Canned Tomato

Cumin gives greens and tomatoes an exotic, almost Indian touch.

Obviously, those who devote their lives to pork are going to have the best recipes for it, which explains why porc charcutière—named after pork butchers—is such a time-honored preparation. This version is lighter and a lot quicker than a traditional one, but its flavors are no less fine-tuned.

You don't need to get fancy with bouillabaisse. This version of the French fisherman's stew liberates you from having to buy up the entire fish counter—just choose any two or three of the fish and shellfish options listed below.

Browning the lamb shanks helps seal in the juices when they braise.

Residents of Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick County, Virginia, are both fiercely protective of the provenance of this dish, but let's face it—hunters have lived off this sort of thing forever. Like all stews, this tastes even better the next day.

The brown sugar in the ingredients list below is there to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes, not to make this a sweet dish. Use a sturdy bakery loaf of white sandwich bread, not the packaged sliced stuff, for the topping. You will get enormous pleasure from serving people this dish.

For most people, the word gumbo immediately conjures the Cajun and Creole cooking of Louisiana. But okra (ngombo in Bantu), for which the soup-stew is named, reached South Carolina with the slave trade some years before Europeans settled in Louisiana, and the Creole world, where African, European, and indigenous cultures meet, actually extends up the southern Atlantic coast. There are many different gumbo recipes, all taking advantage of local ingredients and served with rice. This one is a heady, fragrant slurry thick with seafood. If desired, add filé powder (ground dried sassafras leaves), a Choctaw thickening agent with an almost lemony flavor, just before eating.

This rustic, satisfying spiced soup—a perfect dish to make ahead and reheat on busy weeknights—will help stave off even the fiercest midwinter chill.

Martha mastered this classic dish during the couple's time in Italy. It's still one of her favorite recipes.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico!

Espagueti Frutos del Mar Hearty with shrimp, mussels, squid, and octopus, this flavor-packed pasta dish gets an extra boost from a bright basil purée drizzled on before serving. True, there's some effort involved in making it, but you can prepare the various elements in stages, and the drama and deliciousness of the result will more than compensate your efforts.

You'll find this tenderloin a wonderful change of pace—since it's not seared before cooking, the tenderness extends all the way through the crust (and it's less work for the cook). A woodsy suggestion of rosemary on the meat's surface is underlined by the lusciously savory, almost jammy tomato confit.

Though traditionalists may insist that making cassoulet is an all-day affair, this hearty version-cooked with country-style spareribs, the meaty ones located closest to the pork shoulder-can be made in under 3 hours.

A fiber-filled belly warmer from Brian Scheehser, chef at Trellis in Kirkland, Washington.

Eat this hearty chili as is or over rice.

An intriguing, rich, and spicy soup with West African roots.

This hearty fish soup get tons of flavor from smoky bacon and fragrant saffron.

Lightly poached eggs add luxurious body and sophistication to this weeknight soup.