Chile

Many Americans first tasted this cold vegetable soup at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Gazpacho came into favor partly as a vehicle for showing off blenders, the popularity of which created a boom in recipes that called for liquefying ingredients. This recipe goes the Spanish classic one better with the addition of smoky chipotle chilies.

Janet and Travis Kuhl of Cranford, New Jersey, writes: "We recently went to chef Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Our entire meal was top-notch, but the shrimp cocktail was our favorite." Poured carefully side by side into a cocktail glass, tomato puree and avocado puree make a colorful dip for the lightly battered and quickly deep-fried shrimp.

This delicious salad is from Johannes.

This would be nice with any roasted meat.

This sauce uses roasted fresh poblano chilies and their dried form, ancho chilies.

The signature dish at Américas in Houston. Achiote paste adds earthy flavor and deep red color to the shrimp.

Peg Isherwood of Libertyville, Illinois, writes: "While in Christiansted, St. Croix, we dined at Kendrick's and had the most interesting gazpacho — it was spicy but not too hot, with lots of chopped vegetables. I met the owner, David Kendrick, the next morning and found him delightful. Would you ask him for the recipe?" This gazpacho has a chunkier texture than most (almost like a salsa). To chop the vegetables in a processor, cut them into quarters and process in batches, using on/off turns.

Gulisa's Ajika This lively condiment goes nicely with grilled meats and fish as well as with pork stew.

Gin Thoke This salad is pungent, crunchy, intriguing, and addictive. Although served as a dessert in Myanmar, it is also a great accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken, or steak.

It's best to shuck your own clams, but if you buy them on the half shell, be sure to ask for the clam liquor.

Like gumbo, this is a thick and flavorful stew. But it takes a lot less time to make. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This is not a traditional chili and has no connection with any Mexican or Texas recipe. It was devised simply as an experiment and turned out to be delicious.

Gaeng Pah Muu Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn't, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive. Don't be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil. Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Cemitas de Carne Enchilada A cemita is an oversize, slightly sweet, sesame seed bun that gives this Pueblan sandwich its name. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 hr

Before grilling the pineapple, be sure to preheat your grill rack and then clean it with a metal brush to remove any bits of previously grilled food, which can give an off flavor to the pineapple. This recipe makes great use of the Börner V-slicer*. Other adjustable-blade slicers also work well, but if you don't have one, you can use a sharp 10-inch chef's knife. The smooth-sided tart in our photo was made in a springform pan, but since the crust is very delicate, it's much easier and less likely to break when made in a round tart pan with a removable bottom as called for in the recipe below. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Cornmeal gives these blini a slightly crunchy texture that is perfect with the salsa.

Tamarind seasoning paste Smoky, earthy, and with a sweet-and-sour tang, this recado is also delicious on pork, beef, and venison.

When sweet, succulent jumbo crabmeat comes into season, this is an incredibly simple, light, and refreshing first course that requires no cooking. It can also be used as a main course for a summer luncheon.