Vegetarian

Amber cup squash looks like a miniature pumpkin. It requires some work to seed and peel, but you get a meaty flesh that makes a fine vegetarian supper. In this recipe, adapted from “The Farmers’ Market Guide to Vegetables,’’ the flesh is simmered with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and yellow and red bell peppers to create a rich, flavorful stew to ladle over couscous. (You can also use butternut squash, already peeled and seeded if you’re in a hurry.) Before serving, sprinkle a pungent blend of finely chopped fresh chili peppers, parsley, and lemon rind to add a crisp and savory tang.

Make this colorful, filling vegetarian soup - with tomatoes, corn, zucchini, black beans, and rice - in about 30 minutes. Add a squeeze of lime, leaves of fresh cilantro (or parsley), along with warm tortillas, and you have a satisfying weeknight supper. To save time, start cooking the onions with oregano (the Mexican variety is ideal here, if you can find it) while you prepare the golden bell pepper and zucchini. The best and quickest way to warm tortillas is one at a time over a medium gas flame.

The weather is cooler and that’s the end of garden tomatoes - at least for the ripe ones. It’s back to the market, back to cans. Canned tomatoes are good for many things, including sauces, braises, and soups. But there’s something about fresh tomatoes (even those that are shipped from far, far away) that enhance cooking. Fresh tomatoes brighten a dish in a way that no tinned tomato can. In the off-season, however, stick with cherry tomatoes. They’re small and shiny red, and more likely to be at least almost ripe.

We like the deeper flavour of dark brown sugar in this recipe, but light brown sugar can be substituted.