Corn

Terrific for a first course or a side dish, this recipe is adapted from the lobster succotash at Kinkead's in Washington, D.C. Chef Bob Kinkead's original uses chunks of lobster, which can be substituted for the large shrimp called for here.

Consider this delicious dish as a vegetarian main course, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Beef Stew Editor's Note: This recipe and introductory text are excerpted from The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, by Copeland Marks. We've also added some tips of our own below. For a complete guide to Peruvian cuisine, click here. This is a special dish that is only prepared on Mondays. My teacher told me that everyone she knew cooked Espesado on Mondays, a ritual that is universally accepted. In the clean and complete Central Market of Chiclayo, a number of the small eating shops were dispensing this to diners who knew what they wanted and expected it on Mondays.

If you're short on time, use a roast chicken from the supermarket instead of grilling chicken breasts. Serve Mexican beers alongside and tortilla chips for extra crunch.

The signature dish at Américas in Houston. Achiote paste adds earthy flavor and deep red color to the shrimp.

Fresh kernels of raw corn are so sweet and tender that they don't need to be cooked. Their natural sugars and crisp juiciness pair wonderfully with the salty Parmesan and peppery arugula.

Like gumbo, this is a thick and flavorful stew. But it takes a lot less time to make. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

These tiny tamales can be made a day or two ahead with no compromise. Corn is the essential flavor here, so be sure yours is sweet and fresh by tasting each ear. In the absence of fresh corn you can use frozen, but you should taste that, too.

Three classic heartland ingredients — corn, smoked sausage and wild rice — combine to give this appealing first-course soup its sweet-spicy flavor and interesting texture.

A luxuriously creamy and bright dressing made with aquafaba, miso, and crunchy poppy seeds makes a star out of summer produce.

Try Komal’s pan de elote recipe with fresh corn and rice flour; a Mexican sweet corn cake topped with silky corn whipped cream.

This Puerto Rican sancocho recipe is hearty, flavorful, and loaded with falling-off-the-bone beef, tender carrots, potatoes, squash, corn, plantain, and yuca.