Q: A friend read wonders if you have the recipe for three-cheese tortellini salad? It has roasted red peppers, fontina cheese, dressing and I am not sure what else.

Ann

A: Imagination is really all you need to create a tortellini salad. Take the basic recipe here and let your taste buds -- along with what's in your fridge or overwhelming the garden -- be your guide. In summer I favor a buttermilk dressing, but a balsamic vinaigrette or an Asian sesame can easily make it a whole new dish.

I like to use a mix of tortellini for color and flavor -- spinach filled with cheese, red pepper filled with prosciutto -- but again, that can be varied to suit. As to the cheese, fontina is wonderful but you can also use Cheddar, fresh or aged mozzarella, jack, feta, etc. This is a great dish for picnics and potlucks, but the ingredients can be halved for a family meal.

THRIFTY DISH

Michelle M. of Miami responded to our appeal for thrifty recipes with the recipe here for Thai-style tofu.

''It is from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin (Morrow, $18.95),'' she writes. ``It is very cheap because the main protein comes from tofu, and it tastes very exotic.''

Lemlin suggests serving it with rice or couscous. I tried it with a whole-wheat angel hair pasta (rice sticks would be great, too), which makes it much like pad Thai. If you add cucumber and/or carrot julienne and fresh bean sprouts, it would serve four with the noodles. If you have trouble making tofu crispy, you'll love Lemlin's method.

APPLE ENCHILADAS

Becky Brack of Allentown, Ga., responded to our recipe for apple enchiladas with one of her own. ''It seems a lot simpler,'' she writes. ``I thought you might want to pass this one along.''

It's much faster than baking a pie, and yet has all the same flavors. You can use other fruit fillings, or simply put fresh berries in the tortillas, spoon on jam or marmalade, roll and add the cinnamon-brown sugar sauce.

SLEUTH'S CORNER

Q: My grandmother made a special treat when I visited her every summer that she called Pink Lady Pie. I have no idea what the ingredients were, but it was like a cream pie only much more airy, and tall. We would have tea parties with my dolls on the porch and the pie was always part of the ritual. I'd love to carry on the tradition with my own grandchildren.

Carrie

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