Chile

Romesco sauce, a piquant mixture of chilies, nuts, and tomatoes, is a typical seasoning for seafood in the Catalan province of Tarragona. Although fresh coriander is not an ingredient found in the traditional Spanish pantry, its flavor lends a nice touch to this dish.

Market tip: All rainbow trout sold in markets are sustainably farm-raised.

Huevos Tirados One of Gran Café de la Parroquia's specialties is this unique omelet, made with black beans and served inside out. Make the omelets one at a time and serve them immediately (they will dry out and lose their tenderness if you try to keep them warm in the oven). If you don't have time to prepare dried beans, canned will do just fine (see the cooks' notes for black beans, this page). Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes cooking dried beans)

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 5 1/2 hr (plus 1 week for flavors to develop)

If you can't find raw unhulled pumpkin seeds, you can substitute 6 ounces of the hulled (green) ones, but the pipián (seed-thickened sauce) will be richer. Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Chayote (often mistaken for a squash) is a fruit with a cucumber-like taste and texture. The sweet-spicy balance of this appetizer goes well with Sauvignon Blanc or beer.

Mole Verde While this mole is best eaten soon after it is made, to appreciate the flavor of all the fresh greens, it can be prepared ahead up to the point of blending and adding the greens. Heat varies very much according to taste, so the number of serranos is optional. Typically this mole has a thickish texture and thickens more as it stands so it may require diluting. For all dishes of this kind, the larger and more compact the chicken the better — no fryers please. And adding extra giblets for a stronger broth is not a bad idea. This mole verde is also popularly made with espinazo, the backbone of the pig, which gives it a delicious flavor. I often make the mole with country-style spareribs cut into pieces.

The crust of this tart is tender and quite crumbly.

This classic accompaniment to grilled meats also makes a great taco filling. Grilled chiles, peppers, and onion.

If you really want to make this pimento cheese the way my mother does, and you happen to own a hand-crank meat grinder, run the two cheeses once through the fine blade of the grinder into a mixing bowl. Mother simply used to grind the pimentos with the cheeses, but now she prefers to mash them with a heavy fork on a plate until they break up into tiny pieces. She uses homemade mayonnaise but also endorses Hellmann's (a.k.a. Best Foods).

This recipe is inspired by a dish served at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, in New York City. The smoky heat of the chipotle chile and the potato's natural sweetness balance each other beautifully.

Although this recipe doesn't produce the familiar-looking red chili--it's more green than red--it does turn out a chili that has become one of our staff favorites.

This recipe yields enough dressing for both the seafood salad and the rice .

"A good newspaper review of the Cosmos Cafe in Houston convinced me to try out the restaurant and particularly the owners award-winning green chili," says Janice E. Bryant of Humble, Texas. "It was everything chili should be—hearty and hot with a great kick from poblano chilies." Serve the chili with warm corn tortillas, and pass bowls of chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions and sour cream for garnishes. This recipe can easily be halved for a smaller crowd.

Here's a unique no-cabbage slaw with a dressing that is spicy and a little sweet.