THERE’S no better way to spend a languid early-summer evening than by gathering with family or friends on the patio for a supper drawn from a table filled with colorful plates of delicious antipasti.

Romano beans are an Italian wide and flat bean from the same family as the more familiar string bean and cousin to French haricots verts and yellow wax beans. Romanos can be more colorful, with green, ...

THERE’S no better way to spend a languid early-summer evening than by gathering with family or friends on the patio for a supper drawn from a table filled with colorful plates of delicious antipasti.

Some years ago, dining alone on a cafe terrace in Naples, I was startled at meal’s end when the waiter placed a plate containing a pile of long green pods in front of me. I looked at them. I looked at ...

Over the last several months, I’ve visited a different Triangle afternoon farmers market in an effort to both satisfy my yen for seasonal produce and avoid the early morning hours of traditional ...

The snap beans were great this year, mainly because I went all out for Italian heirlooms, especially the anellini type. These are sometimes called "shrimp beans," because, like the crustacean, they ...

This dish, from Los Angeles Times’ test kitchen director Donna Deane, was inspired by a recipe from “Chez Panisse Vegetables.” Romano beans can be ordered at Whole Foods stores, or substitute Italian ...