Peanut

This simple vegetarian pasta is perfect for a summertime picnic.

Ruggiero was served rose-scented candied peanuts and mint tea on the rooftop of the home of a Toubkal local. It turned out to be one of the best-tasting snacks she'd ever had.

Here's a very simple salad that's loaded with Southeast Asian flavor.

Thickened with peanuts like some Veracruz sauces, and made with the classic Mexican technique of blending and then frying the sauce ingredients, this mild chili makes for an earthy modern-day meal.

Peanut-studded brownies, peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache...what better way to savor the PB-chocolate combo?

Lightly blanched squid makes a simple and elegant salad with the tang of fish sauce and fresh lime juice.

Packed with peanuts and spiked with Thai curry paste, this chunky sauce nearly explodes with flavor and spice. Placed near the chicken satés or the crab-and-pork spring rolls, a bowl of it will quickly disappear.

Pa-O Long Beans Finding long beans is worth the effort — the high heat of the wok is just too much for green beans, which aren't as hearty.

Dipped in peanut sauce, these beef satés are flavor bombs on a stick. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients — we promise you won't be disappointed if you make the sauce from scratch. (It's so much fresher and more complex than any bottled product you may have used in the past.) The meat can be marinated and the sauce prepared ahead, so you just need to grill the satés before serving.

For subtle spice in this Asian-inspired soup, use half a red chile; add a whole chile for a good punch of heat.

Imagine peanut brittle that is as delicate as lace, with the familiar buttery crunch.

Once you've soaked the chiles for 2 hours, this mole comes together in 45 minutes.

Basil Tsiokos of Newburgh, New York, writes: "My best friend and I recently spent a week at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, a spa resort near Scottsdale, Arizona. Our goal was major exercise and minor calories, but on the last night we splurged at Elements with the richest dessert we could find — slices of chocolate-glazed frozen peanut butter mousse." Don't use natural-style peanut butter for this recipe; do start making it the day before serving.

Lapsang souchong tea imparts a subtle smokiness to these nuts; though you may not detect it immediately, the smoky flavor will set in as you eat more.

Xinxim de Galinha We debated whether to simmer or boil the coconut milk for this dish, fearing flavor loss or curdling. We ended up adding it at room temperature, with great results.

Chojín Alma Guillermoprieto of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes: "My guatemalan grandmother made a salad she called chojín. I remember the taste vividly, but when I went to Guatemala, no one knew the dish. This is my attempt to re-create it." While the ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple, the result is an eye-opening explosion of flavors.

Great with: Grilled hoisin-glazed ribs, pork chops, or chicken satay.