Latin American

Although very simple to make, its flavor complexity is unbelievable, especially for how light it is. Although whole cacao beans are ideal—you can find them at a local spice store or specialty chocolate shop—cacao nibs work too.

Hold these sesame-coated chocolate-and-nut cookies up to the light to appreciate the stained-glass effect of the dried fruit.

Beets can stand up to a hard roast and plenty of spice. Their sweet earthiness and firm texture mean they’re ideal for making meatless chorizo. If beets aren’t your thing, any sweet root vegetable will work.

This easy chile-spiked cooked tomato salsa pairs well with the beet-topped tostadas but is a great sauce all on its own.

Juicy pork al pastor and oozy Oaxacan cheese make a brilliant combo. Thinly slicing the pork and cooking it in a hot skillet with plenty of marinade still clinging to the meat yields the charred edges and deep flavor of traditional spit-roasted pastor.

Birria is usually served with a side of consomé, the rich pan juices from the roasted meat. This recipe takes things a step further by puréeing those juices with roasted vegetables and dried chiles.

Mashing some chickpeas into the sizzling chorizo adds heft while keeping this meal light on the meat

This traditional South American honey-almond cookie gets a tropical twist with an easy-bake coconut dulce de leche filling.

This Argentinian staple is typically topped with mayonnaise, mustard, and chimichurri. We swapped out the chimichurri for a fresh salsa criolla, which takes just minutes to make.

This combination of roasted poblano chiles, cubed boiled potatoes, onions, and crema, cooked into a savory concoction makes a divine vegetarian taco filling.

Baking a single large-format tamal in a foil-covered pan set in a roasting pan of hot water produces a similarly tender texture to the corn husk–wrapped variety. The result is a moist, barely sweet cake with pudding vibes.

If you can find it, try making this green sauce with hoja santa, a robust aromatic Mexican herb—if not, any hardy green will work (we call for kale).

For the diner who can never decide, this classic dish marries salsa roja and salsa verde over a bed of chicken enchiladas. A crown of queso fresco, crème fraîche, and crisp raw onions bridge the gap.