Onion

Toasted pistachios, apricots, cinnamon and allspice bring great flavor to this accompaniment for the chicken.

On the eastern side of the Indian peninsula, fronting the Bay of Bengal, is Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. This recipe from that cosmopolitan city is typically made with sardines, mackerel, and crab, but we have substituted orange roughy for a more delicately flavored dish.

Great on their own or in pastas and salads.

We tried this recipe with several brands and varieties of beans, and Goya's small white beans held their shape the best.

Start with chopped fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic spooned onto toasted baguette slices. Grill slices of potato to have with the tuna; follow with biscotti and fresh figs.

Instead of white cubes of tofu bobbing in this African-style soup, where they look decidedly odd, I purée the tofu with a portion of the finished soup until everything is smooth. The tofu is there, but it doesn't intrude. And this is a method you can use with virtually any puréed soup. If you wish, you can purée the entire soup or leave it textured, with bits of sweet potatoes and peppers.

Potato salad gets perked up with herbs, vegetables and a terrific dressing. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

Onion soup is known internationally as a French classic, but the Tuscans claim that they were actually the first to use the tear-provoking vegetable in soup.

If you've got a rosemary bush in your garden, now's the time to use it to make skewers. Or, to keep things simple, just use bamboo skewers (you'll need 60)—the kebabs will still look great.

Serve this Greek salad as a crisp first course, or pair it with grilled pita bread and you have lunch for two. Serves 4.

The cool flavors in this relish would be great with tuna or shrimp.

"I'm originally from Ecuador, and I'll never forget the wonderful food there," Maria Budde of Orange, California. "I enjoy re-creating dishes from my home country, and this flavorful starter is typical of my native cuisine. It's simple to make and delicious."

"Years ago, when we were dating, my husband took me to Park Bistro in Manhattan," writes Therese Tetzel of Dallas, Texas. "To this day, we return to the restaurant every time we go to New York. Its version of coq au vin is the best I've had in the United States—similar to one we tried in Burgundy."