When life gives you kiwi, make kiwi raita, of course.

More precisely, when Zespri, the largest marketer of kiwifruit, sends yours truly a case of the brown furry fruit to try, that’s just what I get a hankering for.

Especially when this twist on a traditional Indian condiment comes from pioneering Florida chef, Norman Van Aken.

With kiwi in this cool, creamy yogurt sauce, you don’t get the crunch you would from using the traditional cucumber. What you get is a subtle sweetness instead, a counterpoint to the warm spices of cumin, coriander and black mustard seeds.

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Yes, the man known for his love of pork and offal, has come out with a new cookbook that puts the spotlight on fresh, seasonal veggies.

“Molto Gusto” (Ecco) by Mario Batali is not a vegetarian cookbook per se. But the casual, easy dishes are all about using meat as an accent, while nudging vegetables to the forefront instead.

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I’ve toasted them.

I’ve smeared them with cream cheese and jam.

I’ve piled slices of silky smoked salmon on them.

But until now, I had never stir-fried a bagel.

Yes, you read that right.

Of all the recipes in award-winning cookbook writer Grace Young’s new book, “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” (Simon & Schuster) that had me running to grab my wok — and there are many — the one that most intrigued me was this unusual one for “Stir-Fried Bagels with Cabbage and Bacon.”

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These long beans, measuring about a half yard in length, are a staple for me in Chinese cooking.

Snipped into manageable lengths, they cook up quickly for all-manner of stir-fry dishes.

But after snagging a couple of bunches recently at my local farmers market, I decided to give them a more Mediterranean treatment.

Cut into about 2-inch lengths and briefly blanched in the microwave, I used them as the basis for a quick salad that also made good use of preserved lemons from my fridge, as well as lemon thyme and lemon verbena, both growing miraculously in my backyard, despite my oft-black thumb. Some chopped parsley, crumbled feta, a squirt of lemon juice, a glug of olive oil, and a grind of black pepper completed it.

The slender,  sturdy long beans have more crunch than regular ol’ slippery green beans on the palate. They also stand up well to the assertive flavors of the salty cheese and preserved lemon.

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Forgive me if I sound like a used cob salesman, but “Have I got a corn salad for YOU!”

Let me tell you: I have been making this “Corn, Tomato and Scallion Salad” since it was first published in Gourmet magazine in 2000.

Yes, folks, that’s 10 years of enjoying this corn salad. How’s that for a ringing endorsement?

I make it every summer, at least a couple of times of year. If you’ve been to my house in the summer, you’ve had this salad. I’ve made it so often, I could make it in my sleep.

That’s how easy it is.

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