If you are concerned that there will be too many, too similar pasta salads, you could push the bounds of your assigned dish slightly, and make couscous (Is couscous "pasta"?) I make a quick and easy Curried Couscous dish that won "The Best Side Dish" at the hunt club picnic last summer, and it is very easy to double or triple this recipe. CURRIED COUSCOUS Serves 8-10 people 2 boxes Near east Mediterranean curry couscous 2 cups broccoli flowerets (about one large head) 1 carrot, sliced thinly 6 medium white mushrooms (sliced) 5 tbsp olive oil 1/3 cup raisins 2 tbsp mild curry powder 1/2 cup homemade balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing 4 oz feta cheese (cut into ¼ inch cubes) Prepare couscous according to package directions. (Open package, empty spice envelope into 2 1/2 cups water, add 2 tbsp olive oil, bring to boil. Remove from heat, add couscous) In a separate pan, cook broccoli and carrots in 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, stirring frequently. When partially cooked add curry powder and stir until well mixed, dump cooked broccoli and carrots into couscous. In a separate pan heat two more tbsp of olive oil and cook mushrooms for 3-4 minute, add to couscous. Stir in remaining ingredients. Either serve immediately or refrigerate.

Nothing specifically 'Italian' about this except that I got it out of Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"--it's a delicious roast chicken with lemons, nearly foolproof. If you can find a free range bird for this, do so; but even with ordinary supermarket poultry it's very good. Roast Chicken with Lemons from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan Knopf, 1995 If this were a still life its title could be "Chicken with Two Lemons." That is all that there is in it. No fat to cook with, no basting to do, no stuffing to prepare, no condiments except for salt and pepper. After you put the chicken in the oven you turn it just once. The bird, its two lemons, and the oven do all the rest. Again and again, through the years, I met people who come up to me to say, "I have made your chicken with two lemons and it is the most amazingly simple recipe, the juiciest, best-tasting chicken I have ever had." And you know, it is perfectly true. For 4 servings Ingredients # A 3- to 4-pound chicken # Salt # Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill # 2 rather small lemons Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels. 3. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity. 4. Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a sharp-pointed fork, or similar implement. 5. Place both lemons in the birds cavity. Close up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string. Close it well, but dont make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin. 6. Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected. 7. Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400 degrees, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again. 8. Whether your bird has puffed up or not, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved and opened. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious. Be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shriveled up, but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze them, they may squirt. Ahead-of-time note: If you want to eat it while it is warm, plan to have it the moment it comes out of the oven. If there are leftovers, they will be very tasty cold, kept moist with some of the cooking juices and eaten not straight out of the refrigerator, but at room temperature.

My family is Italian on both sides and I have to say I've never in my life had this soup or had it served at a wedding!! We DO make chicken soup with little meatballs in it, but it's just regular ole chicken soup - with little meatballs in it! Never used the spinach. If we put a "green" in soup, it's escarole. Anyway - not knocking the soup - it sounds wonderful, but with my Italian background I just find it funny that no one in my family or any other Italians that I know of, actually make or eat Italian "wedding" soup lol!! The lemon zest in the meatballs sounds intriguing, however. That's not something I'd ever think of doing. I can't imagine what it tastes like? And that's a great idea to cook the meatballs separately - last time I made it I tried to cheat and instead of cooking the meatballs first, then adding them, I cooked them right in the soup. I have to say, the fat from the meatballs gave the soup a "meaty" taste that I didn't find pleasant. I'll have to remember to cook them first, then boil them a bit separately before I add them to the soup - great tip!! Lisa

aaaah pasta e fagioli. So good. I like mine made with Italian sausage and two kinds of beans, along with carrots and celery: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion; chopped 2 stalks celery; sliced 2 carrots; julienne cut Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 1 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef) 2 cloves garlic; minced 4 cups beef broth or stock 1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio) 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes in puree 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes 1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans; drained 1 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans; drained 1 cup ditalini pasta (or small shells) freshly grated parmesan cheese In a very large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, carrot and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Cover pot and "sweat" vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside. Brown sausage in pot until no longer pink, stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables back to pot along with beef broth, wine, dried basil, tomatoes, salt and lots of fresh ground pepper (We like it spicy so I use a good teaspoon). Cover pot and simmer over low heat for one hour. Uncover pot and increase temperature so mixture simmers without the id. Stir in beans and simmer for another 30 minutes or to desired consistency. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente (still a little chewy) and rinse in cold water; stir into soup and turn off heat. *If it cooks too much after adding the pasta it will become over cooked and too soft. Serve with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. *For thicker soup, puree half of the beans before adding to the soup Marilyn