Stuffed or stewed, seasonal vegetables satisfy

During the summer, many of us return from the farmers' market (or, if we are industrious, the garden) laden with gorgeous, ripe vegetables. Then the question is, what do we do with them?

Here are two solutions: Stuff 'em or stew 'em. Both preparations provide maximum bang for your shopping buck and highlight the summer's bounty as a main course.

The first recipe comes from a new book by the Tessa Kiros, a chef who has traveled extensively and given us "Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes" (Andrews McMeel, 2009). When people talk about liking to "read" cookbooks, this is the type of book they are talking about, and it has the added attraction of luscious food and travel photography. You might want to take it to the beach or the mountains, or, better yet, into the kitchen.

The second recipe is a simple French-ish ratatouille from my own files. It's made in a slow cooker and has the added advantage of not "hotting up" (a friend's phrase) the kitchen.

• Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). More at marialisacalta.com.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Recipes</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=314360">Stuffed Vegetables</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=314343">Slow-cooker Ratatouille</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>