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Chase Utley is not a dessert guy, unless it is mud pie. Once you try this incredible dessert recipe, you, too, will find your dinner guests unable to turn away a serving of bliss.

I used to be reluctant to open a bottle of wine at home unless I was entertaining, because I’d drink a glass or two and then have to contend with the leftover vino. There are various ways to deal with it (see sidebar, page 23), but once I discovered this idea from blogger Michele Humes on SeriousEats.com, it was a problem no more. Even lesser-quality wine becomes a deeply flavored condiment good for drizzling on ice cream, chocolate desserts, or citrus segments. It can be used for layering in a parfait with Greek-style yogurt (see page 161) or for hydrating dried cherries in a tart with almonds (page 163). I tend to use whatever spices strike my fancy at the time; with red wine, I like this particular combination, but whole cinnamon, cloves, and/or allspice, for example, could be used for a more pronounced flavor. The best thing about this syrup? Once you cool it, it can be refrigerated in an airtight container indefinitely.

Before making this dish, call your fish market. Octopus is available at some markets, but it may need to be ordered several days ahead.

These large white beans (gigantes means "giant" in Greek) are a classic ingredient in Greek cooking. Timing note: The beans need to soak overnight, so plan accordingly.

Thai red curry paste, unsweetened coconut milk, and fish sauce are available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets. Serve this curry over steamed jasmine rice.

For the best flavor, marinate the chicken overnight. If you're short of time, use a 15-ounce can of cannellini or lima beans instead of the dried beans. With this rich, garlicky sauce, you need only a fresh salad to complete the meal.

The Deli's mashed potatoes aren't very complicated. Each pound of potatoes serves about 3 people.

Abe experimented until he came up with the lightest, fluffiest, most Jewish motherly matzo balls imaginable.

Believed to be the oldest alcoholic drink known to mankind, mead is made by the simple fermentation of honey with spices and other flavorings. There are a bewildering number of variations and recipes for mead—including spiced mead (metheglin), fruit mead (melomel), and mead with mulberries (morat) or hops (sack)—but this is a basic home recipe. Once you have mastered the technique you can begin to experiment with your own flavors. The mead will reflect the flavor of the honey you use so bear this in mind.

Kale goes by another name, one much more dashing, especially in Italian. Cavolo Nero, black cabbage, may not evoke superhero status, but it's close. Kale does seem invincible and it's known to make the eater more so, too. It's also called dinosaur kale (also called lacinato), maybe because its leaves look like the back of a lizard. Those thin knobby leaves squeak. Do not confuse cavolo, accent on the first syllable, with cavallo, accent on the second, or you'll be ordering black horse, and in certain parts of the world will find it. Hearty and good for the spirit. I like soaked and cooked cannellini better than canned ones.

The beauty and subtlety of wild garlic makes this dish very appealing, and fresh curry leaves add a fragrance that is quite seductive. During the summer months we pod fresh coco beans and cook them directly in the curry until soft. In winter we soak dried cannellini beans overnight and precook them in water for an hour or so over gentle heat, with one or two herbs added for flavor. I like to serve this curry just as it is, but you could add chunks of white fish to it.

Editor's note: Chef Roberto Santibañez, the chef/owner of Fonda in Brooklyn, New York shared this recipe as part of a festive taco party menu he created for Epicurious. To make tacos, you'll also need 24 to 32 warm corn tortillas, 2 cups of salsa, chopped white onion, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Santibañez recommends serving the tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa , Roasted Pineapple Salsa , or Taco-Shop Guacamole, a blend of avocado and tomatillos. Picture this: Mounds of juicy, tender, crispy-edged pieces of pork just waiting to be tucked into freshly made tortillas or piled on a plate along with rice and beans. This recipe is the classic way to make them—well, almost. Many restaurants and stalls put a whole butchered pig in a huge copper pot and let it simmer away until any liquid has evaporated. That's when the pork goes from being braised to being fried, browning in its own luscious fat. I do the same thing here, except I suggest using pork shoulder instead of the whole animal. And while the pork is traditionally browned on the stovetop, doing it in the oven is even easier and more effective. Pile the result on tortillas with salsa, chopped onions, and cilantro.

Paella is arguably the most famous dish of Spain. It can be made with fish, chicken, or sausage, and sometimes is made with all three.

Serve this classic quick soup with brown rice crackers to increase the fiber and for dipping

Editor's note: This recipe is part of Susie Fishbein's Tricolor Matzo Ball soup .
Due to the high water content of fresh spinach, these matzo balls may be a little harder to roll than the other two flavors. If this occurs, add some extra matzo ball mix or matzo meal, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the batter can be rolled into balls. You want to use as little extra as possible so that the matzo balls remain light and fluffy. Meat or Parve
Gebrokts

Editor's note: This recipe is part of Susie Fishbein's Tricolor Matzo Ball soup . Meat or Parve
Gebrokts

Editor's note: This recipe is part of Susie Fishbein's Tricolor Matzo Ball soup . What a thrill it was for me as these matzo balls and I proudly made our debut on the Today Show with Katie Couric! Meat or Parve
Gebrokts