Chile de Árbol

Forget the salad. This colorful assortment of vegetables will stay fresh and snappy on the buffet all night long.

Drizzle this fragrant honey over your favorite cheese, or use it as a condiment on prosciutto panini.

You only need 2 tablespoons of this paste for the Panang Vegetable Curry. Freeze tablespoonfuls of the remaining paste on a sheet pan, then store in a plastic freezer bag for up to 2 months. Use cubes to add deep flavor to soups, stews, and rice dishes.

Use this zesty spice mix for sprinkling over the shellfish, corn, and potatoes.

The spices that are added to the shrimp cooking liquid were inspired by Cajun crawfish boils.

Luxurious and vegetarian.

Tortilla soup is all about contrasting textures, but its real success hinges on a fabulous broth—in this case, homemade chicken stock enriched with a cooked purée of chiles, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.

Turkey is native to Mexico; it was a staple in the Mayan diet. I first sampled pavo en sac kol at Los Almendros in Mérida. This recipe was inspired by Rick Bayless.

Fish sauce and dried shrimp flavor the sweet, spicy, and bright chile jam used to glaze this side dish with deeply savory notes.

Serve this classic and satisfying stir-fry over brown rice.

The beans and the chiles need to soak overnight, so start this the day before.

The flavors of Mexico enliven this very adaptable spice paste, which is excellent on grilled beef and chicken as well as pork. If you want to make the flavor even more complex, substitute crushed chile de árbol, dried pasilla, or New Mexico chiles for the red-pepper flakes.

These unusual inside-out tacos have an avocado filling and a meat sauce.