You don’t have to be of Italian-American heritage to love pasta, consistently picked as one of the top three menu choices in America for the past several decades. Bill Armanino, CEO and son of the founder of Armanino Foods of Distinction based in San Francisco (www.armaninofoods.com) says it’s "the soft and gentle mouth feel" of pasta that makes it such popular luncheon and dinner fare. "It’s the perfect product to add flavor to assorted sauces. And besides being an energizing food" laughs Armanino, "people like that pasta is a belly filler!"

And like any good love affair, getting the perfect "match" of pasta and sauce is important, notes Armanino, whose family has been commercially producing pesto sauces and filled pastas since the 1920s.

"Don’t be afraid to be inventive, but realize that some pasta styles are more sauce-absorbent than others. Hearty red TOMATO meat sauce may be great for spaghetti, but for cheese ravioli, a better match might be TOMATO GARLIC pesto, a MUSHROOM sauce or BELL PEPPER Pesto sauce."

Armanino notes that "in Italy, pairing fresh PEAS with pasta is a very popular tradition, along with adding VEGETABLES like ASPARAGUS tips or cooked ARGULA. It’s very traditionally Italian to add GREEN BEANS when using pesto sauce."

And if you are interested in dining in authentic Italian fashion, Armanino suggests the following dinner menu: "a little meat product such as fish or chicken, preceded by a pasta dish, and then ending the meal with a salad, which is not the order normally followed by Americans. But ending with salad makes for better digestion of the meal as well as cleansing the mouth."

Admits Armanino, "a simple GREEN LEAF salad with oil and vinegar dressing is best because a heavy creamy dressing just won’t be as satisfying."

Pasta Sauces don’t have to be limited to pasta dishes. Armanino suggests trying ARTICHOKE pesto as a shrimp dip, BASIL pesto as an omelette filling, and MUSHROOM sauce as a topping for grilled SQUASH.

Production continues strong on California STRAWBERRIES and quality is excellent. Prices are gradually decreasing, making this popular BERRY one of this week’s best FRUIT values.

Supply is plentiful on PINEAPPLE from Hawaii, with prices holding in the moderate range. For Polynesian-style beef, sauté sirloin cubes with PINEAPPLE chunks, chopped ONION, BELL PEPPER, TOMATO and GARLIC with brown sugar, soy sauce and vinegar.

RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT from Texas growers continue to be plentiful at very reasonable prices. Slice in half, sprinkle with raw sugar and heat under the broiler until the sugar is melted for a quick breakfast treat.

NAVAL ORANGE supply is making up for lost time since the winter freeze, with prices moderate. Add sections to gelatin salad, along with grated CARROTS, diced CELERY and thinly sliced RED ONIONS for a savory salad.

CANTALOUPE volume continues to increase, with prices this week in the moderate range.

FUJI and GALA APPLES are an excellent value this week. Enjoy their sweet-tart flavor an hour before eating as a weight-loss trick to help you consume less at the dinner table.

HASS AVOCADO prices are decreasing as smaller sized FRUIT perfect for salads are plentiful in volume.

Chilean summer FRUITS continue to be in steady supply, including NECTARINES, BLACK PLUMS and GREEN THOMPSON SEEDLESS GRAPES.

TOMATOES are in steady supply at reasonable prices. Cut firm but ripe TOMATOES in half and top with chopped BASIL, mayonnaise and grated Parmesan cheese prior to broiling until lightly browned as a side dish.

MANGOS and PAPAYA are two juicy tropical FRUIT offerings in steady supply at very reasonable prices. Combine both in tall parfait glasses with vanilla pudding for a quick dessert.

BANANAS are in plentiful supply at moderate prices. Top your frozen yogurt with several slices or puree and add to flavor pancake or waffle batter.

RHUBARB, considered a FRUIT but technically a VEGETABLE, is in steady supply, great for pies or stewing with STRAWBERRIES as compote.

BROCCOLI, a cruciferous VEGETABLE high in fiber, is among this week’s most economical VEGETABLE offerings. Chop and toss into cold pasta salads.

GREEN BELL PEPPERS, a good source of Vitamin C, continue to be in steady supply at very reasonable prices. Core and use as a decorative edible holder for sour cream dips.

ZUCCHINI SQUASH is among this week’s best bets as a side dish, sliced and sautéed with TOMATOES, GARLIC, BASIL and olive oil.

Iron-rich SPINACH, along with RED LEAF and GREEN LEAF LETTUCES, are among the best values for salad entrees this week. Salad toppings in steady supply include GREEN ONIONS, RADISHES, JICAMA, CELERY, CARROTS, SPROUTS and CUCUMBERS.

There are good values across the board in the POTATO bin; ranging from RUSSETS for baking, RED ROSE POTATOES for POTATO salad, and delicious BABY YELLOW DUTCH POTATOES for roasting or boiling.

Both potted and fresh cut HERBS are plentiful, including DILL, ROSEMARY, THYME and BASIL. For a versatile sauce that’s equally good over fish or as a dip, blend sour cream, chopped dill pickle, PARSLEY and GREEN ONIONS with four tablespoons of your favorite HERB finely chopped.

MUSHROOMS are plentiful and there is quite a variety to choose from, including CRIMINI and SHIITAKE or OYSTER. Combine several MUSHROOM varieties sliced and blended with butter, GREEN ONIONS, GARLIC, THYME and burgundy wine as a sauce for baked chicken.

ASPARAGUS volume continues to improve. Try tips stir-fried in sesame oil with SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS.GREEN CABBAGE is in plentiful supply and raw shredded CABBAGE makes a nice bed for grilled seafood.

Blooming potted HYACYNTHS, DAFFODILS and TULIPS are plentiful for Easter gift giving. Best values in cut arrangements include ALSTROEMERIA LILIES, CARNATIONS, IRIS, SNAPDRAGONS, ORCHIDS and ROSES.

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