BAKED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH PARMESAN TOPPING

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 12-ounce baskets cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Pour oil into 13x9x2-inch broilerproof ceramic baking dish. Add tomatoes; turn to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with parsley and cheese. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake tomatoes just until plump and shiny but not split, about 10 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil until tomatoes begin to split and cheese begins to color, about 2 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO SOUP WITH TOMATO AND BASIL SALAD

1 large cucumber, peeled, diced (about 2 1/2 cups) 
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 avocado, quartered, pitted, peeled
4 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup seeded chopped tomato
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt

Combine cucumber and buttermilk in blender. Chop 1/4 of avocado; set aside for salad. Cut remaining avocado into chunks. Add avocado to blender; then add 2 tablespoons red onion and 1 tablespoon basil. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Mix reserved avocado, remaining 2 tablespoons onion and 1 tablespoon basil, tomato and lime juice in small bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover soup and tomato salad separately and refrigerate.) Ladle cucumber soup into 4 bowls. Dollop each with 1 tablespoon yogurt; top with tomato salad and serve.

FETTUCCINE with ZUCCHINI, ARUGULA, BASIL and LEMON

3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1 medium yellow squash, julienned
4 or 5 sprigs basil, leaves shredded
1 bunch arugula, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes 
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Bring 4 quarts water to a full boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt and stir in pasta. Cook 5 to 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. While pasta cooks, warm oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, swirl for a moment and reduce heat to low. Do not let garlic brown. Add zucchini and yellow squash and sauté gently until zucchini softens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season mixture with 1/4 tsp salt and remove pan from heat. When pasta is finished cooking, drain noodles. Using tongs or 2 kitchen spoons, combine noodles thoroughly with zucchini mixture over low heat. Add basil, arugula, and tomatoes and season with remaining salt.

Gayle Pirie and John Clark, executive chefs and co-owners of Foreign Cinema, San Francisco

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

I love to prepare this first thing in the morning and let it sit on the counter all day. It fills the kitchen with the most heavenly aroma and keeps me away from the stove! I usually toss with pasta, but you can easily drain the tomatoes and make bruschetta with this versatile sauce. 

3 lb. tomatoes, peeled and diced 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil (optional)
2 T. minced fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. coarse salt
penne pasta

Combine all ingredients except salt and pasta. Let it sit in a large non-aluminum bowl at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes, up to 6 hours. Prepare pasta. Toss with sauce and add salt just before serving. So simple, so delicious!

GAZPACHO

1 cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled 
2 bell peppers, cored and seeded 
4 tomatoes 
1 red or yellow onion 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
3 cups tomato juice 
1/4 cup white wine vinegar 
1/4 cup good olive oil 
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt 
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess! After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.