Tomato

As simple a dish as this is, I have had requests for it in all my restaurants as far back as I can remember. I like the sauce a little feisty, so I’m generous with the crushed red pepper. You can add as much—or as little—as you like. Often, restaurant chefs finish this dish by swirling butter into the sauce at the end. You can do the same, or use olive oil to finish the sauce. I prefer olive oil, but I probably don’t have to tell you that by now.

Nearly everyone loves an egg salad sandwich, especially with a bowl of hot soup. This one is made more interesting with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Plain white toast is traditional, but whole-wheat (wholemeal) or coarse country bread is a flavorful alternative.

To make this dish vegan, skip the crab.

This tomato-Worcestershire-vodka soup gets served in shot glasses for fun. Look for the pickled veggies near the jarred vegetables in the supermarket.

This is the perfect dish for those who love strong flavors, as the Goan red spice paste (which takes just a few minutes to make) is spicy and vinegary. The onions and tomatoes soften the paste and the curry leaves give it a fantastic flavour. I have written this recipe to serve one person as I always find there are never enough recipes for one, and the whole point of making pastes is to have quick and easy meals for small numbers. You can easily double or triple the quantities as necessary. In addition, you can make the stuffing mixture earlier in the day or even the night before, bringing it back to room temperature before baking. Mackerel is a good fish to use in this dish as it has a strong flavor that can hold its own with the masala.

Shelf Life: 2 years Tomato marmalades are the perfect partners for crackers, cornbread, or sourdough. They have a long history in the United States, where they were traditionally seen as a way to use up extra fruit during summer's long tomato season. Like tomato jam, they tended to be heavily spiced with cinnamon and cloves. For this lighter version, I have introduced saffron into the mix. The result is magic.

These are just the thing if company's coming on a school night. On the side, add rice, couscous, or orzo tossed with herbs. Try some store-bought sorbet for dessert. Using multicolored grape tomatoes gives the lamb chops extra zip.

For the best texture, don't overwork the meat mixture and use Parmesan that's ground to a fine powder ( use the processor or the rasp side of a box grater). For more heat, add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper to the sauce.

My friend Myriam Richard-Delorme in Paris is a great cook and she gave me this recipe. All you do is put a leg of lamb in a roasting pan with lots of cut-up tomatoes, onions, garlic, rosemary—and then pour honey over it to caramelize the lamb and tomatoes while they roast. Everything cooks in one pan and a few hours later I have the most succulent roast lamb, plus the tomatoes and pan juices become the vegetable and the sauce. OMG is it fabulous!

It's hard to improve on grilled cheese with tomato soup—but that's exactly what the folks at Noca are doing. The restaurant layers red heirloom tomatoes and smoked mozzarella on the sandwich. It transforms the soup with green heirlooms—and serves it cold. The mix of flavors, textures, and colors takes this classic to a new level.

This Italian spot in the city's Germantown neighborhood is known for its house-made salami and mozzarella. And because this is the South, these folks know their pork. The rich, Italian-inspired pork terrine with the southern-style sweet-tart green tomato sauce is a delicious blending of what this restaurant does best. Timing note: The conserva needs to chill overnight.

Preparing the pesto a day ahead makes this a quick supper.

The rooftop of chef Rick Bayless's Chicago restaurant Frontera Grill is dedicated to growing tomatoes, hot peppers and herbs for fresh salsas. Multicolored heirloom tomatoes can be sweeter than other types, Bayless says, and they offer a hefty dose of infection-fighting vitamin C.

The lamb in this dish from Cress Restaurant lends immunity-building zinc. For extra fresh flavors, pluck the rosemary, thyme and mint from plants purchased at a garden center; they'll flourish in a sunny window, so you can use them over and over.

Chef Max Mackissock of The Squeaky Bean in Denver takes a back-to-nature approach to ingredients: He uses produce straight from the garden at his restaurant or the farmers’ market the eatery hosts weekly. With veggies like that, who needs meat? This tasty vegan dish has plenty of protein, plus healthy carbs, thanks to whole-grain, fiber-rich farro.

This dessert is a revelation. As the tomatoes cook in the caramel, they become sweet and tender but retain their clean, fresh flavor. Prepare to be blown away.

Roasting the tomatoes concentrates their flavor.

A colorful mix of orange and yellow tomatoes looks great with the seared steaks. The relish would also be terrific with fish or spooned atop crostini that have been spread with fresh goat cheese.

The sweetness of the tomatoes and the fennel is balanced by the savory, starchy beans.