American

A smooth Dijon sauce enhances the combination of chicken and colorful vegetables. Try this dish with whole-wheat couscous and melon slices.

This vegetarian take on a classic uses brown rice instead of white, cannellini beans instead of ground beef, and an herby wine vinegar mixture instead of tomato sauce to fill roasted bell pepper halves.

Stir-fry fresh albacore tuna, plump sugar snap peas, and thin slices of green onions, carrot, and red bell pepper, then serve over brown rice.

Using potatoes instead of tortilla chips as the base for beans, salsa, and other traditional nacho toppings helps you control your sodium intake. The potatoes are a good source of potassium, an important nutrient in helping lower blood pressure.

When it’s time to put logs in the fireplace, it’s also time to fire up a big pot of this chili, flavored with lots of cumin and brightened with lemon juice.

No potluck meal or barbecue is complete without baked beans. These cook for a long time but need very little attention. The result is well worth the wait.

Sour cream replaces mayonnaise as the base for the tartar sauce here. Serve this fish with corn on the cob and chilled slices of melon on the side.

Pair this cornmeal-coated fish with Garden Coleslaw (page 75) and Green Beans and Corn (page 236) for a healthy southern meal.

A popular dish in the Lone Star State, where it is called Texas Caviar, this flavorful salad is sure to become a favorite in your household, too.

Use this spicy mix in Zesty Oven-Fried Potatoes (page 250) and any other recipes that call for Creole or Cajun seasoning blends.

A sprinkling of crumbled feta tops this very tasty mix of fresh spinach, sweet grape tomatoes, artichokes, and basil.

Homemade corn muffins make mealtime special. Try them with Lima Bean Soup with Ham Bits and Crisp Sage (page 70) or Pecan-Crusted Catfish with Zesty Tartar Sauce (page 106). Any leftover muffins are super for a grab-and-go snack.

This creamy chowder boasts chunks of potato and your favorite mild white fish. For a little crunch, top it with crumbled no-salt-added pretzels.

This spicy mixture is delicious on cucumber rounds or unsalted baked corn tortillas.

For a double dose of spice, serve this “scent-sational” dip with crisp gingersnaps. The combination is perfect as a slightly sweet appetizer or a bite of quick dessert.

This dessert is always a hit in my cooking classes. The combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and smoky chipotle often appears in Southwest American and Mexican cuisine, and the flavors marry beautifully in a wood-fired cooking environment. If you want a bit more heat, add more chile paste. You can also add a touch of chile powder to the Cinnamon-Caramel Sauce.

This is John Ash’s recipe for a fun and easy one-dish dessert. Although there is some debate on what makes a “grunt,” the definition seems to be that grunts, which are also called slumps, are simmered rather than baked in the oven. They are usually made with berries and the name supposedly comes from the sound the berries make as they simmer!

I love the Southwest of the United States and the foods of that region. This recipe features three ingredients borrowed from its Native American culture: corn, beans, and peppers. Here, the stew is made with vegetable stock, but you can also use chicken stock. Wood-roasted pork shoulder or chicken can be shredded and added to the dish for an even heartier meal. The heirloom beans come from my friend Steve Sando’s company, Rancho Gordo. You can substitute other dried beans, but the flavor will be best if you use Rancho Gordo beans (see Resources). The stew can be made a day ahead and reheated just before serving. Any leftovers are terrific as a filling for tamales or enchiladas.

This is a grown-up mac and cheese with lots of rich Italian flair. Using three flavorful Italian cheeses and incorporating pancetta makes this hearty dish the ultimate comfort food. You can use a different shape of dried pasta as long as it has a cavity to hold the creamy sauce. Try other cheeses, too.

The best way to serve this northern California specialty is on a table lined with newspapers. Here, boiled Dungeness crab is roasted in the shell in a cast-iron pan over a wood fire. It is equally wonderful roasted in a wood-fired oven. The deep, rich flavor of the roasted crab is extraordinary, especially when served with Wood Roasted Artichokes (page 105).