Scallion

You've never seen these on the menu at your local fast-food Mexican restaurant, and you probably never will. One of the joys of cooking is that leftovers can be used to create better meals than most people get when they eat out. These tacos are remarkably simple to make. Just put the various ingredients in their own serving containers on the table and let everyone serve themselves.

Coffee beans soften the heat of the chile and bring out the other flavors in this paste-like marinade. You can also use the paste on chicken, as they do at Maroons, where this dish is served. Begin marinating the meat the day before.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes of less.

Here's a perfect partner for turkey or veal burgers, sausages and toasted French bread.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We could describe the comforting qualities of this dish, which brings to mind creamed spinach. We could tell you how we especially love that it takes only minutes to prepare. But Edna Lewis's own comments from In Pursuit of Flavor really do the job much better: "Growing up, we would sow onion seed in the garden and then thin a lot of them out before their bulbs got too big. We chopped them up, sautéed them in bacon fat, poured in heavy cream, and ate them for breakfast. This recipe is not quite as rich as that, but uses scallions in a way that tastes just as delicious. In my opinion, they are an underused vegetable and taste almost as good today as they did years ago. I buy scallions that are about the size of a pencil but if they are a little thicker they still taste good."

Lane Crowther, a contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says, "Every year, I try to get my tradition-bound family to eat something new at Thanksgiving. This year, I'm hoping everyone will accept this dish in place of yams with marshmallows. It will take a lot of convincing, but I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. The orange juice gives the acorn squash a nice sweetness. Besides, Asian ingredients have become such an important part of American cooking lately that I thought it would be nice to fuse Pacific Rim flavors with a classic of the American table in autumn."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Serve with jicama sticks, radish slices, peeled cooked shrimp, and corn tortilla chips.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cut and toss the avocado garnish in lemon juice just before serving to prevent discoloration. Then sprinkle it over the top without tossing, or the salad will be mushy.

This delightful open-face omelet is aptly named; it's bursting with flavor and style.