Simmer

This recipe originally accompanied Vidalia Onion Fritters with Tamarind Dipping Sauce. Tamarind water gives this very nicely balanced tart-yet-sweet dipping sauce its lovely deep orange color and unusual flavor. The sauce is delicious with Vidalia Onion Fritters and other fried foods.

This recipe originally accompanied Poached Salmon with Basil Butter and "Succotash" . This is a good, all-purpose stock for fish recipes. Be sure to rinse the bones very well as indicated to ensure a clean-tasting finished product. The best way to obtain five pounds of bones is to call your fishmonger and ask him or her to set them aside for you to collect at the end of the day.

Although tomatoes and aromatic herbs always complement each other, tender sprigs of fresh mint seem to have a special affinity for tomatoes. In this soup the mint is a sprightly highlight that serves as a refreshing foil to the richness of the cream. Other fresh herbs, such as thyme or basil, can be substituted and the soup will still be very tasty, but you really owe it to yourself to make this recipe with mint at least once. As for the tomatoes, if it's summertime choose the ripest, freshest ones you can find (a pinch of sugar will bring out their natural sweetness); at other times of the year canned will do just fine. Serve with a basket of hot garlic bread and a tossed vegetable salad.

This sweet-savory condiment is delicious with roasted or grilled meats.

The combination of three varieties of apples gives this applesauce sweet-tart flavor and great texture.

Gremolata is traditionally made with chopped garlic, parsley, and lemon peel; this one incorporates chopped hazelnuts and uses orange peel instead of lemon.

Brown sugar gives this pear butter a caramel-like flavor.

A cold-weather favorite, this all-beef, no-bean chili gets added appeal from a seasonal ingredient: butternut squash. For best results, make the chili at least one day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld.

This smooth puréed soup manages the near—impossible feat of being velvety and creamy without any cream. Ribbons of zucchini add a final soupçon of elegance.

Chunks of chorizo balance the sweetness of spring onions, beans, and peas. A Sherry vinaigrette lends a slight Iberian edge.

A sweet-savory sauce that's great with the grilled meats. Adjust the heat by adding hot pepper sauce to taste.

Because it's cooked only briefly, the tomato sauce is incredibly fresh-tasting and not too heavy. Serve with thick slices of garlic bread.

Summery and light, this vivid salad and its tangy dressing help balance the tuna and its rich glaze. Salting the zucchini slices takes the edge off their rawness while preserving their pleasant snap.

You can practically live on this salad in sultry weather. It tastes bright and fresh and is satisfying without being heavy.

You'll turn up your nose at plain old chocolate chip ice cream once you try this cool, stracciatella-flavored concoction—stracciatella being a vanilla-flavored cream with thin ribbons or chips of chocolate (which melt on the tongue) running through it. The stracciatella cream fills this semifreddo-like cake, which also shines with a toasted-almond cookie-crumb base, a toasted-almond topping, and a drizzle of espresso fudge sauce.

Small pasta like acini di pepe and orzo make wonderful room-temperature salads, since they mix so thoroughly with the other ingredients and never go stiff. Garlic, olives, and chile flakes lend a lot of zip to this quick side dish you'll come back to all summer.

Our take on this dish, famously named for the fact that Italy's "ladies of the evening" quickly made it between clients, is just as fast and easy as the original and requires nothing more than some everyday items you probably have in your pantry already.

Stirring the fresh herbs into the hot rice preserves their flavor and releases their aroma.

This classic meat sauce gets some oomph from peppery arugula. A real crowd-pleaser.