Canned Tomato

More supermarkets are carrying fresh rabbit, as people rediscover its delicate flavor. Braising helps to keep it moist and tender. If you have trouble finding rabbit, however, you can substitute bone-in chicken, skin removed.

The following Bloody Mary recipe is based on a spicy tequila-chaser from Mexico called sangrita, which is usually made with the juices of tomatoes and oranges and sometimes other fruit. Adding to our variation's international flavor, Scandinavian aquavit takes the place of vodka or gin.

The classic Hungarian dish relies on sour cream both to thicken the sauce and to balance the heat of the paprika.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

Offer seasoned tortilla chips alongside, as well as bagged lettuce tossed with ranch dressing. Try vanilla pudding topped with diced pineapple for dessert.

This rich and flavorful dish was inspired by a recent trip to Brazil. If you are making the coconut rice to accompany the shrimp a 14-ounce can of coconut milk will be enough for both dishes.

Koosa Claritas — pale green, slightly rounded zucchini — are traditionally used in this dish, but we find that yellow zucchini make for a more attractive presentation because they don't discolor when cooked in tomato sauce.

The following recipe calls for filé powder, a spice made from the dried, ground leaves of the sassafras tree. Although often added as a thickener to gumbos while they cook, filé powder can also serve purely as a seasoning. As in this recipe, it is then sprinkled over the gumbo at the penultimate moment.

Serve this zesty pasta with a salad of tossed winter greens sprinkled with shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese, and a basket of seeded country Italian bread. Finish with orange sorbet and chocolate biscotti.

(Pasta con Ragù di Vitello, Salsicce e Porcini) Ragù is a beloved part of Tuscan cooking. Every person has his or her own recipe, but the basics are constant: It is a hearty sauce made with meat (beef, pork, veal, duck, even boar) and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and onions, all cooked in wine and broth. And ragù is most often served over pasta. This recipe includes dried porcini mushrooms, which give the sauce a real taste of the Tuscan countryside.

Pack the precooked crab or shrimp and the tangy sauce separately for this starter.

This is another Italian version of steak, popular with those who like the flavor of tomatoes.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 9 1/2 hr (includes cooling and chilling)