Basil

This relish is best at room temperature. Note that the nutritional numbers following the recipe are for the relish only.

These lightly baked tomatoes are served with brunch at Sarabeth's restaurant in New York.

Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of your market.

The combination of herbs, the rice noodles, and the garlicky lime sauce mark this pasta salad as Vietnamese.

A bed of rock salt helps keep the cooked clams in place on the platter.

Delicious with orzo or rice.

(Cake aux Olives) This version of cake originated in Provence, where olives, basil, and garlic create a harmonious triumvirate. Here they combine with roasted red bell peppers and Parmesan cheese to create a bread that is gutsy, aromatic, and lovely to look at. Serve this as an appetizer, in tandem with fresh goat’s- or cow’s- milk cheese, or even lightly toasted with a poached egg on top.

This feisty sauce gets its name from one of its ingredients, dried crushed red pepper (arrabbiata is Italian for "angry"). Use extra red pepper for an even spicier result. Serve with: Deli antipasti such as olives, roasted red peppers, and provolone atop a bed of arugula, and seeded semolina bread. Dessert: Purchased tiramisù.

This Vietnamese classic is usually made with top or bottom round beef, which is sliced and then marinated and grilled. We've adapted the recipe to use skirt or flank steak and made it easier by grilling the meat before slicing it.

Lighter in flavor and texture, this is the perfect sauce for ravioli.

This hearty entrée is made with rabbit, which can be found in the frozen foods section of some supermarkets or ordered from your butcher. You can also substitute chicken thighs. The "little ear" shape of the pasta is perfect for trapping the sauce.

Chef Jody Adams of Rialto at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge is famous for this type of rustic dish. At the restaurant she serves the stew on mashed potatoes.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 hr (plus 1 day for flavors to develop)

When selecting fresh herbs for use as salad greens, choose those with tender, young leaves. Can be prepared in 45 minutes of less.

Halibut is the largest member of the flatfish family, which also includes flounder. It should be cooked with some liquid, such as wine or broth, so the fish stays moist.