in espresso cups with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. Is it iced coffee or coffee ice cream? Another idea is to add vanilla-flavored yogurt to fresh-squeezed orange juice. Make individual servings by pouring into orange halves and you have the taste of a creamsicle.
Plan to enjoy your frozen confections the same day, when the flavor is at its peak.
Fruit icesMakes 3 cups2 cups fruit -- strawberries, mangoes, peaches
3/4 cup super-fine sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest
1. Combine fruit, sugar, and juices in a blender or food processor. Mix well.
2. Pour into a bowl and add the zest. Stir until combined.
3. Process in an ice cream maker according to instructions or pour directly into prepared fruit bowls.
4. Place fruit bowls on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 2-3 hours.
5. To make granita, pour fruit mixture into a shallow pan. Rake the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes until you have a slushy consistency. This takes about 2 hours.

Adapted from "How to Cook Everything," by Mark Bittman (Macmillan USA)

For picnics, toss together some sushi

Sushi rice is short-grain white rice that is cooked and mixed with rice vinegar and sugar. This, of course, is the rice you're biting into when you sit down to a plateful of sushi. What you put on or in the rice determines the kind of sushi.

But there are other dishes -- which don't require the skills of a trained chef -- to make at home with these delicate-tasting grains. One is something the Japanese call chirashi-zushi, which is perfect for a picnic.

Begin with the cool rice mixed with a little vinegar and sugar, and add crisp and highly aromatic vegetables and fish. Sweetly seasoned shiitake mushrooms along with briny shrimp, for instance, will offer both earthy and sea tastes. Toss the rice "salad" with pea pods, green peas, and cucumbers, and you have the important elements of the Japanese table: color, texture, and flavor.

Cookbook author and teacher Keiko Hayashi says that chirashi-zushi can be made in any style. On a recent visit to Boston, she said that regional differences come into play in this dish. For Tokyo-style, the rice becomes Edomae chirashi-zushi (Edo is the old name for Tokyo) and has lots of raw fish arranged on top of the rice. Osaka-style contains more vegetables, with cooked fish -- salmon or shrimp -- mixed into the rice and scattered on the top.

Another popular picnic food is omusubi, or rice balls. These are ubiquitous fare on school outings. In her version, Hayashi explained, she likes to highlight a single ingredient on top of the sushi rice, which she molds and wraps in a one step. Use smoked salmon, for instance, or try spicy radish sprouts and a slice of ripe avocado.

The chirashi-zushi and the rice balls begin with a long list of ingredients. Most, however, are not cooked, and all can be prepared in advance.

Making the rice is the most important part of the dish. While it's still hot, season it with the rice vinegar mixture because the hot rice will absorb liquid seasonings. The Japanese use a shallow wooden bowl made of cedar, but a wooden salad bowl -- even a glass bowl -- will do.

You'll want chopsticks in your picnic basket and chilled green tea or Japanese beer. And probably someplace quiet. The delicate food goes well with a tranquil setting.

Sushi rice

Serves 4

June 9, 2004

If you have a rice cooker, prepare according to the cooker's directions. Otherwise, use a heavy-bottomed pot.

3 cups short-grain white Japanese rice
7¾ cups water
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Extra rice wine vinegar (for the bowl)

1. Place rice in a heavy-bottomed pot. With water running, rinse the rice by stirring with your hand. Drain the water as it becomes cloudy. Repeat this process about 5 times until the water runs clear.
2. When all the water has been poured off, add 4 cups of water to the pot. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes. Drain.
3. Add the remaining 3 3/4 cups of water to the rice. Cover the pan and set it on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the rice on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes.
5. In a small pot heat vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves.
6. Rub a little vinegar around the inside of a large bowl. Transfer the rice to the bowl and with a wooden paddle or spoon make several diagonal slashes in the grains. Pour one-third of the vinegar mixture onto the rice. Carefully fold and lift the rice without mashing it down. Continue with the remaining vinegar mixture, adding it in two stages. Fan the rice with a magazine to cool it. The rice will be glossy.
7. Cover the rice with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use.


Chirashi-zushi

Serves 4

June 9, 2004

Make this "salad" of vegetables and fish with seasoned rice when you need a picnic or summer supper dish. Use cooked or smoked fish. Save raw fish for a time when you're not transporting food.

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vegetable oil
5 cups cooked sushi rice (see recipe)
½ pound cooked shrimp
1½ cups frozen green peas, thawed
½ pound smoked salmon, cut into matchsticks
½ English cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1 cup snow peas, blanched and thinly sliced Seasoned shiitake mushrooms (see recipe)
2 tablespoons shredded red pickled ginger (called kizami shoga at Asian markets)

1. In a bowl stir the eggs, sugar, and salt together. Rub the bottom of a 6-inch nonstick skillet with a drop of oil. Add one-quarter of the egg mixture. Swirl it around to spread into a thin crepe. Cook 1 minute or just until bubbles appear. With a metal palette knife, turn the crepe over and cook 30 seconds more. Turn out onto a plate. Fry 3 more crepes. Cut them into fine strips.
2. In a large bowl, place the sushi rice. Scatter three-quarters of the shrimp, peas, salmon, cucumber, snow peas, and shiitakes onto rice.
3. Gently fold the vegetables and fish into the rice.
4. Arrange the remaining shrimp, peas, salmon, cucumber, snow peas, and shiitakes on top of the rice. Garnish with egg strips and ginger.


Seasoned shiitake mushrooms

Serves 4

June 9, 2004

Add these sauteed mushrooms to all kinds of stir-fries and summer salads.

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
¾ cup mushroom soaking liquid
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)

1. In a bowl, combine the mushrooms and enough hot water to cover them. Soak for 30 minutes. Lift out the mushrooms (reserve the liquid) and rinse them. Cut them into strips.
2. In a saucepan, combine the mushrooms, 3/4 cups of the mushroom liquid, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have almost absorbed the liquid.

Berry nirvana is in full swing, and the dessert Pavlova, a fluffy creation of meringue, will make you feel like you're floating on a cloud

Some desserts don't seem right without strawberries. Tarts would be missing their bright red color and glory, shortcakes their intensely aromatic topping, and cobblers their fruity filling. Pavlova, the famous round of crunchy meringue, wouldn't be as splendid without a crown of ripe red berries.

Pavlova is so popular in Australia, where some say it was invented, that the egg white dessert, topped with layers of whipped cream and fruit, is served in restaurants everywhere. The dish was made to celebrate the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova after she performed there in the 1930s. Apparently the cloudlike bed of meringue evoked the lightness of the beautiful dancer.

New Zealanders don't take Pavlova's association with Australia lightly. They claim the dessert as their own. "Not so fast," says Kiwi chef Susan Glynn, who maintains that Pavlovas are "an institution for festive occasions in New Zealand" and who offers proof that they were already being served by New Zealand matrons in the 1920s. The fact is that the sharing and tweaking of meringue cake recipes has been going on for a long time -- to everyone's benefit.

One of Glynn's restaurants, Suze Wine Bar in London, has Pavlova on the dessert menu. That dazzling version of the meringue is topped with liqueur-flavored whipped

cream and an array of fruits that include strawberries, mango, and raspberries. Your fork breaks through the outer layer of the meringue into a marshmallowlike center; cream and fruit perfectly complement the light, sweet crust. The dessert is not difficult to make at home. The meringue isn't hard, but you have to make sure that it behaves. So use only bowls and beaters that are absolutely clean and dry and egg whites at room temperature, and try to pick a dry day for baking. Humidity is not kind to baked egg whites.

I have tried making the meringue nests using whites separated from large eggs and Eggology, fresh egg whites that come in a container (available at many markets, including Whole Foods). Both whip up beautifully. Vinegar and cornstarch help make the crust crunchy and the center soft. You can vary the flavor by adding vanilla or some ground toasted almonds.

Some bakers like to begin the Pavlova in an oven that has been turned to 400 or 500 degrees and turned off when the meringue is placed inside. The whites "bake" while the oven cools. Others recommend baking the meringue in a low oven, such as 300 degrees, for about 1 1/2 hours. At that point, the oven is turned off and the meringue is left to finish baking in the cooling oven. This method, I found, yielded the best and most consistent results.

When the crisp whites emerge from the oven, pile the center of the round with whipped cream and berries, mango slices, and blueberries. You want the mixture to be colorful. Biting into Pavlova is like chewing on a sweet cloud.

Pavlova with berries

Serves 8

June 2, 2004

FOR THE MERINGUE

5 egg whites, at room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. Set the oven at 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a 9-inch cake pan as a template to draw a circle on the parchment.
2. In an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks just begin to form. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff.
3. Remove the bowl from the stand. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the cornstarch, followed by the vanilla and vinegar.
4. Spoon about three-quarters of the meringue onto the parchment paper in the designated circle. Use a longmetal palette knife to make a cake-shaped mound. Spoon the remaining meringue around the edge of the circle, forming a nest shape.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1½ hours. Turn the oven off and let the meringue sit for 3 hours or until the oven is cold.
6. Lift the meringue from the parchment paper and transfer to a large, flat platter.

FOR THE TOPPING

2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 pints strawberries
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 pint blueberries, picked over

1. Spread the whipped cream onto the meringue. Leave some berries whole and cut the rest into halves and quarters.
2. Arrange the berries, mango slices, and blueberries on the cream.
3. Cut into slices to serve.

Adapted from Susan Glynn

White Asparagus

Right about now the Germans are going gaga over white asparagus-- it is “spargel”

(asparagus) season. Actually it is white asparagus season in many European countries. Many of us only know the limp white spears we see in jars or cans; they are fine on a salad, but the fresh ones, while a bit expensive, are popping up in our markets now. For a real treat grab the first fresh bunch you see.

Although white asparagus are prized for a mild flavor and good looks, they also are known for their health benefits. Besides being high in Vitamins A and C, white asparagus are said to be good for the body’s filtering system. According to Wolfgang Gaertner of Berlin, some people eat them daily as a “cleansing cure.” Gartner laughed as he tried to explain this delicately: “As it affects the body’s liquid drainage system, it is quite obvious from the odor who’s been eating white asparagus.” This fact has been independently verified.

White asparagus grow in sandy soil and are the same variety as their green relatives - but the mounds have been covered to keep out the sun to prevent them from producing the chlorophyll that produces that gorgeous springtime green. Although our good buddy Kermit the Frog, says “it’s not easy being green,” for asparagus apparently it is. Helga Barebendreier, from Hamburg, says it is quite a sight to see fields of white asparagus. “You don’t see the asparagus at all, just mounds upon mounds of black plastic ‘igloos.’ The shoots never see the light of day until they are harvested.

The typical way to eat them is with melted butter or a Hollandaise sauce. It is it is traditional for Germans to eat asparagus with plain boiled potatoes and some salty meat, like Black Forest ham or schnitzel, explains Gaertner. His instructions are straightforward: “They are never cut, but left whole. You pierce the end of the stalk with a fork and bring them to your mouth and chew in sections until the very end.”

Cut about a thumbs-length off the bottom of the spear and peel from just under the tip.

If you have an asparagus pot, Ron Savenor, owner of Savenor’s Market on Charles Street in Boston suggests tying some twine around the bunch just under the head and another bit of twine just a few inches from the bottom. Fill the pot to just over half with water and a tablespoon of sugar. Add some lemon juice. If you don’t have an asparagus pot, use a sauté pan. Cook about 10 minutes or until just tender. Save the cooking liquid for use to make a Hollandaise sauce.

The asparagus that are available locally are now from Peru. Mark ---, the extremely helpful produce team leader at the Bread and Circus on River Street in Cambridge, says he usually has them on hand. But that is not the case at all Whole Foods stores. At other branches we were told that they can be ordered. Before making menu plans around white asparagus we suggest calling the market.

Let white asparagus take center stage at your table. With a glass of dry Riesling and some crusty bread you have a springtime meal that is light and satisfying.

“Guten Apetit!”

Shopping sources

Savenor’s Market
160 Charles Street
Boston
617-723-6328

Whole Foods
340 River Street
Cambridge
617 876-6990

Recipe

Wolfgang’s White asparagus in cream sauce - serves 2

1 bunch white asparagus
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt

Water to cook

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 - 1 ½ cup asparagus cooking liquid
¼ cup white wine
¼ -1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse asparagus and cut off about a thumbs-length from the bottom of the spears.
2. With a vegetable peeler, peel asparagus carefully. (You can reserve the peels to make a stronger base for the sauce).
3. In a pan that will hold the asparagus in a single layer bring about one inch of water to a boil. Add sugar, salt and vinegar.
4. Cook for 10 minutes at most. Remove to a plate.
5. Reserve liquid about 1 cup.
6. In the same pan, melt the butter and add flour and mix until smooth for about one minute.
7. Slowly add the reserved asparagus broth. Continue to stir until sauce thickens.
8. Add the wine and cream stirring constantly. Simmer for one minute. Lower heat
9. Place egg yolk in a small bowl. Add a little of the warm white sauce to the egg yolk and mix well.10. Slowly add the egg yolk to the cream sauce, mixing thoroughly. Cook another minute or two. Add more cream if the sauce is too thick. Pour over asparagus and serve immediately.

Here's the flip side to holiday tradition

LEXINGTON -- Bleary-eyed souls are making their way to the Battle Green. A shot rings out. The all-volunteer army is spurred into action. Ready, aim, flip!

Did you think only the British were coming? The other great Patriots Day tradition in this historic town is pancake breakfasts. Next Monday, hungry hordes who waited for hours to see the reenactment of the "shot heard 'round the world" can mount their assault upon local venues for breakfast.

With thousands of people milling around, there is plenty of business for civic organizations that have for decades used this cousin to the church supper as fund-raisers. Patriots Day pancake sales -- the stack costs between $4.50 and $6 but don't forget that includes the sausages, coffee, cocoa, and juice -- help support a Boy Scout troop and fund social action projects for church and fraternal organizations.

The largest is held at St. Brigid's Church. According to Scout Master Hank Manz, Troop 160 serves about 1,500 people around 4,000 pancakes, 3,000 sausages, and 15 gallons of syrup. The first volunteer Scouts and parents show up at 3:30 a.m. No pancakes are made in advance. With three 4-foot-square grills going simultaneously and several line-flippers, the hot pancakes make their way to the waiting crowd through the efforts of "pancake expediters." Manz says they recruit "tall people with good balance for this job." Fourteen-year-old Geoff Cooper, as senior patrol leader, is making his debut this year sharing responsibilities for the feeding of 1,500 diners. "Sometimes the line can be very long," says Cooper.

At the First Baptist Church, says pancake organizer Dave Ehlke, "We make our pancakes from scratch with a recipe from our former pastor's mother who is from Ireland." On his shopping list are 100 pounds of flour, 20 pounds of sugar, 240 eggs, and 20 gallons of whole milk. "We get lots of reenactors who come in their costumes," says Ehlke.

Just steps from the battle scene, Church of Our Redeemer parishioner Karen Shragle helps run their pancake breakfast along with two other co-chairs. "When the last shot is fired on the Green, you watch people running in several different directions," says Schragle.

At the Masonic Hall, Marc Reyome presides over the action of the early birds who come before dawn for nourishment and a front row view of the battle between the Minutemen and the British. While their forefathers marched toward Concord and their next skirmish, modern day redcoats make a pit-stop for pancakes.

Pancake breakfasts in Lexington are held between 6 and 10 a.m. (some doors open at 5:30 a.m. if there's a crowd) at St. Brigid's, 2001 Massachusetts Ave.; Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St.; First Baptist Church, 1580 Massachusetts Ave.; Masonic Hall, 1 Harrington Road (corner of Bedford and Hancock streets).


Amy Dixon's Irish pancakes 4/14/2004

If you don’t like the idea of sitting down to pancakes at dawn with several hundred people, make your own—or host a pancake party later in the morning. Keep the pancakes warm in 200-degree oven, covered with foil. This recipe comes from Brian Dixon, former pastor of the First Baptist Church in Lexington, who got it from his Irish mother. For really light pancakes, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the batter, a hint some packaged mixes suggest. The dry ingredients make 5 cups. Here are instructions for using the dry ingredients in two proportions. Use 3 cups to make 23 pancakes, 2 cups to make 15 pancakes.

FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS

3 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Blend well with a whisk.
2. Measure 2 cups or 3 cups and store leftover dry mixture in an airtight jar in the pantry.

WITH 3 CUPS OF DRY INGREDIENTS

3 cups dry ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Butter (for the griddle)

WITH 2 CUPS OF DRY INGREDIENTS

2 cups dry ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Butter (for the griddle)

1. In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients with a whisk.
2. In another bowl, combine the eggs and milk and stir well. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until all liquid is incorporated. Bubbles will start to appear.
3. Let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes.
4. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet. Add about 2 teaspoons of the butter. When it begins to foam, use a quarter-cup measure to add batter to the pan. Let the pancakes cook until the undersides are golden and small bubbles appear on the surface.
5. Turn to brown the other side. Serve with maple syrup or fresh fruit.

Simmered tofu gets zesty with sauce and seasonings

Nothing could be simpler than a cake of tofu simmered in a light broth. The Japanese dish Yudofu is the very definition of simplicity in both preparation and presentation. Condiments of grated ginger, a sprinkling of katsuo (bonito) fish flakes, and finely cut rings of scallions not only add to the spare beauty of this dish, they also provide the zing. Traditionally this dish is served from a simmering pot atop the table. Diners place tofu in their own bowl and choose their toppings, which are stirred into a sauce made from soy sauce, dashi (bonito fish stock), and mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine).

Not only does tofu absorb the seasonings it is graced with, but it also takes on the season. When the weather turns warm, this warm dish changes like a chameleon and is served icy cold, to refresh body and palate.

Tofu -- made from soy beans, spring water, and a coagulant -- is a great source of non-animal protein and is available in most local supermarkets. Packaged tofu, like Nasoya, has come a long way as far as taste, but for a real treat try to find the fresh tofu available at all Asian markets. Blocks of tofu sit in large baths of cold water and are scooped into a container for you. One popular manufacturer in Cambridge is Chang Shing. They sell from their factory at 35-37 Rogers St. and also have their product in most of the Asian groceries. If you do not use the tofu all at once, make sure you change the water daily. Try to finish the tofu within two-three days of purchase.

Tofu comes in many varieties. For this dish, firm is the preferred consistency. Yoshiko Furukawa, the owner of Yoshinoya's on Prospect Street in Cambridge, refers to them by their Japanese description: kinu-silk (soft) and momen-cotton (firm). Yoshinoya, a Japanese specialty food market for 43 years, has a refrigerator case that boasts a large selection of tofu. Furukawa has endless patience and is only too happy to explain cooking techniques and share recipes. She gets fresh tofu daily. At $1.59 a block, that is a lot of nutrition power in a small package.

You don't need a special Japanese pot to make this dish. Cook the tofu on the stove and bring it steaming hot to the table in a covered dish. Serve with Japanese rice and freshly made cucumber and crab viniagret salad and you have a great but simple meal.
Bon Appetit -- or as the Japanese would say, "Itadakimasu!"

Shopping sources

Yoshinoya, 36 Prospect St., Cambridge, 617-491-8221

Chang Shing, 35-37 Rogers St., Cambridge, 617-868-8878

Super 88, 1095 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-787-2288


Yudofu (simmered tofu) 4/8/2004

Most of these items are available at Bread and Circus, but one field trip to a Japanese or Asian grocery and you are sure to find everything. Serves 2.

2 cakes of tofu (firm)
4 cups water
1 4-inch strip of kelp (dried seaweed)
1 tablespoon peeled, freshly grated ginger
4 tablespoons bonito flakes
4 scallions, finely chopped into rings
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup dashi -- bonito fish stock
1 tablespoon mirin, sweet rice wine, or sugar

1. Set a pot of cold water on the stove. Wipe the kelp clean and place it in the water.
2. Cut the tofu block into 4 to 6 pieces. Set gently in the water.
3. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Heat gently. This takes about 8-10 minutes.
4. In a small pot, make the dashi according to instructions on package.
5. Add soy sauce and mirin (or sugar), and heat through. Place in small pitcher.
6. Place the grated ginger, bonito flakes, and scallions in three small serving bowls.
7. Remove the kelp and discard.
8. Each diner receives a bowl and adds a few tablespoons of the warm sauce.
Note: You can either add the seasonings to the sauce and then the tofu or put the tofu in the bowl and then sprinkle on the seasonings. . . . Bonito flakes are shavings of the dried bonito. They add a briny depth to the dish. They come in multiple small packets in a package or loose in a bag. . . . Dashi comes in many forms. A small jar of granulated dashi is the most convenient. A few teaspoons for 1 cup of boiling water is sufficient. . . . Shitake mushrooms (fresh or reconstituted) and Chinese cabbage, quartered, can be added to the simmering liquid to make a more substantial dish.

Pasta is full of carbs, but that doesn't matter Tomatoes or cream?Here's your guide

ROME -- A nattily dressed gentleman, unlit cigar poised between his lips, studies the pastas in a soccer-field-length supermarket aisle. Signore Pino Magno is an Italian diplomat who loves to cook. He is choosing pasta to go with one of his sauces. After much consideration, Magno decides on a bag of casarecce, a delicately once-twisted, short shape with a channel running down its center. This crevice will allow the sauce to seep deep into the cooked casarecce. His wife, standing patiently nearby, explains that he does this all the time. There are, after all, hundreds of shapes from which to choose.

We may not have the choices available in Italy, but gone are the days when only spaghetti, macaroni, and lasagna were available, and when brands in our markets only offered American-made noodles. Now we have popular Italian pastas made by Pastene, De Cecco, Barilla, and Delverde, along with artisanal and regional pastas. Gone, too, is the notion that sauces are made from tomatoes, cream, or pesto. Now there are dozens of mixtures to toss with your noodles.

Giancarlo Sessa, owner for 25 years of Sessa's Italian Grocery in Somerville's Davis Square, recently started counting pasta shapes in his store. He got up to 58 -- for one brand, Del Verde -- and quit halfway through his inventory. Stacked and unopened boxes of specialty cuts (these are unusual pastas such as the short, giant tubes called tuffoloni, also called paccheri, or the casarecce that Magno was interested in) lay waiting to claim space on his shelves. Rattling off the names of his pastas in order of size and shape, he stopped to ask: "Sounds like an Italian opera, doesn't it?" Good pasta is made with durum wheat, semolina, and water (often spring water). Pastas are graded in small increments of thickness; they are smooth or ridged, tubular or flat. They come boxed in nests or packaged in elongated parcels. Specialty cuts are contorted in twists, shaped like little ears, made with squid ink or spinach. Different manufacturers call the same pasta shapes by different names. Neighboring Italian villages might not even agree on the same name.

But that's just half the confusion. What about the sauce? Like shapes, the types of sauces familiar to Americans have expanded in recent years. Pairing pasta and sauces takes into consideration the heft of the sauce and size and texture of the pasta, along with regional preferences.

Tubular pastas such as ziti, rigatoni, and penne, which hold sauces in their cavities, are often paired with long-cooked red sauces, as well as savory mixtures simmered with chunks of meat and vegetables. The ribbed (rigati) tubes are more roughly cut, and the sauce seeps into the ridges. They are sturdy enough to hold up in a baked dish. The smooth (lisci) ones work well with oil and cream-based sauces that cling to the surface.

Long, flat linguine, fettuccine, and tagliatelle have enough surface area to hold thick tomato sauces, as well as pesto, cream, and oil-based seafood mixtures. Because long, round shapes -- from spaghetti to angel hair -- vary in thickness, toss thinner pastas with light sauces, perhaps made from fresh tomatoes; thicker ones stand up well with red or creamy carbonara sauces.

Known as soup pasta, tubettini, mini shells, ditalini, pastina, and rice shapes cook quickly. Any starch emitted during simmering thickens the pot. Some, such as pastina and stellina, are suited to simple broths, while thicker shapes such as ditalini and little shells go well in minestrone and pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans).

Stuffed pastas, like the folded tortellini and tortelloni from the Emilia Romagna region, which are filled with cheese and meat or vegetables, can also be served in broth with a sprinkling of cheese. Their more robust southern cousin, ravioli, is often bathed in tomato sauce.

The only thing more important than matching shape to sauce is cooking the pasta correctly. Use the cooking times on packages as a guide. Many Italians cook it for one to two minutes less than the instructions, then they finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. That way, you get "al dente" pasta -- or strands that are tender "to the tooth." The pasta absorbs the liquid as well as its flavors. Another tip is to save about half a cup of the pasta cooking liquid before draining. Add it to the pasta after draining it. If you stir over low heat, the sauce will give the pasta a shiny coating. Finally, never rinse pasta; you wash away flavor.

In Italy, and for many Italian-Americans here as well, pasta is always on the menu for midday Sunday dinner.

Maria and Tony D'Itria of Revere, who come from a town south of Naples, make pasta together every week. "I make fusilli just like my grandmother," says Maria D'Itria, an elementary school teacher in Boston. "They are as big as your thumb and look like Shirley Temples curls." One week recently the D'Itrias made rabbit and tomato sauce, which gets trapped between the curls of the pasta. "Americans put too much sauce on their pasta," says Maria D'Itria. "The sauce should be just as though it is painted on."

In Rome, Pino Magno's casarecce might be on its way home, where it will be cooked slowly with a sauce made from zucchini and broth. Magno will probably return to the same store soon, pick another shape, and match it to another pot of sauce, while his wife waits patiently again.

A little barley goes a long way to beef up a soup or vegetablesUse it instead of high-carb pasta, potatoes or rice

Tired of potatoes, rice, and pasta? Looking for another carb with some nutritional clout? Try barley. When cooked, barley has a soft but slightly crunchy texture. When added to soups, it makes them creamy. It is a great base for a pilaf.

Barley has a long history. Part of the human diet for several thousand years, it was one of the first grains to be cultivated. Then, as now, it was brewed to make beer as well as eaten in other forms. It is high in fiber, and recent studies have shown that barley has cholesterol-lowering properties similar to those of oats.

Don't be discouraged from using barley, or any dried grains, because they need soaking first. There is a "quick method" for soaking the barley, described below. You can then use it in any recipe calling for soaked barley.

Pearl barley is the one most often found in the dried bean section. "Pearl" refers to the kernel that remains after the tough outer hull has been polished away. A 1-pound package of dried barley (about 2 cups) costs less than $1. When soaked, it yields approximately 6 cups. Prepare the entire package, then freeze the extra barley for use later. Store it in plastic bags in 1-cup portions and defrost before cooking.

Mushroom barley soup is a soothing companion on a cold day. Most mushroom barley soups use meat, beef stock, and common white mushrooms. A vegetarian version can be just as "meaty," however. Soak dried mushrooms in water to rehydrate them. Save the soaking liquid for a flavorful stock. Fresh mushrooms cut into thick slices provide heft and flavor. The barley gives the soup a velvety consistency.

For a quick dinner, pull a few cups of barley from the freezer before you leave for work. When you get home, saute a mix of onions, dried cranberries, and vegetables (mixed frozen are fine) in a little oil. Spice it up with a little curry, toss in the cooked barley, and you have a colorful, nutritious dish.

Four-mushroom and barley soup 1/29/2004

3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (1 1/2 ounces)
8 -10 dried shiitake mushrooms
6 cups water
3 1/2 -4 cups soaked barley (quick method)
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 4 slices
1/2 pound white mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 4-5 slices
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place porcini and shiitake mushrooms in separate bowls, each one large enough to hold 3 cups of liquid. Add about 2 1/2 cups of warm water to each bowl and let sit until mushrooms soften. Dried shiitake mushrooms need 30 minutes to an hour or more to soften, depending on thickness. Dried shiitake mushrooms are more flavorful than fresh.
2. Prepare pearl barley according to quick method: Put 1 pound of barley and 6 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for two minutes and turn off the heat. Cover and let soak for one hour. Drain and reserve barley.
3. Remove mushrooms from liquid and rinse under running water. Reserve the liquid. Roughly chop the porcini. Remove stems from the shiitake and cut each into several pieces.
4. Take reserved mushroom liquid and strain through a paper coffee filter or double thickness of paper towel. You will have about 4 cups. Add water to make 6 cups of stock.
5. Heat oil in a pot and saute onions and carrots for five minutes.
6. Add chopped shiitake and porcini. Saute an additional 3 minutes.
7. Add mushroom stock to the mixture. Heat until just beginning to boil.
8. Lower heat and add barley. Simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Add sliced fresh mushrooms and cook an additional 15-20 minutes. Add water if necessary.
10. Season to taste.

Note: Trader Joe's carries a product called Mushroom Medley in the frozen food section. It comes in 1-pound bags for $3.69 and it works well in this soup. Use as you would the fresh mushrooms. No need to do any cutting.

Easy peanut sauce will perk up a salad, appetizer, or entreeIt's great as a base for meat, vegetables, tofu

Burlington's Elsa Tian is a lively lady of 70 and a superb, instinctive cook. Elsa and her husband, Jan, immigrated to the United States 38 years ago from Jakarta, Indonesia. Elsa loves to share her cooking with friends.

One day last month, she dropped off some of her wonderful peanut sauce, and over the next few weeks I was dipping into it to enhance all sorts of dishes.

"Americans like peanut butter, which is why Americans love this sauce so much," she said as she dipped a carrot into the thick paste. "It's a great base for many different types of food: chicken, tofu, noodles, vegetables, salads -- anything you like."

The secret to this sauce is freshly ground peanut butter, available at most supermarket deli counters and health food stores, where sometimes you can even grind your own.

"That way, there are no sweeteners or preservatives and you can sweeten and spice it up as you like," Elsa said.

The base has few ingredients and takes no more than 10 minutes to make. You enhance it depending on the type of food with which it will be paired. For salad dressings, thin it with water, plain yogurt, or coconut milk and spice it up with red pepper paste and vinegar. For grilled chicken, add depth with anchovy paste. For noodles and satays, infuse salty sweetness with soy sauce and brown sugar.

The sauce is cooked on top of the stove for a few minutes, and will keep for at least a month in a covered container in the refrigerator.

As Elsa prepared the sauce and added water to the thick peanut butter, she cautioned not to mix it too much: "The sauce thickens the more you stir it, so just mix until everything is blended."

While making the dressing for her signature dish, the gorgeous Indonesian mixed salad Gado Gado, she diluted several tablespoons of the peanut sauce with vinegar and a bit of water. In goes an eye-watering amount of red chili paste, sambal oelek, available in most supermarkets in the Asian food section or at Asian groceries.

"This is how most Indonesians like it," she said with a mischievous grin. Indeed! The tears surface immediately in a taste test. If you don't have hot pepper paste, Tabasco sauce is a reasonable substitute.

This is a great sauce to have on hand, like a basic black dress or a white button-down shirt in the closet. The recipes below give some ideas, but if a soup needs a little something, if your pasta is too plain, or if you find your stew lacking, dip in and spoon out a little magic.

Peanut sauce base 1/22/2004

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups fresh peanut butter
1 cup water or coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons whitecider vinegar or limejuice
1 teaspoon hot peppersauce or a few dashesof Tabasco sauce

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the minced garlic. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
2. Add the peanut butter, water or coconut milk, brown and white sugars, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce.
3. Turn on the heat to low-medium and stir until everything ismixed and just hot. Do not boil the sauce.
4. Cool the sauce and store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to onemonth.

Fried shallots 1/22/2004

3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil

1. Heat the oil and add the shallots.
2. Stir and cook on medium-low heat until the shallots get dark and crispy, about 10 minutes.
3. Drain on paper towels.

Chicken, beef, or pork satay 1/22/2004

3 tablespoons peanut sauce base
1 chopped tomato
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound boneless chicken, pork, or beef (sirloin or flank) cut into one-inch cubes (about 20 cubes)
Bamboo skewers soaked inwater for 30 minutes

1. Mix cut-up meat with marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Place several pieces of marinated meat on soaked bamboo skewers (wrap exposed end of skewer in aluminum foil).
3. Grill on a barbecue or under the oven broiler for 3 minutes per side.
4. Serve with dipping sauce (see accompanying recipe).

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

4 tablespoons peanut sauce base
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Hot pepper paste to taste

2 to 3 teaspoons lime juice(key limes if you can get them)

1. Mix all ingredients together to a dipping consistency. Makes 1/2 cup.
2. Dipping sauce can be thinned with a few tablespoons of water, coconut milk, or yogurt.

Gado Gado Indonesian salad 1/22/2004

This is humble fare in Indonesia, often sold by street vendors. Serve as a first course or as a meal with a bowl of white rice. Most of the vegetables are blanched to maintain their color and crunch. Serves 6 to 8

1/2 pound green beans, tips removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
10 to 16 ounces spinach leaves (bags of baby spinach make this a breeze)
2 cups bean sprouts
2 carrots, julienned
4 potatoes, cooked and sliced
1/4 cabbage, core removed
4 eggs, hardboiled and cut into sixths
1/2 seedless cucumber cut into 1/4-inch slices
Fried shallots (see accompanying recipe)

1. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the green beans, spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, and cabbage individually for two or three minutes. Remove each vegetable with a slotted spoon, dip into cold water, and drain thoroughly.
2. On a large platter, arrange the vegetables in layers, starting with the cabbage at the bottom. Spread out and group vegetables in an attractive pattern.
3. Sprinkle on fried shallots.
4. Serve with peanut sauce dressing

Gado Gado dressing

1/2 cup peanut sauce base
1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
4 to 5 tablespoons water or coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons anchovypaste (optional)

1. Place the peanut sauce base in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix slowly until blended. Adjust seasonings to your taste. The consistency is like that ofa salad dressing. Try not to over-mix.

Vegetable dip 1/22/2004

Makes 1/2 cup.

3 tablespoons peanut sauce base
1/2 cup plain yogurt (full or lowfat)

1. Mix and serve with fresh vegetables.