Tomato

A nice side for grilled chicken or steak.

These enchiladas were inspired by Cuban picadillo, a mixture of meat (usually ground beef), onions, garlic, tomatoes, green olives, and raisins.

Mizuna (a Japanese salad green) is available spring through summer at specialty foods stores and Asian markets. If you can't find it, use mixed greens instead.

For tender burgers, gently combine and shape the chicken mixture.

Why you'll make it: Because it's that dinner-party dish that's as do-able as it is drop-dead gorgeous. Call your meat market ahead to order a boned, butterflied leg of lamb, and ask that the thickness be as even as possible (two to three inches thick). Start the lamb the day before; it needs to be refrigerated overnight covered with the rub.

Why you'll make it: Because it's everything that's good at the market right now in one good-for-you salad.

Why you'll make it: Because it's the tastiest way we know to use up all those ripe tomatoes you've got at the ready. The flavors of cold soup become muted once the soup is thoroughly chilled. Before serving the gazpacho, check the salt and vinegar and then adjust them, if need be.

A sweet substitute for traditional steak sauce. Try it on a rib eye, use it to marinate flank steak, or mix it into ground beef for burgers.

For the best flavor, use very ripe tomatoes and don't refrigerate the sauce. Toss it with pasta, spoon it onto baguette slices, or use it as a topping for grilled chicken, seafood, or tri-tip.

A lovely vinaigrette, enhanced with pan juices and the flavorful punch of a little tapenade, makes this simple broiled fish taste deep and complex.

Papadzules con calabacitas We added zucchini to the eggs in this favorite from the Yucatán Peninsula. It's one of Mexico's great vegetarian dishes.

The vegetables, along with the canned Italian tuna, in this colorful tossed salad create a positively satisfying meal. (Using an imported brand of tuna will make all the difference.)

Quinoa is a fast-cooking, protein-packed whole grain. Steamed, it makes a perfect partner for lime-spiked black beans and fresh tomato.

If you haven't had maque choux — corn and tomatoes stewed together — you're really in for a treat. In this favorite Cajun dish, the corn gains a lush, savory sauciness, while the tomato benefits from the kernels' gentle chew. Here, okra is added and cooked just until tender, bringing its own unique texture to the mix.

The classic cold soup seems almost restrained next to this lusty dish — gazpacho ingredients are grilled, then tossed with pasta and cheese (some of the vegetables are puréed to make a tangy sauce that lightly cloaks the whole). The sausages are cooked separately, so this recipe will come in handy when there are vegetarians around.

This recipe alone is reason enough to grab your tote bag and head to the farmers market. Blackberry Farm dresses up the dish with parmesan foam and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, but the ingredients stand on their own beautifully. Slip a fried egg on top, and you have an easy summer supper.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Dinner After Dark: Sexy, Sumptuous Supper Soirées by Colin Cowie. This is the most basic tomato salad, given the Southeast Asian and Indian name for pickles or side dishes. It is simple to prepare, relies on the best fresh ingredients, and serves as a wonderful garnish or refresher alongside the Tomato Lamb Bredie and in addition to chutney.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Dinner After Dark: Sexy, Sumptuous Supper Soirées by Colin Cowie. A bredie is the typical slow-cooked stew of Cape Malay cuisine, which is best prepared in a heavy-bottom cast-iron pot or potjie. I've adapted it in a recipe that takes just over an hour to cook. Traditionally, this type of dish would probably have been made with just the lamb knuckles, but I've added the shoulder to provide some additional meat. The sweet and savory flavors are wholly authentic; the dish is like a curry with an extra measure of sweetness to balance the hot spice. You'll taste the delightful hint of cinnamon, which speaks unmistakably of the Orient. It's great with aromatic basmati rice, flavored with chicken stock, turmeric, garlic, and raisins.