Cherry Tomato

Artichoke hearts and hearts of palm combine in an elegant salad.

(PESCE ALL' ACQUA PAZZA) The fanciful name of this dish derives from the "crazy" way the cooking water is transformed into a flavorful sauce.

An easy side dish that goes great with Peppered Beef slices with Green Onions and Radishes .

This dish is best eaten right away. You can make all the parts — except for the pasta — way ahead of time and just throw it together at the last minute. (The slow-roasted tomatoes are also great in other roles — as part of an antipasto in the summertime, as an omelet filling, or as a topping on grilled bread.)

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.

Marinate the steaks one to eight hours before grilling. What to drink: A red wine with ripe fruit (such as Côtes du Rhône) or a pale ale.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Tabbouleh is made with bulgur, but we decided to shake things up a bit by mixing tabbouleh flavors (parsley, tomato, and lemon) with rice and lentils, a common Middle Eastern pairing. Served chilled or at room temperature, the salad is terrific with any meat, poultry, or fish. You could add chickpeas, corn, or more lentils for a vegetarian main course. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min

Cook: Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Source: Cucinaamore.com It's difficult to imagine a more mundane-sounding dish than Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce — and yet this extremely simple pasta is a breakthrough, not like any other you've ever eaten. And so good you'll make it again and again. The sauce is made from roasted cherry tomatoes, very ripe ones. These diminutive tomatoes with the big taste are then covered with a cheesey-garlicky-bread crumb mixture and set in the oven. Just before serving, you tear some basil leaves into the roasted tomato mixture and that's your sauce, right in the oven dish: add some corkscrew or butterfly pasta and you have dinner. Italian cookbook author Nancy Harmon Jenkins points out that the ony trick to this dish is using really ripe cherry tomatoes'which are easy to find all year long. If they're not available, use any red, ripe tomatoes and quarter them.

The contrast of textures and flavors—crunchy pine nuts, creamy goat cheese, acidic tomatoes, and spicy arugula—adds complexity to this simple salad. It makes a great side dish to steak or chicken or a light lunch for two.

"I often don't have the energy to cook a big meal, but I keep my dinners from being boring by preparing interesting fresh salads," says Terry Kirts of Indianapolis Indiana. "I really like this particular recipe because the salad is so easy to make and the dressing keeps for days."

Have more French bread on hand to serve with this colorful main course. A dry white wine is a good match.