Poultry

The origin of this dish is unknown, but it's a common menu feature of many Italo-American restaurants of the red-sauce variety. In kitchen lingo, a shoemaker is a shortcutting, skillful hack; a shoemaker cobbles things, a meal, together from the meager things on hand. In Italian, scarpa translates as "shoe" and scarpariella is slang for shoemaker. The actual name for one who plies this trade is calzolaio. In Chicken Scarpariella, a spring chicken is "hacked" up in to small pieces and quickly cooked with a few common ingredients.

The popular rum-and-mint cocktail from Cuba was the inspiration for this entrée. A last-minute spritz of grilled lime adds even more flavor. Garnish with grilled pineapple slices cut into star shapes, if desired.

Madras-style curry powder, which is spicier than the standard, adds a little heat here.

This version of a tagine, the classic Moroccan stew, calls for dark meat because it stays moist when braised. If you prefer white meat, reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

This old favorite is a delicious way to use up cold turkey.

Sliced or diced fresh avocado makes a colorful garnish for this hearty southwestern soup. If you want to cut up the avocado ahead of time but don't want it to discolor, simply place the avocado pieces in a colander and rinse them with cold water. They will stay bright green for about two hours.

This satisfying meal in a bowl is also good sprinkled with a touch of grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Chef Lisa Ahier likes the flavor of Key limes or Mexican limes, which she can buy locally and year-round, for the marinade below. But even if you use regular lime juice, you'll love this chicken, which is as delicious at room temperature as it is hot. In fact, Gourmet's food editors couldn't get enough of it.

An easy do-ahead appetizer.

Pitted prunes replace the more customary mushrooms in this delicious variation.