Susan Feniger

Every cook should have a good brisket recipe at the ready, and this one's a doozy. Braised with lots of browned onions, carrots, and celery in a mix of chicken broth and crushed tomatoes, the beef exits the oven full-flavored and fork-tender, ready to be shredded for the country hash or sliced and served with mashed potatoes for a homey dinner (though it's even better if you can wait a day). By all means, freeze the leftover braising liquid; it's wonderful as a sauce for fettuccine or as the base for a vegetable barley soup.

A rich meal calls for a crisp salad, in shades of green and white, to cleanse your palate. Radish sprouts add a peppery bite to the crunchy jicama and flat leaves of parsley and celery.

Consider making extra of this spicy syrup—it's delicious stirred into tea, added to smoothies, or drizzled over ice cream.

Serve this with a side of steamed basmati rice or Savory Semolina . Be sure to let guests know that there are whole cloves in the finished dish.

A flavorful, colorful vegetarian stew that's as beautiful as it is easy to make. Rice on the side makes the dish complete and soaks up all those great flavors.

In clarified butter, the milk solids are removed so the butter doesn't burn as easily. This can be made at least a week ahead.

Try this for breakfast or as a side dish.

The lamb needs to marinate overnight.

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

This dish from Ciudad in Los Angeles was inspired by the flavors of Portuguese cooking.