Oregano

Applying the rub to the chicken ahead of time infuses it with flavor.

With the help of barman Euclides López, I fashioned a Mexican rendition of Audrey Saunders's French Pearl using two staples of Puebla cuisine: mezcal and fresh oregano.

Want super-crisp chicken without having to add much fat? Start with a room-temperature pan: As the skillet becomes hot, the chicken skin will gradually render its fat, becoming browned and crackling.

Barbacoa de Cabrito This goat barbecue typifies a style where the meat absorbs an adobo, a fragrant, spicy marinade of dried chiles and other seasonings. I watched Zoyla Mendoza make this dish in her village, Teotitlán del Valle. Though she and her family can well afford to eat meat, they usually save it for special occasions, so they rejoiced when I asked them to teach me their favorite barbacoa. It was beautiful, breathing the scent of fresh avocado leaves and other herbs. The meat becomes unbelievably tender without drying out or getting mushy. When I came back to my New York kitchen, I set to work to find other methods close to the tender savor of a true pit barbecue. For the type that Zoyla showed me, I feel the best results come from packing the marinated meat in a tightly covered pan just large enough to hold the ingredients and baking it for a long time in a moderate oven. A turkey roaster is good. If you don't have a big enough pan with a tight-fitting lid, wrap several layers of aluminum foil very snugly around the pan to seal in the steam. I make the barbacoa as Zoyla made it, with young goat (kid). Goat is available in some Greek, halal Muslim, and West Indian butcher shops and can sometimes be ordered from other butchers. Ask the butcher to cut it into quarters. Oaxacans always include and specially value the head, which has some extra-tender nuggets of meat. (This is optional for the doubting.) If goat is not available, lamb is the best substitute. At my restaurant, we use lamb shoulder. The dish can also be made with a whole fresh ham or a pot-roasting cut of beef such as round, though you may have to reduce the amount of marinade slightly and experiment with a shorter cooking time. Of course true pre-Hispanic barbacoa was made with turkey—not used as frequently nowadays, but still a notably authentic choice. When the meat is cooked in an authentic pit it yields a lot of rich juices that never develop using the oven method. At my restaurant in New York we approximate this as follows: When the adobo (chile paste) is made, set aside 1 1/4 cup of the mixture and rub the meat with the rest. Cook as described below. When the meat is done, skim the fat from the pan juices and deglaze the roasting pan with 2 cups homemade chicken broth over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in one 28- to 32-ounce can tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Add the reserved adobo and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes, or until reduced to about 4 cups. Let cool slightly and purée in a blender (working in batches as necessary) until smooth. Serve with the carved meat.

This simple sandwich's flavor is amped-up with a hit of fresh oregano.

Get juicy shrimp by gently steaming them in an herb-and-lemon infused broth.

These noodles have oodles of satisfying umami, owing to onions, chicken stock, spinach and Parmesan.

Would you like a side of fries with that? Say yes at a restaurant and you could be adding 430 calories and 23 grams of fat to your order. Our slimmed-down spuds cut those numbers in half!

Ravioli are a slam dunk with most people, and making them in the half-moon, or mezzaluna, shape makes a classic preparation a little more elegant. Between the oregano, the fontina cheese, and the meaty eggplant, the filling is quite hearty so I dress these simply with a little extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs.

This native American fish—a relative of Pacific salmon and Arctic char—is prized for its delicate flavor. While fishing is the only way to obtain wild rainbow trout in this country, supermarkets carry stock from U.S. farms. Fortunately, rainbow trout farms are generally well managed and sustainable, with a low risk of pollution.

Fresh herbs are a healthy way to season fish and other lean proteins. Here, pungent oregano and bright lemon juice balance the richness of the trout. The whole trout are grilled in this recipe, but you can use the broiler instead; lightly coat the broiler pan or a rimmed baking sheet with oil before heating, and cook the fish for the same amount of time.

Many cooks prefer to grill larger cuts of fish rather than smaller fillets, since the extra heft helps to trap in moisture and flavor. This recipe calls for a large piece from a side of salmon to be grilled on a bed of citrus and herbs, which helps keeps the fish from sticking to the grate. Instead of a crisp skin, you’ll get plenty of bright flavors from the aromatics. Use this method to grill other types of fish, too, whether whole sides or smaller fillets (even skinless ones). The herbs can vary; dill, marjoram, parsley, and thyme are all particularly lovely with fish.

The name belies the simplicity of this flavor enhancer, readily made by blending herbs and other aromatics with softened butter. It is most classically affiliated with steaks and chops, but compound butter can be used almost any time in place of plain butter. Try some on poached, steamed, or grilled fish or vegetables; feel free to experiment with different herbs and other flavorings. Compound butters will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer (thaw in the refrigerator before using); slip the parchment-wrapped cylinders into resealable plastic bags before storing. Or, chill the logs until firm, then slice off rounds and freeze individual portions. If you plan to serve the butter soon after it’s made, simply scrape it into ramekins or other small serving dishes instead of forming it into a log (cover with plastic and refrigerate until needed).

Marinara—pizza with tomato sauce and oregano and without cheese—is one of the two kinds of pizzas approved by the Assocciazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. At the tiny bakery in Panicale, they always have a sheet pan of tomato pizza and one of zucchini pizza on display, both sold at room temperature. It’s so simple, but made with good sauce and fragrant oregano, it’s delicious. Prepare and stretch the dough and preheat the oven according to the instructions given in “Nancy’s Scuola di Pizza” (page 128). Brush the rim of the dough with olive oil and season the entire surface with salt. Ladle or spoon the sauce onto the center of the dough and use the back of the ladle or spoon in a circular motion to spread the sauce out over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch rim without any sauce. Scatter the pieces of cheese over the pizza, slide it into the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and cut it into quarters. Drizzle the pizza with the finishing-quality olive oil, scatter the tiny basil leaves or snip the large leaves over the top, and serve.

We put so much dried oregano in this vinaigrette that you might think it’s a typo. It’s not. Because the oregano is so prominent, look for sources such as Penzeys that specialize in dried herbs.

Be sure your kitchen is well ventilated when you soak the New Mexican and guajillo chiles; their vapors can be a mild irritant.

When put directly on the grill, potatoes will burn before they are cooked through. Parboiling potatoes and wrapping them in a foil packet with seasonings allows for perfectly grilled potatoes with lots of golden, flavorful bits. See page 619 for more spice-mix suggestions.

This recipe calls for lime juice—rather than lemon juice or vinegar—to brighten the sweet flavor of summer tomatoes. We used heirloom varieties for their exceptional taste and vivid colors, but you can use any kind or size—from the farmers’ market or your own backyard—as long as they are ripe.