Squash

(POTAGE AU POTIRON)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Warm pita bread would make a delicious accompaniment to this dish.

Offer your favorite corn bread along with the kebabs and salads.

Grilled zucchini adds extra flavor and texture to this light and pretty main course.

The perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken or meat. Try cooked bell peppers, mushrooms and onions over the coals, too.

A U-shaped peeler with a horizontal blade (available at most supermarkets) makes peeling the squash easier. Here it’s okay to pulse the parsley in a food processor rather than chop it by hand, but pat it dry with paper towels first.

Though the truffles lend a wonderfully rich flavor to the shrimp, they are fairly costly, so you might want to save this dish for special occasions.

This would be nice with any roasted meat.

Chef Jimmy Bradley's wonderfully simple combinations of texture and flavor at New York City's The Red Cat were the inspiration for this zucchini dish—it makes a great accompaniment to "lazy lasagne." Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

This is a colorful variation on the classic potato latke.

Suitable sides for the vegetables and pasta are grilled pita bread and assorted olives. End with baklava and fresh apricots.