Canned Tomato

A century ago, spicy English mustards like Colman's were too pungent for American tastes, even in small quantities: Back then, mustard was used only in salad dressings. George French came along in 1904 with a formula for a milder condiment he called French’s Cream Salad Mustard. Eventually slathered on everything from bologna sandwiches to soft pretzels, French’s mustard is also delicious in this barbecue sauce.

An adaptation of a recipe from Mexican Light Cooking by our friend Kathi Long, a chef and author in Santa Fe.

Curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon give this dish a hint of the exotic.

Some soups genuinely do inspire a devotion akin to love, and this is one of them. In the cold of winter, when Gourmet editors ponder the matter of what soup to cook up in a steamy Saturday morning kitchen to provide comfort all weekend long, they decide with remarkable frequency to make the following one. Those in the know also add about a pound of smoked sausage; even the best can be made better.

(PASTA ALLA NORMA) Because the small Italian eggplants generally used in this dish can be hard to find in this country, we have substituted Asian eggplants.

Using canned black beans makes this soup a snap to prepare. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Zuppa di Castagne e Cavolo Nero Cavolo nero is a member of the kale family. Between farm stands, specialty produce markets, and natural foods stores it is available year-round. To find it, be aware of its many aliases: Tuscan kale, black cabbage, lacinato, and dinosaur kale. Its rich, sweet, almost meaty flavor will have you hooked from the first bite.

Helena Seefranz of Rockaway, New Jersey, writes: "My mother, Ethel Lang Kelemen, was born in Hungary. She taught my older sister and me how to prepare many Hungarian dishes, but my favorite is chicken paprikas. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does."

Don’t skip the first step of salting the eggplant slices; it draws out excess moisture so that the eggplant will absorb less oil and stay firm when cooked.

It's believed that this stew — called mafé or maafe — originated among the Bambara people of Mali. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

Cooked meatballs can be purchased at many supermarket deli or meat departments. They make this dinner a snap to pull together. Toss a salad, then tuck chocolate wafers into scoops of orange sorbet for dessert.

Arugula replaces lettuce in this clever pasta dish. Serve with: Whole-wheat breadsticks and carrot sticks with blue cheese dip. Dessert: Cherry-vanilla ice cream cones.