Onion

You can substitute Chinese broccoli with broccolini or dark, leafy greens such as kale, turnip, or mustard greens. Before marinating the tofu, press it as described in step 1 to remove excess moisture.

This recipe can be doubled easily. Use a larger steamer, about ten inches in diameter, to cook all four portions at once in the same basket.

Be careful when transferring the fish from the baking dish to the plate—flounder is a fragile fish that falls apart easily.

You can serve this dish hot, cold, or at room temperature. Cook the fish in batches if your oven is small. Dried beans work best, but you can substitute 6 cups of drained, rinsed canned beans; begin with step 3.

You can purchase a whole roast duck at your local Chinese restaurant. Some varieties of noodles suggest soaking them in boiling water instead of cooking them; check your package instructions before preparing them.

Add the giblets and neck to the pan with the turkey 1 1/2 hours after the oven temperature is reduced to 350°F in step 5 (recipe above).

You will need to dry the bread cubes overnight; transfer them to resealable plastic bags until you’re ready to make the stuffing, up to 1 day more.

To tone down the sauce for little mouths, omit some of the chiles.

Serve this stewlike chicken dish over couscous or mashed potatoes, or with a crusty baguette to soak up the flavorful broth. We used Cerignola olives from southern Italy; they are large and firm enough to hold up to slow cooking methods like braising.

This recipe yields excess chicken stock. The excess can be kept in plastic containers and frozen for several months.

This recipe makes enough sauce for 8 chickens. Refrigerate leftover sauce for up to 2 weeks.