Tomato

"When I lived on Chesapeake Bay, I had access to the freshest seafood, and I still love cooking with it," writes Bobbi Claibourne of Tucson, Arizona. "Having promised to bring a dish to my in-laws' holiday dinner last year, I paired clams with sausage for this starter, which is now a new family favorite." Offer crusty bread with this to soak up some of the juices.

Make garlic-rubbed baguette toasts for mopping up the sauce. What to drink: Brut Champagne or a dry, aromatic white wine, like Viognier.

This upscale Indian restaurant is perched above the shops of Harvard Square. The restaurant's location draws an international crowd of students, professors, and tourists. Dark wood tables and chairs and classical Indian music give it a refined quality, but authenticity is the restaurant's main pursuit — the kitchen grinds its own spices and makes everything from scratch, down to the yogurt and cheese. This traditional Indian dish is called baingan bharta. Serve it with naan or rice.

Arroz Rojo In Mexico, this popular rice dish is usually made with vine-ripened tomatoes. For best results, use good-quality canned tomatoes or, in the summer, shop for tomatoes at a farmers' market if you don't grow your own. Simple grilled meats or tomato-sauced main dishes pair perfectly with red rice.

"I had three kids in three years when I was a 'young married' in my twenties," writes Sheryl Hurd-House of Jupiter, Florida. "That's when I started cooking and realized I liked it."

Insalata Pantasca Insalata pantasca is the potato and tomato salad of Pantelleria, a small, poor island near Sicily, which is famous for its capers. Big, fat capers, full of flavor and packed in salt. Like any local recipe, this has as many variations as there are cooks. The fish that you would find in the Pantelleria salad, however, is something you can't locate in this country. I like sardines in it; you might try something different, such as smoked trout. You wouldn't find yellow-fleshed potatoes on the island, but I love their flavor in this salad. The more traditional choices would be whites, or red-skinned — something on the waxy side.

North African spices combine with a touch of honey and lemon in a refreshing summer soup.

We decided to serve these shooters in small glasses, so in order for the gelée to slide out easily we made sure the tomato ginger water is thickened but not set. We call for 60 glasses in this recipe, but for simplicity the clams can be served in their shells: Double the amount of gelatin, keeping all other measurements the same, and chill the mixture with cilantro and clams in well-scrubbed shells instead. Whichever presentation you choose, it's very important to cook the ginger thoroughly and to clean the food processor because otherwise the enzymes from the raw ginger will inhibit the action of the gelatin.

At Babbo in New York, chef Mario Batali serves this dish with freshly made pappardelle pasta. We've simplified the entrée for the home cook by substituting purchased fettuccine.

"I came up with this recipe to make use of the immersion blender that I received as a gift," writes Heather Prudhon of Santa Clara, California. "It makes a good quantity of sauce and tastes great served over rice."

Albóndigas con Salsa de Tomate y Chile de Serrano This is served with traditional Mexican White Rice .

Sorbete de Gazpacho Sobre
Gelée de Manzana Many of Spain's celebrated chefs have tinkered with traditional gazpachos, transforming them into dishes worthy of the most creative kitchens. A favorite variation is gazpachos (both red and white) made into sorbets and included as part of a tasting menu. This luscious coral-colored sorbet, adapted from a recipe by chef Sergio López Domínguez, of Tragabuches restaurant, in Ronda, looks stunning served over a bed of diced apple aspic and drizzled with caramelized balsamic vinegar. López likes to sprinkle the sorbet with a garnish of finely chopped mojama, a salt-cured tuna. The blend of flavors in the dish works sensationally well, with or without the extra garnish.

Sharon Hooykaas of Los Alamitos, California, writes: "During a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, my husband and I went to Edward's at Kanaloa for dinner, where I enjoyed the best fish I've ever tasted: snapper served on angel hair pasta with creamy citrus sauce."

Pipirrana Jaenera Pipirrana is a version of gazpacho typical of the Andalusian province of Jaén — more a salad than a soup.

Happily, this fish dish can be made a day ahead. Simply remove it from the refrigerator and arrange 2 hours before serving. Even better, the sauce also can be made 2 days ahead and kept, well covered, in the refrigerator. It's from Mexico, One Plate at a Time (Scribner), by Rick Bayless, the celebrated Chicago chef and cookbook author.