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• Bell Pepper And Tomato Bisque

  Adapted from “Organic Marin: Recipes From Land to Table,” by Tim Porter and Farina Wong Kingsley (Andrew McMeel, $29.95).

  1 large onion

  2 large bell peppers

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  3 cloves garlic

  1 teaspoon sweet paprika

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, including romas, halved

  2 cups carrots or potatoes, diced

  4 cups stock

  2 tablespoons fresh basil

  1 tablespoon dried parsley

  Cracked black pepper to taste

  1/4 cup half-and-half

  HEAT a large stockpot over high heat. Add the oil and saute the bell peppers and onions for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, salt and carrots and saute for 15 minutes or until the carrots become tender. If mixture sticks, throw in a halved tomato. Decrease the heat to medium, stir in the tomatoes and cook until they dissolve. Stir in the stock, 2 tablespoons basil and the parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to a clean pot and reheat. Adjust seasoning. To serve, spoon the soup into a bowl and garnish with a bit of half-and-half.

  NOTE: If you cut the tomatoes in half and let them dissolve into the onions, it’s easy to fish out the tomato peels, which will curl and float to the top after the broth is added.

  Serves 4 to 6

  
  

• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

  From “The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook,” by Brian Yarvin (The Countryman Press, $19.95).

  4 large ripe tomatoes

  1 tablespoon olive oil, plus oil for baking dish

  1 cup chopped onion

  2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

  1/2 pound ground lamb or beef or pork

  1/2 cup uncooked white rice

  2 tablespoons pine nuts

  1/4 cup raisins

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 cup chicken broth

  CUT the tops off the tomatoes. Use a serrated grapefruit spoon to hollow out the bodies. Reserve bodies, tops and pulp.

  HEAT the oil, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until the onion begins to turn golden on the edges. Add the lamb and 1 cup of the reserved tomato pulp and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until meat is completely browned. Mix in rice, pine nuts, raisins, salt and broth.

  LOWER the heat to medium-low, and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Remove from heat and set aside.

  PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees. Oil a baking dish. Fill the hollow tomatoes with the meat mixture and stand them on end in the baking dish. Place the reserved tops on the tomatoes. Brush tomatoes with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes or until completely cooked. Serve warm.

  Serves 4

  
  

• Meatball Curry

  This recipe is from “Easy Indian Cooking,” by Suneeta Vaswani (Rose, $18.95).

  Don’t let the long ingredient list dissuade you from making this. Make the meatballs one day and assemble the dish the next day.

  Meatballs:

  2 pounds ground beef

  1/2 cup chopped onion

  3 tablespoons cilantro

  2 teaspoons green chilies

  1 teaspoon minced gingerroot

  1 teaspoon garlic

  1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder

  1 teaspoon garam masala

  3/4 teaspoons cumin powder

  1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  1 teaspoon salt

  Sauce:

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  1 1/2 cups chopped onions

  1 tablespoon peeled gingerroot

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  1 tablespoon minced green chiles

  2 teaspoons coriander powder

  1 teaspoon cumin powder

  1/2 teaspoon turmeric

  1/2 teaspoon cayenne

  3 1/2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes; romas work best

  1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

  1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  1 teaspoon garam masala

  2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, for garnish

  COMBINE the ingredients for meatballs in a bowl. Mix by hand. Lightly roll into walnut-sized balls. Do not compact. Set aside on baking tray. (This can be done the night before; cover and refrigerate.)

  HEAT oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Saute onions until beginning to color, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and saute until browned, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Pour in 1 cup water.

  PLACE the baking sheet with meatballs on top of the saucepan, making sure the pan is completely covered. Reduce heat to low and simmer until onions are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes, or until water evaporates. The heat from the pan will “set” the meatballs. When there is no more liquid in pan, carefully lift meatballs from the baking sheet and arrange on top of onions.

  COVER pan and cook meatballs 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover pan, increase heat to medium-low and cook until meatballs are firm enough to turn gently with a spoon and the meat juices have been absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir meatballs to brown.

  SCATTER ginger, garlic, chiles, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper on top. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until meatballs are browned. If meatballs stick, stir in a few of the tomatoes to deglaze the pan. Stir in all the tomatoes, 1/2 cup cilantro and the salt. Increase heat to medium. Cover and return to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick, about 20 to 30 minutes.

  REMOVE from heat. Sprinkle garam masala over top. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir before serving.

  
  

• Tomato Puree

  From “The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook,” by Brian Yarvin (The Countryman Press, $19.95).

  10 pounds very ripe plum tomatoes, cut in quarters

  2 cups water

  1 teaspoon salt

  HEAT the water in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

  MIX in the tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes or until they start to soften and break down. Reduce heat to low, add salt and keep cooking for about 2 hours or until the volume of liquid has reduced by one-third. Remove from heat and cool. Pass the mixture through a food mill to remove the solids. Place the puree in 1 cup amounts in freezer bags, press out the air and zip shut. Label and freeze. They’ll keep for at least three months.

  Makes 12 cups