Onion

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This recipe calls for chipotle chiles, which are actually dried, smoked jalapeños. They can be bought packed in adobo, a sauce made from ground chiles, herbs, tomatoes, and vinegar. Serve the dip with bell pepper strips, chips, or crackers.

The mix of flavors in this side dish is great with broiled lamb chops or roast chicken.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dish is a particularly good accompaniment to beef or lamb. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

Chef Tory McPhail writes: "I was 19 years old and just out of culinary school when I first started at Commander's Palace. Despite my training, nothing prepared me for the pressures of working in a fast-paced kitchen, or in a restaurant of such high quality. I think my success came down to sheer effort and a lifelong passion for cooking. Even as a kid I loved playing with cookie and pie dough. "After a seven-year absence, which I spent working abroad and opening a new Commander's Palace restaurant in Las Vegas, I came back to New Orleans last year. Since returning I've enjoyed cooking for my friends. On the weekends we'll go fishing, and then I'll grill our catch and serve it along with a fresh salad. That meal combines the two best things about living in the South — lots of fishing and great fresh produce."

Not your typical corn bread dressing, this one from Michael McLaughlin features smoky ham and sautéed fennel.

This is an adaptation of the Cantonese classic. In China fried rice is seasoned with salt rather than soy sauce (which darkens the grains). However, a bit of soy sauce for extra flavor is nice.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Gulyássuppe Hotel Bristol The liver in this recipe enriches the stew without adding any distinct flavor that might be objectionable to those who don't care for liver.

The test kitchen used wonton wrappers instead of homemade pasta to simplify this.

The flavorful broth that results from cooking the pork is known in Chinese cuisine as a master sauce — save any that's left over in the freezer and use it for braising other meats, such as duck or chicken. Allowing the pork to cool overnight in the broth ensures its succulence — and because it's made ahead, this dish is ideal for entertaining. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 14 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence. Its thin pizza-like crust is piled high with caramelized onions, then topped with anchovies, olives, and fresh herbs.

For an especially elegant presentation, this salad can be arranged on individual plates instead of one large platter. When trimming the base of the romaine hearts, be sure to leave a small part of each base attached to hold the leaves together.

Serve this alongside quesadillas.

We found that using finely stone-ground cornmeal yielded a denser, slightly heavier fritter than regular stone-ground cornmeal. Though both tasted the same, we preferred the texture of the fritter made with regular cornmeal.

Buttery, slightly sweet pumpkin is the perfect mate for the briny flavor of oysters, scallops, or other crustaceans. This soup is made with shrimp, whose shells are turned into an aromatic stock that serves as the soup's liquid. Classic shellfish bisques are thickened with rice, but here pumpkin provides body for the soup. Sage's earthy flavor complements both pumpkin and shrimp and steers the focus of flavor from sweet to savory. This is a satisfying soup to prepare throughout the fall. If you serve it as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner, you might start a tradition in your family.

Mario Batali, star of the Food Network's Molto Mario, is one of the top chefs in New York City, where he owns three restaurants with Joe Bastianich — Babbo, Lupa and Esca. This dish, from Batali's book Simple Italian Food, is served at Lupa.