Squash

Only native Californians like two wine-making friends of mine in Salinas can regularly throw together a vegetable chili such as this utilizing their almost year-round abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. For those of us with seasonal gardens, various substitutions often have to be made (canned tomatoes, dried herbs, and the like), but such is the availability almost everywhere today of certain fresh produce even in the coldest months that no imaginative cook should have much trouble concocting a very tasty vegetable and bean chili according to this basic recipe. One advantage, by the way, of using a 28-ounce can of tomatoes with their juices instead of the fresh is that most likely you won't have to add any water to keep the chili slightly soupy.

Serve one of these loaves the day you make them. Wrap the other in foil and freeze up to one month so that you'll have it on hand for unexpected company.

This is Paul Bocuse's famous thick pumpkin soup, from France, served inside the pumpkin shell.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Tortelli di Zucca con Mandorle Don't be fooled by the broth — this is not a soup recipe. Only a very small amount of broth is poured over the tortelli before serving. To grate the cheese, use the ragged-edged holes of a box grater (not the teardrop-shaped holes we recommend in our Recipe Tips). That way, you'll have the correct texture for the filling. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 6 1/4 hr (includes making stock)

In this rendition of a classic antipasto, fresh herbs infuse the olive oil marinades, which double as dressings.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 10 1/2 hr Look for sugar pumpkins and cheese pumpkins — we find they make the tastiest purée for pies, tarts, and cakes.

This frittata is a marriage of ideas gleaned from two similar dishes tasted in the Piedmont: a delicious zucchini and herb "frittela" at the restaurant Guido in Costiglioli d'Asti and a spinach "frittatini" (both were miniature frittate) at the humble but superb Osteria dell'Unione in Treiso.

Serve this entrée with crusty bread to help catch all the juices, and pour a light Italian white wine, such as Pinot Grigio. For dessert, spoon minted fresh berries atop vanilla frozen yogurt.