Beef Chuck

The Lenz Winery, one of the oldest on Long Island, has had the same winemaker, Eric Fry, since 1989. Fry's mantra is "Ripe fruit!" — and hows in the Lenz Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has an amazing concentration of flavors, an intense raspberry and black-cherry nose, and smooth tannins that provide a long finish. In short, it's a perfect partner for Fry's deeply flavored venison stew. In this satisfying harvest dish, venison is browned, then oven-braised in wine. Fry puts any leftovers on a roll for lunch.

This tender chuck roast makes two meals. Most of the meat is sliced and served with onion gravy, accompanied by egg noodles, and the rest gets shredded and saved for a warm beef salad . You might want to round out the first meal with a green salad or sautéed spinach.

It's easy to stereotype salad as summertime fare, but this dish proves otherwise. Shredded beef and warm potatoes pair up with a lively mustard vinaigrette to create this satisfying meal.

Flavia Schepmans of New York, New York, writes: "One of many Belgian regional variations, this beef stew hails from my mother's natal city, Ghent." Our associate art director Flavia Schepmans's mother uses American-style beer in this recipe. If you want to try another beer, go for a Belgian ale — an imported pilsner might be too bitter.

Serve over couscous, if desired.

This recipe is adapted from George Lang's book The Cuisine of Hungary.

Manti The lamb will be easier to cut if it has been well chilled. Adding the salt to the filling just before forming the manti prevents the meat from curing.

In this typical Northern Italian entrée, polenta is topped with a rich and meaty ragù. Begin preparing the dish one day before you plan to serve it.

'80S THE COSBY SHOW In the well-appointed Huxtable kitchen ("The Drum Major" first aired on February 4, 1988), Cliff explains to his family why it's essential to wait three days before eating his famous chili: "If you tasted this on the first day, you'd say, 'What can did this come out of?' If you tasted this on the second day, you'd say, 'Oh my goodness, somebody's grandmother got up off her chair and just took this to the mountain!' But on the third day you don't even have to taste it. You just walk by the pot and something says, 'Hey, come here!'" Although this chili can be eaten the same day it's made, it really does taste better if you wait another day or two. Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 6 1/2 hr (plus 1 to 2 days for flavors to develop)

Trimming all corners and ragged edges from the carrots and potatoes is very Japanese; rounded edges also ensure even cooking. In Japan we used metal molds to cut our carrots into plum blossoms for a seasonal motif. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Joe's Special This meal was supposedly concocted as late-night fuel for 1920s musicians, at a spot called New Joe's, on Columbus St.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave oven.

This stew should be made in a large soup kettle measuring at least 10 inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches. I like mashed potatoes with my stew. If you prefer potato chunks in your stew, boil them separately and add them to the pot with the carrots and peas.