Tomato

Suzanne Rushing of Cannon Beach, Oregon, writes: "On a recent trip to St. Louis, my husband and I went to Harvest restaurant twice because we were so impressed with the food. I would love to have the recipe for chef Stephen Gontram's wonderful chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and herb-roasted tomatoes." The clear olive broth, flavored with fennel, spinach, and olives, makes a delicious sauce for this dish of chicken, potatoes, and roasted tomatoes.

Truite à la Tomate This trout recipe could be page 1 of [fishmonger Neige] Perez's Workbook for Cooking Fish 101. There are no fish bones to fillet, no tomatoes to peel, and no saucepans to clean. Cooked together in a single roasting pan, the capers, olives, onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and trout fillets conspire to create a wonderful, unmistakably Mediterranean ensemble sure to entice even Marseillais who were scaling and gutting fish — or so they say — before they could walk.

A terrific accompaniment for kebabs.

Piperade, a saucy tomato and pepper mixture from the Basque regions of France and Spain, is often paired with eggs.

"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."