Chile

(SPAGHETTI ALLA CHIUMMENZANA) This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. To eat this dish the Caprese way, serve the pasta very al dente.

Cooking chicken as described in the recipe below results in really crisp, almost transparent skin (like that on Peking duck) and moist flesh.

This is one of my all-time favorite sauces. It is excellent with grilled or roasted poultry or pork dishes. When I travel and cook at various events, I often include this on the menu. This recipe is a component of Tamarind Barbecued Duck with Smoky Plantain Crema .

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 10 min

This moist bread is best fresh from the oven, but it can also be made ahead and reheated.

Ensalada de Ejote, Espinaca, y Betabel The green beans and the poblano chiles in the salad dressing may be the only ingredients that are indigenous to Mexico, but the colorful combination of vegetables, with their contrasting textures, results in a fitting accompaniment to any Mexican dinner.

Filete Mignon con Rajas The mild flavor of the meat is revved up with rich rajas con crema, a traditional dish of roasted poblano strips in cream.

The habanero, reputedly the "hottest chile in the world" has a complex, citrusy aroma and flavor. This salsa from the Yucatan is a classic accompaniment to meat and seafood cooked in an achiote recado a brick-red paste made with achiote, or annatto, seeds. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this flavorful chili with chopped green onion, cilantro and red bell pepper.

Pass hot pepper sauce and warm buttered tortillas to complete this easy dish.

The poblano chilies can be prepared one day ahead, and the vegetables can be chopped and sliced one day ahead and then refrigerated separately in resealable plastic bags. Then the whole dish just requires a few minutes of cooking time before serving.

Juana Vázquez-Gómez of Redondo Beach, California, writes: "Growing up in Cuernavaca, just outside Mexico City, I remember my grandmother cooking elaborate Mexican meals every day. My mother continued that tradition, but not in such an all-consuming manner. For her it was a great joy to plan a menu and then invite people to help with the preparation. "The women in my life taught me the beauty of a good meal. I still use many of their recipes today, but unlike my grandmother I don't spend an entire day in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband and kids like to cook, so I've found a balance between my grandmother's time-intensive recipes and my mother's practicality. "

Making chipotle vinegar is about as difficult as making a cup of tea. It is a fantastic tool to have in your repertoire when you want to add acidity with smoke in one easy pour. Use it in your favorite salads or anywhere you want to add smokiness. This recipe is a component of Tamarind Barbecued Duck with Smoky Plantain Crema .

If you can't find one type of the greens for this recipe, you can either increase the other two kinds proportionally or substitute kale and/or chard.

These plums nicely complement pork or lamb chops. You can slip off the skins before eating if you like.

Canela, a Latin American cousin of cinnamon, is a leading player in this sauce. Once used by affluent Romans in love potions and perfumes, the spice, derived from the inner bark of a tropical evergreen, is hugely popular in New World cuisine, in everything from soups to desserts. This recipe is a component of Grill-Roasted Rack of Lamb in Red Mole .

Flavored vinegars can be used to enliven dressings and marinades, finish pan sauces, or pickle vegetables--and they make wonderful gifts. Once the steeping is completed, these vinegars keep for several months. (Garnishes and other solids left in the jar, however, may discolor or break down.)