SIMPLY EUROPEAN

Easy pesto pasta, tapenade and cake

- Story by DAVID TANIS/NYT

Here is a menu to let natural flavour shine, to conjure up the south of France, somewhere along the Italian border, where simplicity reigns at the stove.

With all the great fresh produce — tomatoes, peppers, green beans, corn, basil — a menu like this one can come together with very little effort. I made a salad with cherry tomatoes of different colours and strips of roasted peppers, which could be served as a side, snack or part of an antipasto or buffet.