Onion

Gehockte Leber This forspeis is so simple and straightforward that it is underappreciated as the gourmet dish it really is. My general rules for making chopped liver are: 1. Use only chicken liver to make this dish. Do not use beef or calf liver. Their flavors are too strong.
2. Use schmaltz. Do not substitute oil or any other fat. If you are concerned about cholesterol, eat chopped liver less often, but eat the uncompromised version. Anyway, the amount of schmaltz per portion of chopped liver in this recipe is the equivalent of no more than one pat of butter.
3. Chop all the ingredients by hand rather than by machine. Chopped liver should not look like a puree or a pâté. In texture it resembles French pate du campagne or the Quebecois rillets du gran'mère, coarse and rustic.
4. Eat it in small portions — it is very rich — and make it only for special occasions. Then you eat it less often and enjoy it more when you do.

If you choose to omit the sweetbreads, simply begin the recipe by sautéing the pancetta. (In that case, you may also want to purchase a larger veal or pork loin — going up to a 5-pound veal loin or a 6-pound pork loin.)

(Beef Goulash Soup)

Also try this with scrambled eggs, omelets or a big bowl of chili.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Ask your butcher to make a "pocket" in the veal breast for you.

We like making our own pickled beets with spices and herbs that give these sandwiches a true Scandinavian flavor. You can, however, use bottled pickled beets if you don't have two days for marinating.

The heartland is known for its grains and its pork; this first course features two of the region's best products—corn and bacon.

Scott Winkelhausen of Rhome, Texas, writes: "The following wrap is great for entertaining. I serve it with my favorite salad or chips and a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc or a Margarita. The curried aïoli is also good on chicken or roast beef sandwiches."

This recipe is based on a technique to marinate shrimp with lemons, learned from Barry Morgenstern, a friend who trained at the famous Cordon Bleu in Paris. The marinade quickly infuses deeply into the hot shrimp, imparting bright flavors deep into each morsel. Once all the ingredients are assembled this is an extremely easy recipe, in which all the work can be done in advance.

This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink="101035"Masa Pancakes Topped with Poached Eggs and Chipotle Ranchera Salsa</epi:recipeLink>.

Some of the best sauces for grilled, broiled or sautéed steak are based on Sauce Espagnole, which can be made in quantity and keeps well. You can produce a satisfactory Sauce Espagnole by short-cutting the classic, lengthy method. However, if you have the time, the classic method (epi:recipeLink="101872"Classic Sauce Espagnole</epi:recipeLink>)yields a finer and more flavorful result.

Cooking Time: 12 to 14 hours on LOW
Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart This recipe made me fall in love with my slow cooker and recognize its potential for dishes other than beef stew and chili. Caramelizing onions in the slow cooker eliminates the possibility of burning them that exists when you cook them on the stove top. An added bonus is the heady broth you end up with, which can be used in other dishes along with the onions. Use the onions and liquid to flavor soups, stocks, and stews. They make a wonderful addition to risotto, a perfect pasta sauce, and the world's best pizza topping (for this use you will have to drain off the liquid first). The onions can be served on their own as a vegetable to accompany fish, meat, or fowl. Cook a very long time until they are a deep mahogany color.

We adapted this recipe from Big Bowl Noodles and Rice, by Bruce Cost with Matt McMillin (HarperCollins). Cost likes to stuff dried black Asian"flower" mushrooms. Because these can be expensive and hard to find, we asked if we could try fresh shiitake mushrooms instead. Cost agreed, and we loved the results. Look for shiitakes with caps that have rounded edges to better hold the stuffing. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 hr

You can make this stock with a variety of fish carcasses (from nonoily fish) or with just one type — whatever your seafood market can give you.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Master Stock Chicken .

May be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.