Latin American

For these baked empanadas, Gaby Melian says the addition of green olives and raisins in the filling is essential. 

This colorful chimichurri recipe doubles as a marinade and works as an accompaniment to all cuts of beef—or anything else you want to gussy up.

These crunchy, cheesy fried rice balls are the perfect snack for any time of day, and they come together in less than half an hour.

Take your time to cook down the flavor base, which is enriched with ají amarillo and beer, and you’ll be rewarded with a thick, homey Peruvian duck stew.

Bright, fresh, colorful, and easy to eat with one hand, this take on the classic Peruvian mussels dish is a great cocktail snack.

If you can spread peanut butter on bread, you can make these homemade tamales filled with pork slathered in a bright red chile purée. 

This streamlined approach to making mole cuts down on ingredients without sacrificing flavor for a rich, velvety sauce that’s layered under crispy-gooey cheese.

Everything you could possibly want in a tostada (and then some): shredded chicken smothered with a smoky, spicy tomato salsa, bacony refried beans, and a smattering of cilantro and cheese.

Try eating just one of these picarones, doughnut-like Peruvian confections that are drenched in a fig-flavored syrup.

Eating your veggies has never tasted as good as when they’re beer-battered and fried until crispy. Sub the zucchini for any veg—from broccolini to mixed mushrooms.

Once you taste this classic Salvadoran dish, you’ll definitely want to experiment with the fillings.

The longer this cabbage relish ferments, the better it’s going to taste.

This easy guacamole recipe is best made in a Mexican mortar and pestle called a molcajete, but a bowl and a fork works fine. Just don’t rush to get it on the table. It takes a while for the avocado to absorb all the flavors you add to it. 

Bryant Terry’s luscious jackfruit tamales are not only a fascinating look at the crossover between Mexican and African American foodways, but proof that truly great tamales don’t require meat.

Dried chiles add tons of complex flavor to this saucy, shreddable chicken with little extra work—our kind of cooking.

These bright and succulent grilled chicken breasts are perfect for wrapping in warm tortillas with spoonfuls of fresh salsa verde. 

Naranja agria (sour orange) gives this Nicaraguan grilled chicken its signature tang, but you can fake it using an orange and lime juice combo.

Fried eggs, pico de gallo, melty cheese, and refried beans, all piled atop crusty bread.

The best part of this Passover-friendly flourless chocolate cake from Masa Madre bakery in Chicago might be the Mexico-inspired café de olla ganache that gets poured over top.

A tamal filled with carrots, habaneros, and garlic is chef Maricela Vega’s celebration of how the harvest from summer and fall floats into wintertime.