This collection of simple, contemporary Italian food has been a staple here at the store since it first appeared in 1985. In the intervening years its selection of dishes served cold or at room temperature has kept it useful in an array of situations.

Whether you’re planning refreshing summertime meals, looking for party fare that allows your kitchen work to be done in advance, or packing a lunchbox and avoiding the corporate cafeteria or a fast food chain, you’ll find plenty of help here.

And this classic still seems fresh: a salad of fennel, green beans, and olives; zucchini marinated in vinegar and mint; and the unassumingly elegant marinated cooked beef, whose prosaic name disguises both its simplicity and its appeal.

On those rare occasions when we actually answer the “what’s your favorite cookbook” question, both Nach and Matt regularly point to Cucina Fresca.

Paperback.