It took me a long while to make puttanesca sauce, the feisty Italian tomato sauce packed with sharp, pungent and briny flavors. I admit it was the anchovies that gave me pause. While I don't mind anchovies in moderation, I don't liberally cook with them, either, foolishly reverting to a childhood bias against their salty fishiness. I should know better.

Anchovies are a magical ingredient, a bright star in the cuisines of the Mediterranean and Asia (think fish sauce). When used in moderation, anchovies melt into a dish, amplifying its overall flavor and producing an elusive umami quality that keeps us digging in for more. Anchovies work particularly well when combined with other strong ingredients, which is why they are a marvelous component in puttanesca sauce, which teems with tomatoes, olives, garlic, chili flakes and capers.

Puttanesca sauce is often served with pasta, but it’s also delicious with fish. In this recipe it complements briny, sweet shrimp. I tweaked it to make a fresher rendition, with whole grape (or cherry) tomatoes replacing canned plum tomatoes. Simply cook them long enough so that they begin to break down and release their juices. A splash of white wine adds the extra moisture needed for the sauce. If desired, you can serve the shrimp puttanesca over pasta or rice. This makes an easy weeknight dinner and can be prepared in about 30 minutes.

Shrimp Puttanesca

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

20 to 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 anchovy filets, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1 pound grape tomatoes, halved if large

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata or oil-cured olives, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp in one layer and lightly season with salt. Cook until pink on both sides and barely cooked through the centers (they will continue to cook in the sauce), about 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, olives, white wine, tomato paste, capers and black pepper. Cook until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently to break up the tomatoes.

Nestle the shrimp into the sauce and simmer until thoroughly cooked and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Serve warm with crusty bread.

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I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or in this case, turn down a gift of fresh pears from a friend who, yes, grows her own pears -- especially in the fall, when I love to bake fruit crisps, crumbles and tarts. When I received a box of Warren pears from her, I devised a number of ways to use the fruit, besides as a sugary dessert.

Pears are wonderful for baking and poaching, as most varieties hold their shape well during the cooking process. This recipe is a “healthy” version of a crumble, with the pear halves roasted in the oven, then topped with yogurt, honey and a streusel topping. Call it a healthy dessert or a decadent breakfast, but just be sure to make it.

Roasted Pears and Yogurt Streusel

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons plus 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ripe but firm pears, such as Warren or Bartlett

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons runny honey, plus extra for drizzling

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.

Cut the pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Set aside half of the butter for the streusel. Brush the cut sides of the pears with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Arrange the pears in a baking pan and roast in the oven, cut side up, until tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool while you prepare the streusel.

Combine the oats, walnuts, brown sugar, the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt in a bowl. Add the reserved butter and stir to coat. Spread on a small, rimmed baking pan and bake in the oven until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Whisk the yogurt, honey and vanilla in a small bowl. Arrange the pears in bowls. Spoon the yogurt into the centers of the pears. Sprinkle the streusel over the yogurt and pears. Drizzle with additional honey.

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My inspiration for making soup is often a convergence of too many vegetables in the refrigerator with homemade stock and leftovers from a roast chicken. This recipe is not an authentic tortilla soup, as I managed to empty most of the contents of my veggie drawer into it. It's chock-a-block full of corn, beans, zucchini and peppers, simmered with a few must-have aromatics (onion and garlic) and pantry staples (canned Italian plum tomatoes and black beans).

I spiced up the stock with warming Southwestern spices in defiance of the dreary drizzle outside, and finished the soup with a shower of shattered tortilla chips, which happened to be leftover remnants in the bottom of the bag -- too small for swiping through a bowl of salsa. Leftovers never tasted so good.

If you don’t have leftover chicken on hand, a store-bought rotisserie chicken and packaged stock will do the trick. Season and spice the soup to your taste. Ideally it should have a little heat, but since our family is divided on what constitutes “spicy,” I pass a bottle of hot sauce around the table so everyone can fire up the soup to their taste. This soup is meant to be thick. More chicken stock may be added for a soupier consistency.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced

1 sweet red pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, with juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 pound shredded cooked chicken

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup cooked black beans

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Tortilla chips, broken in pieces, for garnish

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peppers and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and zucchini and saute briefly, about 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock, plum tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne and cloves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, corn and beans. Simmer, partially covered, until thoroughly heated through. Taste for seasoning.

Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve warm, garnished with the tortilla chips.

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