Guajillo Chile

Steaming the chicken wrapped in parchment pouches and draped in a spiced chile sauce ensures such a tender, juicy result you’ll be shocked it’s not dark meat.

Caldo de camarón is a classic cantina dish, offered two ways, on its own or with the vegetables and shrimp.

The scent of homemade salsa roja always takes me back to my childhood. The aroma of rehydrating dried chiles mingling with fresh serrano chiles or jalapeños, tomatoes, onion, and garlic was a weekly occurrence in our household. It was always too spicy for my young palate, but I never got sick of the smell wafting through the house. Though I’ve grown into a heat-seeker as my palate has evolved, this version doesn’t have to be spicy at all. Adding a single serrano chile to the mix gives this mild .…

I use these creamy black beans in my breakfast burritos, but they can be enjoyed in many other dishes too. Make extra for bean and cheese tacos, or use them as a side dish with roast chicken. These black beans can also be used in tamales, sopes, or simply spread on a tostada with salsa. The possibilities are endless.

Menudo is typically served on weekends (whether that means family reunions, dressed in your Sunday best—or as an ideal hangover cure). The earthiness of the hominy and smoky chiles makes this dish one you’ll crave for weekends to come. Dried snow mushrooms are easy to find online and at many East Asian grocery stores. Their frilly, honeycomb-like texture provides a similar look and bite to the pancita—a.k.a. beef stomach—used in traditional menudo, making this dish accessible to almost anyone. W.…

Enchiladas are my comfort food: warm corn tortillas bathed in a slightly sweet, spicy, and bright sauce of chiles and tomato, wrapped around either a quick sauté of whatever veggies I have hanging out in the fridge or the creamy potato mash used here.

If you can’t eat just one totopo (tortilla chip), this is the salsa of your dreams. 

These extra-thick cousins of the tortilla are toasted on a comal or griddle and split open before they’re stuffed with a wide array of flavorful fillings.

Pork tacos al pastor may get the fame, but this fish al pastor deserves plenty of glory. A potent chile marinade adds lots of flavor before the fillets hit the grill, and a pineapple salsa is the perfect finishing touch.

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.

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.

Skip that dusty bottle of chili powder. Instead, soak and purée whole dried chiles to stir into this authentic Texas beef stew.

This isn’t the thick harissa that resembles a paste. Treat it like your favorite barbecue sauce and smother grilled steak and chicken with it.

This irresistibly smoky-spicy condiment lasts for a month and perks up everything from scrambled eggs to lamb chops.

If you’ve never made posole, this is a good starter recipe. There are no hard-to-get cuts (like the pig’s head called for in many traditional versions), and most of the process is hands-off.

Tim Love's rib rules are few, but strict: Don't par-boil, rub liberally but never sauce, and once they're smoking, keep your hands off.

Look to Mexico, where turkey has been the big bird for centuries. Continue the theme by using the leftovers for tacos (corn tortillas, shredded meat, lime…). We promise you won't miss your sandwich.

Four Horsemen’s glorious take on patatas bravas requires cooking the potatoes three times (once blanched, twice fried). We wouldn’t make you go through all that if it wasn’t worth it.

These richly-spiced enchiladas are a totally worthwhile weekend cooking project.