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These panini are so simple to prepare and so delicious, that they should become a summer staple when tomato season is in swing. Use only fresh mozzarella and luscious, juicy tomatoes. If you can't find focaccia, try country bread-just toast the slices in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. (If the slices are too big, cut the 6 slices in half before toasting. These are the best bite sizes.) When the ingredients here are at their peak, all in top form, these are true works of art.

One day we decided to add walnuts to aïoli, Provence's fabulous garlic mayonnaise, and it worked! When you are in the mood for something other than plain mayo, good as it is, remember our moment of inspiration and make aïoli-walnut or plain. And when you do, plan to make it ahead, which will allow it to mellow in flavor. Great on sandwiches like this one-it makes this sandwich, in fact-it is also wonderful used as a dip, with steamed vegetables, for example.

At first glance, these may appear ambitious for sandwiches. But wait: The asparagus can be grilled or parboiled, if you'd rather not fire up the grill, and it can be done ahead of time. The sautéing of the onions takes all of 10 minutes.

Which leaves the walnut bread. Now that's what should you use your time looking for here.

Prosciutto is now available almost everywhere, as is green olive paste, to say nothing of really good arugula, which means this could be one of the easiest- to-make combinations in this book. If you want to add a little something here, these are lovely served with pieces of sweet melon or pear.

There is a way you can make these even more interesting. Use smoked prosciutto in place of the regular. Known as speck, it originated in northern Italy, where there weren't always enough sunny or dry days to cure the pork legs. Someone resourceful did the next best thing: moved the legs inside the chimney to dry. Smoked prosciutto has a deep rosy color and exquisite flavor. While it is still not widely available, it is becoming easier to find and is definitely worth the search.

Poaching chicken is simple and making the sauce is, too, because it is nothing more than mayonnaise, with all kinds of different Cajun spices added. We've even used whole-wheat sandwich bread!

This is a great sandwich. Steak sandwiches should be, after all. And it is really easy to prepare because both the steak and sauce can be made in advance. Shell steak is as much sought after as filet, but it is not as expensive. Its robust flavor is complemented here by the emphatic taste of capers. If you want to allow your guests to assemble their own sandwiches, place the steak on a platter, the sauce in a bowl, and the bread in a napkin. Then watch as it all disappears. A lush, big green salad is always a good accompaniment.

There are big, bold flavors in this tasty combination. The ingredients here have a natural affinity for one another and come together without a hitch. Make this easy for yourself by preparing the broccoli rabe sauté in advance. As for the bread, we always recommend toasting it for panini-reason being that you don't want it to be chewy. If ciabatta is unavailable, simply use a baguette, and toast it as well.

A note on Pecorino Romano: It can be tricky to slice. For optimum results, have the cheese at room temperature and slice it with a cheese slicer or a sharp knife. Shards taste just as good if you can't get thin even slices.

This sandwich makes us feel as if we're in Nice, France. We close our eyes, and we're walking down a sidewalk there, munching on this sunny, glorious combination. It makes a wonderful lunch and is perfect for summer entertaining. To enjoy your own party, follow our suggestions at the end of the recipe for making some of the components in advance.

Mangia is always looking for interesting breads for its sandwiches. Pullman bread may or may not be available where you live, but it is worth keeping an eye out for it. Also known as pain de mie, it has little or no crust. It is baked in long rectangular loaf pans with lids, which produce a dense crumb that is ideal for slicing. This brings us to its name: The shape of the baking pans is reminiscent of the Pullman railroad car. If you can't find Pullman bread, simply use another good-quality white bread, which should be readily obtainable. Select a good baked country ham, and have it sliced a touch thicker than normal; you want to be able to bite into it. To maximize the overall effect of this lovely, simple combination be sure to use ripe avocados. Plan ahead and ripen hard avocados at home by placing them in a paper bag and holding them at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. Lastly, crème fraîche always tastes better if you take it out of the refrigerator 2 hours before using it.

Roasted vegetables, wonderful bread, and cheese. It sounds straightforward, and it is, in a way. How the parts intermarry, though, is what makes these panini so very good. If you haven't roasted the vegetables ahead of time, roast them all at once, on the same baking sheet. Be sure to keep on eye on them, though, and remove each one as it is done.

For some of us, meatloaf sandwiches, spread with ketchup or mayonnaise, summon up fond memories. They were the treat, the "special of the day," in the lunch box we took to school. Nothing rivaled a mother's meatloaf sandwich. We've gone beyond the ketchup and mayonnaise here. We've placed the meatloaf, topped with sautéed cremini mushrooms, on brioche bread. Call it a grown-up meatloaf sandwich, if you like. It is a little different, but it still comforts right down to your toes.

Make the meat loaf 1 day ahead if you like. Then it is just a matter of quickly sautéing the mushrooms and assembling the sandwiches. All in all, not much to ask for all you get in return.

Tradition has it that you should buy soft-shell crabs live and dress them right before you cook them. In reality, it is more convenient to have your fishmonger do it for you. If you decide to do it yourself, however, hold each one down firmly with one hand; then with a pair of scissors in the other, cut about half an inch off their "face," where the eyes and the gills are. That is all there is to dressing a crab.

Soft-shell crab lovers, and there are legions of them, anticipate soft-shell crab season as a very special time of year. If you count yourself among them, plan a gathering of like-minded connoisseurs in spring or early summer; then make a feast of this superb seasonal sandwich. Pile the platter high. Don't even think about trying to make these ahead of time, though. They are "make-and-serve."

Chorizo is an air-dried pork sausage. It is spicy, with a robust flavor. An essential ingredient in Spanish, Portuguese, and Mexican cookery, most of the time it is used as a condiment; but in this case, for these sandwiches, it stars. There are many types of chorizo, as well as many brands. Really good chorizo is available at specialty markets.

This is a showy, marvelous combination. It takes time to prepare, but as everyone knows who loves club sandwiches, it is worth every minute of cooking and cutting. The truth is that none of it is difficult, and most of it is fun. We selected focaccia, a flatbread originally from Genoa, as the vehicle of choice here. Sliced horizontally through the middle, it is sturdy enough to hold a whole lot of ingredients and absorb juices and sauces without falling apart. It also has a chewiness that is superb.

This recipe calls for grilled tuna. If you are not planning to use your grill, cook your tuna under the broiler. You can also pan-sear it if your kitchen has good ventilation. Either way, it is a matter of quickly searing the tuna, using intense heat to create a crust while the inside remains rare as you would do with a charbroiled beefsteak.

Lots of vegetables with wonderful colors and different flavors fill the lightly toasted crust of a French baguette. These paninis, a summer special, should be enjoyable to make. Roast the tomatoes well in advance; wash, dry, and trim the greens and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator; drain the artichokes. In short, leave yourself just the sautéing of the greens to do shortly before serving. You fill the skillet with mounds of leafy greens and in seconds, like magic, they cook down to almost nothing!

This classic niçoise sandwich is the essence of summer. Pan bagna means "bathed bread" and refers to the oil that is generously spooned on thick slices of country bread, which, in turn, are topped with juicy tomato, red onion, and anchovy fillets. These three ingredients comprise the main components of a pan bagna, but hard-boiled egg, olives, and green peppers can also be added. If you love sandwiches in which the bread becomes soppy and a little soft, add this to your list of favorites.

This sandwich is simplicity itself to make, perfect for a quick snack for lastminute guests, and can be fully prepared in advance. Serve with plenty of napkins, as these are delicious but messy.

At Mangia, we have a somewhat less formal name for this: Barbecue on a Bun. This is very similar to pulled pork if you have ever had that great Southern favorite. The meat, cooked slowly and for a long time, should almost fall apart when poked with a fork. There is nothing better to serve with pork made like this than fresh coleslaw. While the barbecued meat can be made in advance, the coleslaw should not be. It will become watery and "off-tasting." Make it close to serving time so that it is creamy and rich, tart and sweet, and let it serve as the perfect foil to the delicious, saucy pork.

In our book, any dish made with jumbo shrimp is special. Top jumbo shrimp with a one-of-a-kind garlicky sausage salsa, and the result is worthy of a celebration. That's why we're recommending you serve these with champagne or port. Should you have any of the chorizo salsa left over, add it to scrambled eggs the next day. Come to think of it, buy twice as much chorizo, and make an extra batch of the salsa for just that reason.

We tasted a salad like this, with chicken and a splendid nut sauce, in Turkey one summer. When we got home, we decided to try it with hazelnuts. It is elegant company fare, thanks in large part to the hazelnuts. Ciabatta loaves, made from flour, yeast, and water, are shaped like an old and much-used slip- pers-hence the name, which is Italian for "old slipper." If they are not available where you live, use baguettes, which should be easy to find.

While many people think of sandwiches only at lunchtime, this one makes a swell supper served alongside a simple green salad.

Once you have a roasted turkey breast on hand, you will be astonished at the number of ways you will find to use it. This is just one very simple example.

The capers in the pesto make a sizable contribution. If you don't have parsley pesto, stir capers into a flavored mayonnaise. Or use olive paste or plain pesto. The point is to use the spread, whatever it might be, to provide a burst of big flavor for the turkey and bread. Pane rustico is a crusty rustic bread traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven. Look for it in specialty markets.

Given how successful a Spanish tortilla is served as a panino, we thought we'd try it with another open-faced omelet: the Italian frittata. No surprises here-it works beautifully, too. In fact, when it comes to the perfect example of room-temperature food, there may be no better example than the frittata. Serve it as suggested below or in larger pieces for a superb brunch, late-morning breakfast, or late-evening snack.

A preparation note: While there are few ways to use leftover roasted potatoes that we can recommend, this recipe happens to be an exception. They work deliciously here.

Whereas it is very important to turn whole bell peppers while they char so that they roast evenly, no turning is necessary when the peppers are cut into pieces.

A pecan coating makes these chicken breasts very appealing, and two different condiments-red onion jam and mustard mayonnaise contribute mightily to the delicious whole. Improvise here, if you like. Serve the chicken, without bread, with lovely little pots of the spreads on the side. Then make a salad with the lettuce and tomatoes. One of our vinaigrettes would work just fine. In other words, serve these chicken breasts as a sandwich or an entrée, for lunch or for supper, or build a buffet around a platter of them. You can't go wrong. Everyone loves this dish, and, as if that weren't enough, it is simple to prepare ahead of time.

We picked up the habit of tortilla in Barcelona, then worked on it in New York. The open-faced omelet, which is what tortilla means in Spain, can be served either at room temperature, as we do at Mangia, or hot, which you can do at home. Just bring the skillet straight from the broiler to the table, with the ciabatta in a basket alongside. And if ciabatta is not available, substitute a large baguette.

This tuna salad was on the menu the very first day Mangia opened. Right from the beginning, it was one of our bestsellers, and it still is. People just don't get tired of it. You can add lettuce, watercress, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, cornichons (they are particularly good), crisp bacon, olives or just about anything you like. And, if you place all (or some) of these ingredients separately on the table and let your guests fix their own sandwiches, they may create tuna salad sandwiches that are memorable.

If soup with both extraordinary color and flavor sounds intriguing, then make this, but when you do, use only ripe yellow tomatoes. Anything less, and you will be disappointed. Of course, you can also make this with red tomatoes, but you'll miss out on the color, which is part of the pleasure.

With the exception of roasting the peppers, which can be done ahead of time, no other cooking is required here. Raw tomatoes and garlic are blended together until smooth, crushed tomatoes are added for texture, and that is basically it. Serve just as is, no chilling required, as a luncheon entree on a summer afternoon with toasted slices of country bread topped with mashed anchovies and a few capers.

This is a marvelous soup chunky, thick, rich reduction of tomatoes, lightened with a big splash of heavy cream just at serving. Use local or homegrown tomatoes in the summer and well-drained canned San Marzano tomatoes when really good tomatoes are no longer available. A bowl of this with country-style bread, and you have a treat in store. 

There are everyday sandwiches and then there are heavenly combinations like this one the sweet, white flesh of tilapia crisply fried and sauced with olive-flecked tartar sauce. This is a sandwich for company, room temperature food of exactly the right kind-full of flavor, sophisticated, but easy to make. Accompany it with a bottle of good chilled white wine; then while away a summer afternoon.

For very practical reasons, we suggest you fry the fillets in advance. In that way, any smell of fish, which deters some people from cooking fish at home, should have disappeared from your house by the time you are ready to eat. To keep things really easy, make the tartar sauce ahead of time, too. This brings us to the bread: Pane Rustico, a variation of country bread, is crusty and not too flavorful. It is the contrast of textures-crustiness on the outside, and softness within that makes it so appealing. You will have to assemble the sandwiches before serving, but even so, when it comes to dishes that are good for entertaining, these tasty sandwiches figure near the top of the easy-to-prepare list.

Smoked mozzarella serves as the perfect counterpoint to the juiciness of roasted tomatoes here. Warming these sandwiches in the oven so that the cheese has barely melted makes this combination totally unforgettable. Good country bread is a must.

Smoked mozzarella is becoming more widely available, but if you can't find it, fresh mozzarella can be substituted. It won't be the same sandwich, but it will still be very good.

Even those who cannot go a day without meat will be happy with this satisfying sandwich. And while at first glance this may seem like a summer sandwich, it is wonderful year-round, especially in the fall or winter, when it makes the perfect complement to a bowl of hearty soup. The parts can be made beforehand: the peppers, well in advance, and the mushrooms, several hours ahead.

This is a delicious vegetarian sandwich that is light and just right for a summer lunch on a hot afternoon. The reason for the extra step of "washing" the feta cheese the night before is to remove some of its saltiness. It is a simple procedure, requiring nothing more than changing the water once or twice, and it makes a difference in the way the feta tastes.

We have tapenade on hand as a matter of course. If you don't, use storebought black or green olive paste here. Both are readily available in jars at most supermarkets and are useful to have on hand for additional bursts of flavor on sandwiches or even stirred into pasta. But make our tapenade when you have the time. It stores beautifully.

You can make this simple sandwich on other breads as well, in addition to focaccia, as long as you choose a soft bread, with no major flavoring. You don't want to intrude upon the flavor and fragrance of the salmon roe. This is an excellent example of a very ordinary sandwich that is transformed by a spoonful of something special.

A relative of lettuce, radicchio is shaped like a small cabbage and has a similar crunchy texture and reddish-purple color. Its slightly bitter flavor isn't very interesting raw, but when grilled or roasted, it makes a strong statement. Grill the radicchio for this sandwich when you are using your grill to cook something else; then refrigerate it until ready to use. Covered, it will keep 1 day. You can also roast radicchio in the oven, with similar results. You can roast the peppers and the radicchio together in advance on the same baking sheet. Just be sure to keep an eye on the radicchio to prevent it from overcooking. Done that way, this sandwich is an absolute breeze to put together, and the combination of ingredients tastes a lot more complex than it really is. When you come right down to it, there are just four main ingredients here. The key is that they are good ingredients.

The Middle Eastern dish hummus, made of pureed chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed sauce), is justly renowned not only for its rich flavor but also for its remarkable versatility. It can be used as a dip, spread, or sandwich filling. It also lends itself to any number of variations- the addition of roasted garlic, for example, or hot spices. Given its appeal, we were wondering one day what it might be like if it were made with another bean and different spices. We experimented with black beans and discovered that black bean hummus, with Southwestern overtones, is also a winner.

The ancho chile sauce on these sandwiches serves as a strong accent. It can be made well in advance and is good to have in the refrigerator to spice up any number of dishes. If you make both the hummus and sauce in advance, then it is just a matter of filling the pita pockets, which makes for a quick lunch or light supper with a bowl of soup. Remember the hummus when you want an easy appetizer, and serve it with triangles of pita bread. Use the sauce as you do here, as an accent.

Beans, vegetables, and water are the basic components of many of northern Italy's world-renowned soups. A long, gentle cooking time guarantees the melding of textures and flavors. Here we've used chicken broth as the liquid and added thin slices of prosciutto as a sophisticated accent just before serving. Make a pot of this on a cold winter's day, enjoy the aroma that will fill your house, and then eat. See for yourself how satisfying a bowlful of bean soup can be. A loaf of crusty bread, a piece of Asiago cheese, and good olive oil on the table are all you need as accompaniments.

Mangia's black bean soup is thick and luscious. The fresh salsa lends zip and beautiful color. We make it with 2 serrano chiles, seeded, which lend just enough heat. If mild salsa is more to your liking, use 1 serrano, or go with one small jalapeño pepper, which tends to be less hot.

We call his lentil soup"Moroccan" simply because we added some traditional Moroccan spices, to supply flavor that is usually provided by either meat broth or the addition of a ham hock in the best-made lentil soups. And while harissa is Tunisia's renowned very hot chili sauce, it is frequently used in Moroccan cooking and even thought by some to be Moroccan in origin. (Perhaps we should be calling this North African Lentil Soup!) In any event, and recipe title aside, this soup is exotically flavored and satisfying; it is not overly spicy, even with the full complement of harissa.

If you grow zucchini in your garden and are looking for ways to use up the proverbial bumper crop, this recipe is an excellent place to start. It is elegant and easy to prepare on a hot summer's day. The basil mascarpone cream lends a luxurious note. For maximum flavor, be sure to bring the cheese to room temperature before adding the herb to it.

When you are entertaining, Wild Rice and Roasted Corn Salad make a fine accompaniment and look especially appealing with this soup.

You will be raiding your vegetable garden (or the farmstand or produce department) when you make this soup! And it is the shopping that takes the time. The soup itself is a breeze to put together. If you have homemade chicken broth, by all means use it. Otherwise, choose a good-quality canned broth, not too salty, so that the flavor of each of the many vegetables shines. And while we would like to suggest reserving this for the next day it is vegetable soup, after all, we don't recommend it. The orzo becomes waterlogged, and the vegetables are no longer al dente, either.

Here is the perfect soup for a warm fall evening, after a day of apple picking or a visit to a country farmstand. You can garnish this silken soup with finely shredded smoked ham, if you like. With a vegetable or green salad and toasted walnut bread, you have an easy menu for a Sunday night supper that asks almost nothing of the cook at the last minute. There is a lot to be said for the simplicity of serving chilled soup.

There is a Caribbean beat to this sweet potato soup, which you can make as thick and bisque-like as you wish. Consistency here is determined by the amount of milk you add. Use more or less, to your taste. The finishing touch of grated lime zest brings a burst of flavor to the soup-more than its delicate appearance suggests. At Mangia, citrus, both juice and zest, is used as a powerful flavoring agent.

The goat cheese called for in this recipe is not the one most people are accustomed to: the creamy, snowy-white fresh cheese that comes in the shape of a log or pyramid. Here you want aged goat cheese. Seldom as hard as Parmigiano, it should crumble between your fingers. In taste it is more assertive and pungent than the fresh. Look for aged goat cheese in specialty food shops.

This soup comforts. Even though it is hearty, it sets the stage beautifully as a first course to be followed by grilled or roasted meat or poultry, and a green salad. Or make a meal of it with good bread.

We call this soup Mexican as a salute to some of the ingredients, but we doubt that there is a Mexican household that has this recipe in its treasured old recipe file. This is a glorious summer soup. Anticipate serving it, and be sure to have ripe avocados on hand.

Many chilled soups, including some of today's "politically correct," scaled-down chilled soups, are often made with some cream. Here, though, is one without a drop, with no fat to speak of at all, in fact. Cucumber and yogurt star here, and when combined and chilled until icy, they make for a wonderfully refreshing main bowl or starter with just the right crunch and flavor for the dog days, whenever they occur. And while chilled soups, in general, are easy on the cook, this one should not be prepared way in advance of serving. It will become watery. Cucumbers are about 95 percent water, and there is water in the soup as well. In short, make, chill as directed, serve, and enjoy.

Your whole house will turn into a Middle Eastern spice bazaar when you toast all the seeds for this soup. What you are doing, of course, is making your own curry powder something that is not only intensely aromatic but also instructive in that it enables you to customize the blend to your own taste. This soup, with its golden color, looks great served in white bowls. Clear mugs work very nicely, too.

Nothing masks the flavor of sweet carrots in this popular soup: no cream or egg enrichment. No broth even. Basic ingredients carrots, fresh ginger, honey, and water are responsible for this soup's magnificent color and flavor.

In addition to being easy to make, this can be served hot or chilled advantageous for the busy cook. If you're serving it cold, add a splash of fresh orange juice for a fresh citrus taste. You can spice it up a bit, too, depending upon how well your refrigerator is stocked with what we call "accents": Stir in a teaspoon of harissa, the Tunisian (not Moroccan, although it is used there, too) hot chili sauce, just before serving. Failing that, you can add a spoonful of chipotle chile salsa, something we have on tap frequently. If you don't have either of those and you like a touch of heat, add hot salsa from the jar.

Broccoli and Cheddar cheese have been paired together successfully in all kinds of different ways. Here is another example of the winning combination in a rich, smooth soup that comforts and warms. On a cold day, it makes the perfect bowl, with a panini or sandwich, or a simple fresh roll. If you are looking for different ways to have that all-important intake of a cruciferous green, this is a tasty one, and the soup is easy to assemble: The base can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Poblano chiles vary in heat. Be sure your guests are game for adventure before making this because the recipe title says it all: It's spicy. The pomegranate seeds, used at the end for garnish, give the soup a great look and add a hint of sourness. If pomegranates are not in season, use cilantro leaves, which are pretty, too, but don't create the same "buzz" that the seeds do.

This soup can, and should, be made year-round, with local fresh corn in the summer and frozen kernels at other times. Ideally, buy corn that has been picked the same day and start the soup when you get home from the farmstand or farmer's market. Which is to say, if the only "fresh" corn available to you is shucked and prewrapped, think twice about buying it.

This is one of those easy-to-put-together recipes that is at its very best served the same day it is made. Use local corn in the summer and frozen kernels in the winter (they make it still easier to prepare). Smoked chicken breast adds a unique, rich flavor. Fortunately, smoked chicken is becoming more and more available; look for it in specialty markets and some supermarkets, as well. A salad and crusty rolls are just the right accompaniments.

A prep person in the kitchen from Puebla, Mexico, showed us this fun and very flavorful family-style recipe. The ancho chile powder adds a smoky flavor and a dried chile scent. As for the oregano, if you have access to a market with Latino products, look for Caribbean or Mexican oregano. It has a hint of mint that makes it worth the search. The touch of crème fraîche-hardly a Mexican tradition was our addition. It resembles crema dulce, the Mexican sweet cream that you would add if you were in Puebla, and lends a note of soothing creaminess. The tortilla chips provide just the opposite: crunch. This is a south-of-the-border original, spirited, and very good.