Vegetarian

Set this up in advance and serve it at room temperature. The cheese will be soft enough to scoop with a cracker—and will taste better, too.

A palate-cleansing fennel salad to balance rich pork and hearty sides.

Cream of tartar is optional, but it keeps the sugar from crystallizing, making this caramel foolproof.

For a slightly more virtuous quick bread—more like breakfast, less like dessert—reduce the amount of granulated sugar to one cup. 

Jaew is a tart, smoky dipping sauce from Thailand, usually served with grilled meats and sausages. Hot Joy chef Quealy Watson takes it to a Tex-Mex place in this eggy, cheesy rice dish that might remind you of nachos (it works). Watch the step-by-step video here.

If you can't find candied chestnuts, simply toss them in the cocoa with one tablespoon of brown sugar (no need to glaze them first).

The intensely flavored soffritto is the foundation of this rich pasta; double the ingredients and freeze half for next time.

This recipe from Thai-Kun makes a generous amount of sauce, which you may find yourself finishing (we won’t judge). Any leftover would be great on everything from white rice to noodles to…well, more bread.

Bright, herbal, and sharp, this comically simple condiment is just what you want alongside braised meat.

Because the dough for this pita bread recipe has a relatively short rising time, it can be made while the lamb braises. Turn up the oven and bake the pita while you’re reducing the braising liquid on the stove-top; the timing will come out perfectly.

A cooling, slightly garlicky spread that’s great with braised lamb tonight and possibly even better when added to a lamb sandwich tomorrow.

The broiled onion needs to be really black, all the way through, so that it’s dry enough to turn into powder to mix in this compound butter from Rose's Luxury. Things get smoky—open a window first!

Rose's Luxury chef Aaron Silverman combined his buttermilk biscuit recipe with his sous chef’s to create what he says are “the best biscuits I’ve ever tasted.”

Charred to a crisp: Not a statement usually associated with salads, but delicious nonetheless in this Mexican-inspired romaine number from Rose's Luxury.

This is the greatest potato bread recipe you'll ever encounter. And you absolutely need a stand mixer to make it.

“Acid and texture are the most important things,” says chef Eli Kulp, High Street on Market, Philadelphia. His hearty vegetarian breakfast sandwich—with its mix of marinated mushrooms, soft eggs, melted cheese, and a buttery toasted roll—proves his point.

Considering that tomato is a fruit, the addition of strawberries isn’t that strange in this sauce from Rose's Luxury. The sauce should be quite spicy, which tempers the berries’ sweetness.

Some great things are made with day-old bread: French toast. Croutons. Breadcrumbs. Add this nutty and sugary French pastry from Maurice to the list.

If you haven’t cooked with MSG before, give it a try—chef Quealy Watson, Hot Joy, San Antonio, is a big fan.

Looking for something quick, healthy, and vegetarian? Cue this soy-and-ginger-marinated tofu—no cooking required!

Chef Einat Admony’s keys to getting kids to eat yogurt: Make it bright red and thicker than ice cream.

Top this thickened, spreadable yogurt with a drizzle of olive oil and some spices (we’re suckers for za’atar).

The ultimate do-ahead, portable power breakfast; it’s also great with fresh fruit.