Main

A couple of chicken thighs amount to a lot of flavor alongside the filling chickpeas and crusty bread in this hearty Lebanese-inspired stew.

Black-eyed peas are said to bring luck in the new year, but you're going to want to eat this dressed-up version of the Southern classic for more than just luck.

These ricotta gnocchi may be the tenderest dumplings you'll ever eat.

Delicately flavored avocado oil can lose its personality when heated; pour a touch of the oil over food just before serving.

There are two keys to making this rich, smoky stew as good as it can be: Enhance the flavor of the broth with shrimp shells, and gently simmer the shrimp and fish so as not to overcook them. If you want to skip the homemade shrimp stock, substitute 2 cups of fish stock from your fishmonger or 2 cups of bottled clam juice.

A leftover ham bone makes a great substitute for the ham hock in this pasta recipe. The rest of the flavor comes from braised greens, smoky potlikker, and hot pepper sauce.

A colorful array of garnishes offer a fresh contrast to this bold, smoky chicken soup from Nashville's Mas Tacos Por Favor.

American cheese gives this classic from Arnold's its melty consistency.

No one will fault you for seasoning brisket with salt and pepper, braising it in beer, and calling it a day. But follow chef Lee's method—which calls for a bath of stout, bourbon, and soy sauce; a glaze made with peach jam; and a side of easy homemade pickles if you'd like—and you're on the path to savory-and-sweet nirvana.

Puttanesca isn't just for pasta. Anchovies and olives punch up a sauce hearty enough to stand up to meat or fish.

A&M: When Amy N-B told her husband that she came up with this dish as an homage to a simple French peasant dinner, he teased her: "What peasants eat Bucheron cheese and drink Muscadet with their beets?" "Um, French ones?" Well, in our next life, we'd like to be French peasants, or at least eat like them. We have a soft spot for beet recipes that utilize both the sweet root and minerally tops. Here, Amy N-B has you caramelize slices of yellow and red beets (we used four large beets total; might do three next time) and then add a mix of beet tops and Swiss chard, cooking them just enough to wilt. You'll love the dish at this point, but you'll be riveted if you serve it with a soft Bucheron and good country bread.

I can't imagine anything more appealing on a blustery day than a big serving of this ambrosial stew. It's great for potlucks and outdoor get-togethers because it's easily transportable and there is nothing to add.

This tasty chili, which has just a hint of heat, is perfect for family get-togethers. Add a tossed green salad, sprinkled with shredded carrots, and whole-grain rolls.

A porterhouse is the perfect steak for two to share because it contains good-sized portions of two of the most prized muscles in a steer, each located on either side of the center bone. The top loin, the larger of the two, is the same piece of gorgeous meat as that steakhouse staple, the New York strip. The tenderloin, attached to the other side of the bone, may be smaller, but it's a much larger portion (technically, it has to be 1 1/4-inches in diameter) than you get in a T-bone steak. If you can find dry aged, try it. It's a bit more expensive but yields more tender and flavorful meat. We pan-roast the steak with the Tuscan stalwarts of garlic, rosemary, and thyme, then serve it with a velvety red wine reduction.

I like this seafood stuffing far better than the usual meat stuffing: it's surprisingly light and refined. If you want your cabbage rolls to look as pretty as ours do, make sure to use Savoy cabbage, then trim the cabbage leaves so they lie flat. Right after you blanch the leaves, lay each leaf, rib side up, on a cutting board and slice off the thick center rib. By removing the excess, you'll be able to roll the cabbage leaves tighter and more uniform-looking.

Venison shoulder is the perfect cut for this dish because its lean meat and tough but tasty muscles respond perfectly to a slow braise. If you have difficulty finding a shoulder, use venison shanks instead. They'll need to cook perhaps 30 minutes longer, but they're delicious and worth the wait.

The basic method of making risotto will never change; you cook the rice slowly and add broth gradually, so the starchy inside of the rice kernel expands as the outside layer dissolves into creaminess. Risotto feeds the soul and can take a whole range of flavors. I like the pumpkin risotto here, but try a shrimp risotto using shellfish broth, adding a pound of peeled shrimp at the last minute and letting them cook no more than 5 minutes. Or how about a green risotto, with a bunch of watercress or a few handfuls of spinach, chopped fine? Or a mushroom risotto with a pound of sliced fresh mushrooms added to the dried porcini mushrooms. Keep in mind that there's a lot of bad risotto out there, usually because folks overcook it or add too much wine. But if you do have some white wine open, add a splash or two to the rice and onions, just before you ladle in the broth. It gives yet another dimension of flavor.

Forget marinades—who has time to think ahead anymore? The easiest, fastest, and, yes, we're calling it, best method for adding some pizzazz to your grilled chicken is to toss it quickly in a sauce after it's been cooked. Come on, guys, it's the secret behind Buffalo chicken wings! Everybody loves wings, so alert your friends to come on over for a backyard wing feed. Make as many sauces as you'd like, and let each person embellish their wings the way they want. Each sauce makes enough to coat all 9 pounds of wings, so if you make all five sauces, you might want to downsize them, or make the full amount and use them in other ways. The vinaigrettes would be terrific as salad dressings, and the rest would punch up grilled or roasted pork or beef and do absolute wonders for tofu.

Editor's note: Chef Donald Link of New Orleans restaurants Cochon and Herbsaint, shared this recipe as part of a special Mardi Gras celebration he created for Epicurious. Crawfish boils are the greatest outdoor cooking events in southern Louisiana, and they epitomize our way of life. These giant parties for adults and kids are all about having a good time, being with friends and family, and eating local food.
To boil crawfish you need to have the proper setup—namely a propane tank, a stand to put the pot on, and a very large pot (crawfish are sold in 40-pound sacks). The pot needs to be fitted with a basket so you can pull the crawfish out and add more.
My cousin Billy's crawfish are, hands down, the best I've ever tasted. When it comes to cooking crawfish, though, we aren't in total agreement. I like to soak the crawfish in their spicy cooking water; Billy doesn't. Some people prefer to drain the crawfish after they've been soaking in the spicy water for just 5 minutes, then dump them into an ice chest, and season the outside of the crawfish shells heavily. This method keeps the meat from getting overcooked, but the spices end up on your hands, not in the meat. To my mind, "marinating" the cooked crawfish in their cooking liquid allows more of the spice and salt to be absorbed by the meat and creates more juice in the heads. (Sucking the juice from the head before you eat the tail is the proper way to eat boiled crawfish.)
Though no self-respecting party in Cajun Country would cook fewer than two or three sacks, I've given a smaller recipe here.

This salad is a traditional way to use up day-old bread; the dressing softens the bread and makes it a little more palatable. You can use fresh bread, but stale bread will hold up better under the dressing (super-fresh bread has a tendency to fall apart).