Onion

Carbonades Flamandes This traditional Flemish recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. After hours over low heat, the meat becomes remarkably tender, the onions are sweetly caramelized, and the ale simmers down to a rich sauce. If you prefer a thicker stew, remove the lid for the last two hours of cooking. Serve this dish with a good Belgian beer. This recipe was originally part of a feature on slow cooking. For additional recipes and tips for using a slow cooker, click here.

Slow-cooking dark leg meat results in incredibly tender, flavorful chicken. However, if you prefer white meat you can substitute bone-in chicken breasts. Placing the onions on the bottom of the slow cooker will ensure that they become silky soft as the chicken releases its juices, creating a heady sauce. This recipe was originally part of a feature on slow cooking. For additional recipes and tips for using a slow cooker, click here.

In the islands, black-eyed peas are known as black-eyed beans.

Often found at shacks on the beach in Puerto Rico, this full-flavored crab dish is served in the shell, or with rice and green bananas or plantains. A defining element of the dish is sofrito, a traditional Spanish sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, and hot pepper.

Named after the heart-shaped callaloo leaves from the taro plant, this traditional stew can be made with crab, lobster, and shrimp, or taro root and coconut milk. But all versions of the dish call for okra and, of course, callaloo leaves. Spinach makes a great substitute for the callaloo.

"Rundown" (also called "oiled down" or "oil dong") is a classic stew served throughout the islands, often using saltfish or mackerel. Stories proliferate as to where the term comes from, but Jamaicans say "cook it down" when they mean to cook something for a long time. This vegetarian take is luxurious and satisfying. Serve this as a side dish or over rice as an entrée.

Anne Marie Gaspard of Gros Islet, St. Lucia, writes: "I've always enjoyed cooking — for my family and for myself. My children are grown, so when they visit on Sundays, I spoil them with good home-cooked meals. During the week I like to make dishes that are different but still easy."

Nuevo cubano: This is Rodriguez's riff on vaca frita, slow-cooked shredded meat that's then sautéed with onions. Rodriguez likes to serve the steak whole, with an onion mojo on the side. (Mojo usually refers to a marinade made with citrus, olive oil, and onions, but here the mixture has been transformed into a condiment.) What to drink: A selection of Latin beers like Corona Extra, Hatuey, Negra Modelo, Dos Equis, and Tecate.

"Shark and bake," a popular Trinidadian pocket sandwich, is found at beach shacks and street stalls throughout the island. Part of its appeal is the variety of go-withs, from mango chutney to sliced cucumbers. "Bake" is a catchall term for several types of bread, grilled or fried. Since blacktip shark — the traditional choice — is not readily available, catfish or tilapia fillets are substituted here. Pita pockets are a stand-in for the flatbread that's typically used to make the sandwich.

Improv: Top with smoked salmon instead of caviar.

This clever appetizer is halfway between a pizza and a flatbread.

Be sure the lamb is trimmed; otherwise, ask the butcher to do it for you.

Get the freshest ground star anise by making your own. It's as easy as grinding a few star anise pods in a spice mill or a coffee grinder.

Instant Party: Crispy fish tacos, pickled onions and jalapeños, lime cream, salsa verde, and guacamole — it all adds up to one fun party. Set everything out, and let everyone assemble their own.

Cara Brunetti Hillyard of Hamilton, Virginia, writes: "I come from a long line of great cooks. My father owns an Italian market in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where my mother gets a lot of the ingredients she uses in her wonderful dishes. My mother-in-law is a recipe developer, and I've been known to sit next to my great-aunt Stella with a pen and paper as she details her amazing recipes. I live far from home now, but I reconnect with my family traditions every evening when I make dinner."

This will disappear fast, so doubling the recipe might not be a bad idea.

Ají ecuatorianoají ecuatoriano Served on the table as an accompaniment to soups, this fresh sauce gets its tart, vibrant flavor from the tamarillo (tree tomato), native to South America. A small red tomato can be substituted.