Tomatoes are (justly) one of the favorite summer vegetables, and pasta without an abundance of marinara (or pomarola) sauce wouldn't seem quite right now. But it is nice to do other things, and one of the most refreshing is Liguria's Pesto Sauce, made with fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and cheese. It's a supremely pleasant addition to pasta, minestrone, and other things, for example boiled potatoes (which will be perfect at a cookout or picnic). Pesto sauce is easy to make, too!

Grilling (in my opinion) makes just about everything taste better, and fish is certainly no exception, especially fattier fish along the lines of salmon, which emerge considerably leaner from their time over the coals. A few ideas:

• Pesce alla Griglia, or Basic Grilled Fish
  Seasoned with herbs, it reaches perfection.
• Trota in Gradela, or Grilled Trout
  This recipe from the Vicentino calls for fario trout, a variety that lives close to the bottom, in running water. They rarely exceed 8 inched in length, reach maturity at 2-3 years of age, and have firm, delicately flavored flesh ideally suited to the grill. In short, perfect for home or campground.
• Tunnu a Palirmitana, or Palermo-Style Fresh Tuna
  Grilled with lemon, rosemary, and sage. Perfect, and you could do the same with pieces from other large fish, for example swordfish or salmon.

And onto a couple of picnic ideas!
Diana says this delicious Potato Salad is perfect for the picnic cooler, and it always tastes better outdoors! (She's right.) And with it? Fabulous Southern Fried Chicken prepared the night before the picnic or early in the morning. Refrigerate to chill and keep it cold until it's time to leave for the picnic, then pack it on ice to keep it cool until serving time.

Summer is -- no getting around it -- hot, and Italian cooking reflects this in many ways: People enjoy cold dishes, ranging from all sorts of pasta salads through vitello tonnato, tend to cook their foods quickly, and eat much lighter than they do in the winter months. Here are four quick, simple modern Italian summer recipes for greens that will take on average 20 minutes to prepare, and are also figure friendly -- 100 to 120 calories per serving.

• Blanched Vegetables with Mustard Sauce, or Ortaggi Scottati con Salsa alla Senape
• Chicken Salad with Mint Tzaziki, or Insalata di Pollo con Tzatziki alla Menta
• Blanched Greens with Herb Sauce, or Verdure Cotte con Salsa alle Erbe
• Pinzimonio with Bell Pepper Cream, or Pinzimonio Con La Crema di Peperoni

Buon Appetito!

What could be better, when it's so hot that even the grass starts to shimmer (and you don't want to even think about the asphalt), than a platter of pleasantly chilled stuffed vegetables? Refreshing, cool, and light on the digestion. They're versatile too, and while some will do perfectly as entrees, others can also double as antipasti. Enjoy!