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This dish is great alongside the Lemony Chicken Milanese .

Stout makes the beef taste beefier in this chili. For best results, pick out a five-pound boneless chuck roast and have the butcher grind it for you. WHAT TO DRINK: Sam Adams Cream Stout has a malty sweetness that's just right.

_Opor Ayam, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book _Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was originally accompanied by Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice and Lemongrass-Shallot Sambal and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. A gorgeous coconut-milk curry from Java, Indonesia, perfumed with lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and ground coriander. It's one of the benchmark dishes by which Indonesian home cooks are judged. If a young cook's opor ayam is as rich and delicate as it should be, she's well on her way to becoming skilled in the kitchen. The dish is a perfect showcase for a high-quality free-range chicken. A whole one, cut into small, bone-in serving pieces, will yield the best results, though whole chicken parts can be substituted without compromising the dish's taste. Daun salam leaves, the dried seasoning herb prized in Indonesian cooking, helps give this dish its unique aroma. I've often seen bay leaves listed as a substitute for daun salam in recipe books. While bay leaves have an aggressively mentholated taste, daun salam are subtle, with a faintly foresty flavor. The only thing the two herbs share in common is that they are both green leaves that grow on trees. Omit daun salam leaves if you're unable to find them.

Nasi Uduk, Java, Indonesia Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It originally accompanied Javanese Chicken Curry and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine. Rice that's been cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with aromatics is a velvety-rich, alluring dish. It turns up in countless incarnations all over Indonesia. This is the Javanese version, which is flavored with lemongrass and daun salam leaves, the woodsy-tasting Indonesian herb. The aromatics are submerged in the rice as it cooks, infusing the cooking liquid—and, in turn, the rice—with their essences. The hint of lemongrass is appealing, while the topping of crisply fried shallots adds smoky succulence. Friends I've cooked this rice for have told me it's the best rice they had ever eaten. It pairs well with just about anything that plain rice is served with, including curries and stir-fries, though it's wonderful on its own, with a salad of baby lettuces. I prefer to eat nasi uduk warm rather than hot — its flavors are more pronounced. It's not advisable to halve this recipe: Using one cup of rice would mean that most of the aromatics would be sitting on top of the rice as it cooks rather than being submerged in it, resulting in a poorly flavored dish. Reheat the excellent leftovers in a warm oven. It's also not advisable to make this dish in a rice cooker, as the fats and proteins in the coconut milk and the high, continuous heat of a rice cooker's heat source can easily lead to the rice on the bottom layer sticking and burning.

Cracklings made from the leftover duck skin top this satisfying pasta dish.

This easy main-course soup is great on its own or with toppings, such as tortilla chips, avocado, and sour cream.

Use shaved Parmesan in place of the goat cheese, if you like.

Try replacing the raisins with a different dried fruit, such as apricots. A pinch or two of cinnamon or nutmeg would also be a nice touch.

This recipe was created by chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing of the Longbranch in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It's part of a special menu they created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Orecchiette con Ragù di Coniglio Think of orecchiette as the fingerprinting device of the culinary world. Each "little ear" of pasta is formed by the cook's thumb pressing into a small disk of dough. In Puglia, orecchiette is the signature pasta, and, with a ragù made from rabbit or its wild cousin the hare, whose meat is darker, it's comfort food, Italian-style.

Formaggio Crucolo Fuso con Speck e Patate What makes this dish so exceptional is Crucolo, a semisoft cow's-milk cheese, sweet and creamy like a fresh Asiago, that's made by a single producer in Trentino's Valsugana Valley. The region's speck, which comes from the hind leg of the pig, combines Italian salting and drying techniques with the smoke-curing common in Austria, where speck is more like bacon.

Spaghetti con Salsa di Olive e Pinoli All'arturo This pretty, confetti-like dish is sure to become one of your weekday standbys. Not only is it easy to prepare, but you've likely got all the ingredients right there in your fridge. The trick is to hand-chop everything very finely, so that you get just the right amount of fiery crunch in every bite.

Risotta allo Zafferano con Midollo alla Piastra Combining a lovely golden hue with wonderfully beefy depth, this classic risotto alla milanese is hearty enough to stand on its own, but if you really want to be Italian about it, pair it with ossobuco.

A colorful and satisfying stew is priceless this time of year, and you can't do much better than a tomatoey broth full of hearty cannellini beans, baby greens, and cubes of baked ham.

Chickpeas add meaty body to a home-style vegetable soup; round out the flavors with a sprinkling of grated cheese.