Tomato

(Braised Chicken with Vinegar and Tarragon)

For an even more elegant presentation, make a design in or swirl the two soups.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use leftover cooked chicken, or buy a cooked chicken at the market or a take-out place. Serve the salad with warm tortillas, or try the chicken mixture (without the lettuce) as a sandwich filling.

The fish cooks in a delicious sauce of onions, parsley, anchovies, garlic, tomatoes and white wine. A large crouton is served alongside to soak up all the good flavors. To round out the menu, offer roasted artichokes, and to finish, a seasonal fruit compote with warm sabayon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be increased to serve any number of hungry people as a main course or appetizer. Chopped olives, chopped red or green bell peppers and kidney beans are also good in this dish.

This dish known, as pastitsatha, is one that evolved from Corfu to stretch scant supplies of meat. Consisting of chicken, turkey, beef or veal braised in tomato sauce fragrant with spices, it is served over thick tubular pasta from Corfu called "perciatellli" (if you can't find it, use spaghetti). Kefalotyri is a nutty tasting hard cheese similar to Parmesan. It is available at Greek markets.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An all-purpose red sauce that's ideal for pasta and meatballs, lasagna, cannelloni, etc.

(PALOMBO CON PESTO TRAPANESE) Here shark and pesto are teamed up in a great entrée. Offer it with the excellent dry white wine, Nozze d'Oro from Regaleali, the star of the Sicilian wine industry.

(Moroccan Chicken, Chick-Pea, and Lentil Soup) A marvelous vegetarian harira sampled at the United Nations' Delegates Dining Room--prepared by chef Mohamed Boussaoud, from the hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech--provided the inspiration for the following chicken-based version. In Morocco this soup is often made with lamb as well as chicken and is traditionally served after sundown during the month of Ramadan to break each day's fast.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

This zesty soup is based on a chicken and curry stew popular in the South. The origin of its name is unclear, but according to one account, it was brought to Savannah in the early 1800s by a sea captain who traveled the spice route from India.

Most Moroccan fish specialties are prepared with a marinade called charmoula. Paprika, cumin, cilantro and garlic usually form its base, with other seasonings-such as the saffron and turmeric here-added for variation.

If you cannot find smoked chicken, use smoked turkey instead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.