Red Wine

Inspired by New Orleans's barbecue shrimp, our recipe substitutes chipotle chiles for the traditional cayenne and black pepper. Though this dish is often served as a first course in restaurants, our version is intended as a main course. Use the bread for scooping up the sauce. You could add a green salad or, better yet, stick with the out-of-hand theme and serve it with corn on the cob.

Tuna is delicious when it is cooked like steak with a reduced wine gravy made in the pan. Add any fresh herbs you have on hand — chives, tarragon, basil, parsley, oregano. Here the steaks are accompanied by fragrant thyme-scented white beans. Wine for Cooking and to Drink This is a household dish, or more precisely a wine merchant's dish, hence the title. An obvious choice would be a California merlot, but if you are feeling more experimental, a red wine from a less familiar source like Connecticut, North Carolina, or Texas could also work well. Two such wines made from French-American hybrid grapes that would suit this dish and are worth a try are Chambourcin and Maréchal Foch.

The glaze can be made a day ahead; it is intensely flavored, so use it sparingly. Take the roast out of the fridge one hour before cooking. What to drink: Merlot or Australian Shiraz.

Autumn has officially arrived, and after a summer of cool, light cooking, it's time for some homey, hearty meals. Braised meats, with their rich flavors, tender texture and intense, reduced sauces, are definitely homey, but you may never have tried to make them at home. They sound as if they might be complicated to prepare—like something best left to a restaurant chef—and what exactly is braising, anyway? Relax. Braising is easy—there are only two steps: The meat is browned first, then covered and simmered in seasoned liquid. According to Cory Schreiber, the chef at Portland's super-popular Wildwood Restaurant & Bar, braising is a great way to cook lamb shanks. In the recipe here, he does something slightly unusual: He simmers the shanks uncovered in the oven. That way, he says, "the dry heat caramelizes the top of the meat—giving it a bit of a crust—which adds nice texture and color." The lamb is accompanied by a roasted squash purée and wilted Swiss chard. With this recipe in hand, you can actually have your next homey meal at home. Add a salad and crusty bread, and you've got your first dinner party of the season. Use a pot that's at least 12 inches across.

Jason Corrigan, chef at A Touch of Garlic in Springfield, Massachusetts, writes: "In the past, I've worked at large restaurants, catering to hundreds of people every night. That alone taught me every possible shortcut to speed up the cooking process: For instance, slicing raw potatoes to reduce boiling time, pounding meat thin so it cooks more quickly, and of course, the mise en place — getting everything prepped so you're just reaching for ingredients at the last minute." Pounding the meat reduces cooking time.

Cooking Time: 6 hours on HIGH plus another 6 hours on LOW
Slow Cooker Size: 5 quart There will be no leftovers. This recipe will make you fall in love with your slow cooker. Your house will be perfumed with the aromas of southern France. Enjoy!

This stew is great served with noodles.

Until powdered gelatin came on the market in the 1890s, making gelatin molds was a labor-intensive endeavor. By the twenties, electric refrigeration and the Jell-O brand made the salads so easy to prepare that cookbooks were filled with recipes for them. This one incorporates the flavors of sangria. Serve it as a side dish or as a dessert.

In this typical Northern Italian entrée, polenta is topped with a rich and meaty ragù. Begin preparing the dish one day before you plan to serve it.

Here's a fresh take on the classic combination of fruit and cheese. Placing parchment on top of the pears as they are poaching helps keep them moist and submerged in the poaching liquid.

Beurre blanc — "white butter" — is the classic French sauce made with a reduction of vinegar, white wine and shallots. Beurre rouge is a colorful sibling, made here with a combination of red wine vinegar and red wine, which give the sauce a nice tang.

Chefs know this secret: Short ribs are long on flavor. Their rich, meaty taste makes them a perfect choice for cooks who want full-bodied food with very little fuss. This dish was inspired by a recipe in Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook. The chef begins by reducing a great deal of red wine. We adopted his technique, which produces such a rich and delicious sauce, it tastes as if many days—and ingredients—were required to produce it. Like many people, we love to serve short ribs with a comforting side dish of mashed or roasted potatoes. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 3 hr

Guancette di Manzo When braised, these beef cheeks become meltingly tender, with a rich, deep flavor. You may want to check with your butcher when planning this dish, since it's often necessary to order beef cheeks ahead of time. At Uno e Bino, Cesanese wine is used in the braising liquid, but it's difficult to find in the United States. A dry Lambrusco or Chianti makes a good substitute. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to Finish: 4 1/4

Pappardelle con Stracotto Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 4 hr

A traditional side dish for the Christmas ham, sausage or spareribs.