Bread Crumbs

Lighten Up You want flavor in your pasta without a whole lot of cheese? Two words: bread crumbs.

Using what you have in your refrigerator or cupboard to give yesterday's leftovers new flex can be as interesting as solving a puzzle. Adding sauces is a good solution; another remedy that is mostly overlooked is flavored bread crumbs. This holiday season reminded me of how wonderful leftover stuffing can be. In a hurried attempt to make supper one evening, I boiled some spaghetti and, while it cooked, I heated some sage stuffing in a skillet drizzled with a little olive oil.

Butter: unsalted (sweet), unless otherwise indicated. Eggs: large, unless otherwise indicated. Flour: all-purpose, unless otherwise indicated. Milk: whole, unless otherwise indicated. Oil: vegetable oil (canola, peanut, safflower, etc.), unless otherwise indicated. Sugar: granulated, unless otherwise indicated. * Glossary Braise: To cook something over low heat in a small amount of liquid. The difference between braising and stewing is that the latter uses more liquid.

PEACH SALAD WITH TOASTED PECANS AND BAKED GOAT CHEESE (30 MINUTES OR LESS) This recipe was developed by May Parich in The Times Test Kitchen. 1/2 cup pecan halves 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup walnut oil 2 teaspoons honey Salt Pepper 1 (5 1/2-ounce) log goat cheese 1/4 cup bread crumbs 5 cups baby romaine leaves or mixed baby greens 2 peaches, cut into 1-inch pieces Toast pecans on baking sheet at 375 degrees 5 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.

Thank you for the wonderful eggplant recipes ("The Fried and the Prejudice," Sept. 10). I planted eggplants this year and ended up with about 25. Since I live on the Westside, it was not very hot, so they were not very big, about 3/4 to 1 pound each. I gave away many, but developed a recipe for crispy, non-fried eggplant, which I think is delicious. HELEN WITTNER Williewit@aol.com HELEN WITTNER EGGPLANT These should be fairly low in fat but taste very good, almost as good as frying, but healthier.

In a project akin to building a better mousetrap, Temple Ramat Zion in Northridge has created a clever way of upholding a Rosh Hashanah tradition that asks Jews to symbolically purge their sins by casting bread crumbs into the sea. The challenge? Finding a reliable source of running water that flows to the ocean in the landlocked San Fernando Valley. The challenger? Rabbi Steven Tucker, who used a bit of engineering ingenuity to come up with a suitable substitute.

This low-fat cauliflower soup is great for hot weather dining. It's made with nonfat chicken broth, which makes the soup low in fat but rich in flavor. The soup is quick to put together, too. A whole head of cauliflower is broken into florets, then cooked in a broth with onions until tender. The soup is then whirred in the blender or food processor. If the soup is not thick enough for your taste, cook it a little longer to reduce it slightly, rather than add a high-fat butter-and-flour roux.

One of the strongest stories in Frederick Busch's new collection, "The Children in the Woods," is "Berceuse," and one of the strongest moments in "Berceuse" comes when an awful Jewish woman called Miriam tells her goy sister-in-law Kim that Kim's recent miscarriage occurred because of the Holocaust. "Oh yes," she said, "Your baby died because you murdered us. Every one of you murdered our dead. Ask your priests. Ask your dead God. The fruit of your womb is death."