Latin American

Get creative with how you mold the dough; these instructions are for shaping crossbones, but you could also make several small loaves or divide the dough into thirds to make a braid.

This gorgeous bright red paste is so much better than the store-bought stuff. Rub it on chicken, pork, or fish—it's especially delicious for these tacos al pastor.

The lighter, herbier counterpart to porky posole rojo, this brothy stew was made for crisp autumn nights.

If you can’t find guajillo chiles, use New Mexico or Californian chiles, and for moritas, try chipotle chiles in adobo. 

What makes the dish is a 26-ingredient mole, a riff on the Oaxacan sauce that the chef calls a "happy accident."

This recipe makes more spice mix and chile paste than you’ll need for a single batch of mole. Keep the extras on hand for chili, stews, braises, or another batch of mole!

Prep the salsa over a live fire and fry the eggs on a propane stove for this camping-ready recipe.

These fillings would also work wrapped up in a tortilla or lavash.

Attention: Also delicious with mint in place of the cilantro (some people really hate cilantro).

Any fairly thin cut of beef will work with this marinade; try flank or New York strip.

Choose the best-quality fish for this simple ceviche.

When the smartest food blog in town throws a party in a Modernist masterpiece, what's on the plate is as bold as the architecture surrounding it.

Aguachile is a chile and citrus dressing that’s often paired with raw fish. You’ll want to drink this veggie version right from the platter.

You’ve probably never seen smoked swordfish before, but you probably weren’t looking. Find it at Mexican, Spanish, or other specialty grocers, or at a well-stocked fish market.

Authentic barbacoa is a daylong event involving a whole animal and an underground fire pit. This take is easier and totally delicious.

Charring the vegetables adds bittersweet depth; serve leftovers on scrambled eggs.

The smoky flavor of the fire-roasted tomatoes fits in here, but regular tomatoes would be good, too. This goes great with our beer-braised brisket.

You can substitute ancho chiles for the chilhuacle amarillo chiles and the chilcostle chiles in this mole, but for authentic color and flavor, order these hard to find chiles from spicetrekkers.com.

There are no dried chiles in this green mole; it boasts bright, fresh flavors instead.

Chilhuacle negro chiles give this mole its traditional flavor and should not be substituted. They’re difficult to find in the U.S., but you can find them—and the other chiles you’ll need—at spicetrekkers.com.

How many tortillas can one person eat in three days? Andrew Knowlton spends a long weekend devouring tacos in search of Austin’s greatest and most diverse culinary star

A low-fuss soup like this spicy, hearty number is great for a crowd.

Chef Ryan Pera, Coltivare Pizza & Garden, Houston, learned the art of arepas from his sister-in-law. Now, this recipe is his easy Sunday meal of choice, packed with leftovers or farm-fresh produce.

You could debate endlessly what makes a perfect fish taco—and we did. After a lot of “research” (read: eating), we came up with the lightest, crunchiest, tastiest version ever.