Pasta/4 recipes

Shrimp and pork stir-fried with cellophane noodles, dried mushrooms, and sherry in a wok. A quick Chinese-style noodle dish that soaks up savory mushroom broth.

Homemade poppy seed pasta with fresh herbs kneaded into the dough. Hand-rolled, paper-thin egg noodles with a nutty crunch from poppy seeds in every bite.

Silky sweet corn coulis made from fresh corn kernels and cob broth, strained smooth and finished with butter and cayenne. A refined sauce for shrimp and corn ravioli.

Warm cannellini beans with olive oil, lemon, and garlic spooned over pasta and topped with chunky canned tuna and scallions. A 20-minute Italian pantry dinner.

Pasta green salad tosses rotini and shredded Swiss with green beans, peas, cucumber and bell pepper in a creamy lemon-dill yogurt dressing. A bright, make-ahead potluck salad you dress right before serving.

Northern Italian style lasagna layered with a bacon-rich meat sauce, a creamy nutmeg-scented white sauce, and a parmesan-ricotta filling. Richer and creamier than the usual red-sauce version.

Here is a kind of throw together recipe I came up with: If you are entertaining you can garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a caesar salad, garlic bread and a nice chablis. The vegetables can vary. I've used mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc. Grouper works well with this because it has a lot of flavor. I've used fresh tuna and halibut but prefer grouper.

Gourmet pasta salad with garlic-parsley spaghetti, artichoke hearts, capers, diced tomatoes, and scallions in a spicy olive oil-mustard dressing. Vegetarian and ready in 25 minutes.

Homemade lemon pasta made from scratch with lemon zest and juice in the dough, tossed with melted butter and pecans. Fresh, citrusy noodles that cook in under 2 minutes.

Old-school Italian-American spaghetti sauce simmered for hours with whole plum tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and bay leaf. Drop your meatballs in during the last hour and let Sunday dinner take care of itself.

Minestrone casalinga: a homestyle Italian vegetable soup packed with white beans, leeks, cabbage, zucchini, and orzo. Rustic, layered, and exactly what cold weather calls for.

Italian spaghetti with sauteed shrimp, white wine, fresh basil, mint, and cherry pepper. A light, herb-bright coastal pasta that comes together in 45 minutes.

Fast beef and noodles: ground beef, mushrooms, and egg noodles tossed with beef-mushroom soup and butter. A 40-minute stovetop skillet dinner for two.

Fontina, mushroom, and pancetta lasagna layers a ricotta-spinach filling, rosemary-scented mushrooms, and a tomato-porcini-pancetta sauce under melty fontina and Parmesan. A rich, make-ahead Italian centerpiece.

Crockpot beef stroganoff casserole with ground beef, mushrooms, and sour cream over elbow macaroni. A slow cooker comfort meal with a red wine gravy base.

Healthy pasta with spiced lentils, tomatoes, and yogurt in a warmly spiced sauce with cumin, coriander, and ginger for a low-fat vegetarian meal.