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If you can't find Cabrales cheese, substitute Roquefort or Danish blue cheese.

This soup is particularly delicious when made with sweet white corn. Serve it as an appetizer or with an avocado and orange salad for a luncheon or a light dinner.

Here's the real thing — far more vividly colored, textured and flavored than the stuff that comes out of a can, and far more comforting. A drizzle of lemon-rosemary cream gives this classic American soup an Italian touch.

This soup is also wonderful hot.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is very easy to prepare and it makes an elegant addition to any party.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Frittata di Funghi con menta) The frittata is a popular appetizer, lunch or light supper in Tuscany, and making it is an art. Tuscans like their frittatas golden on the outside and creamy on the inside. Frittatas usually feature seasonal vegetables like artichokes, asparagus or the wild mushrooms here. Porcini and cantarelli (chanterelles) are the most common wild Tuscan mushrooms, but others can occasionally be found at markets or in secret spots in the woods.

(Torta di Bietola ed Erbe) In the more rugged areas of Tuscany, like the Garfagnana and Lunigiana in the northwest, savory tarts are as popular as their sweet counterparts. Vegetable tarts are quite common and usually include greens and herbs. This one features Swiss chard, thyme and oregano. Other herbs used in such tarts are tarragon, sage, nettles and borage.

(Gnocchi di Spinaci e Ricotta) These gnocchi are also known in different parts of Tuscany as malfatti (badly made), ravioli nudi (naked ravioli) or topini verdi (little green mice). Gnocchi are among the oldest foods in Italy, and the spinach ones are a specialty of the Casentino, an area east of Florence where greens grow wild on the hillsides.

At the restaurant, the ravioli dough is made in-house. We used purchased wonton wrappers instead, making the recipe faster and easier. Note that the ravioli can be assembled ahead of time and frozen.