Blender

John serves the peppers as an appetizer with toasted country bread.

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

Pureeing half of the soup (including the meat) gives it a denser consistency. While most Hungarian cooks do not top goulash with sour cream, go ahead; it adds a nice creaminess and tang.

Adding the whole basil leaves to the finished soup gives it a super-fresh taste.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To make these ice pops nonalcoholic, substitute freshly squeezed orange juice for the tequila.

Sofrito is a sautéed vegetable mixture used as a seasoning in much of Latin America and the Caribbean. It typically contains garlic, onion, bell pepper, coriander, and sometimes tomatoes or ham, although the recipe varies among countries. In our version, we've omitted the oil normally used to cook the ingredients and instead simply puréed the vegetables. This recipe was created to accompany Grilled Citrus Salmon. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Miso—rather than oil—lends body and flavor to the dressing.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Baby pineapples that have been hollowed out make beautiful serving shells for this granita. These pineapples are available at specialty produce markets.

This sauce can be prepared with yellow bell peppers instead of poblano chiles. Both sauces go equally well with the chicken-and they also complement each other nicely. So follow your mood: earthy poblano or sunny, sweet yellow bell pepper-or make half a recipe of each and serve them both. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Originally this dish consisted of topfenpalatschinken (Hungarian cheese crêpes) baked in a rich custard. This variation skips the time-consuming process of making blintzes. Double the recipe and bake in a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

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

This granita is delicious as a palate-refresher between courses or as a dessert.

The trick to this gorgeous dessert is to use imported white chocolate and to melt it carefully, since white chocolate is extremely heat sensitive. Let the terrine mixture get only warm enough to melt the white chocolate and butter.