Poblano Chile

Rajas are chile strips cooked with onion (raja means "slice" in Spanish).

Camarones al Cilantro Laura Bookman of Weston, Massachusetts, writes: "Can you get me the recipe for camarones al cilantro from Cafe Sol Azteca, in Newton Center, Massachusetts?"

Here, sautéed polenta triangles add another dimension to a southwestern-style stew.

Potato salad with a southwestern kick‑the perfect partner for grilled flank steak, chicken or red snapper seasoned with cumin.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Achiote paste is a combination of vinegar, spices and annatto seeds, which have a unique, earthy taste. Basting the turkey with butter and achiote yields a moist, richly flavored bird, and the slightly piquant sauce is a refreshing change of pace from traditional gravy. Offer your favorite mashed potatoes, and pour a Pinot Noir.

Mini-tostadas are a popular Mexican bocadito, or finger food. Cotija is a crumbly white cheese sold at Latin markets and some supermarkets (feta cheese can be substituted.)

Rajas is the Spanish word for "strips," and in the Mexican kitchen it generally refers to strips of chile. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

The heat in fresh poblano chiles varies considerably; you may want to use more than one in this dish if they are not too hot. The sautéed vegetables can sit at room temperature for several hours before serving.

This moist bread is best fresh from the oven, but it can also be made ahead and reheated.

Margaritas, crisp Mexican beer or sangria would be perfect with this dinner.

For best results, make this stuffing with day-old Buttermilk Corn Bread.

This recipe for chiles en macedonia combines ingredients from three states—Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacan. It came from the late Juan Diego Michel, who taught in Billy Cross's schools in Napa Valley and PuertoVallarta. The dish was a favorite of the Michel family in Jalisco, where, in his younger days, Juan Diego had his own restaurant and used the recipes from 200 years ago that had been passed down to him. To Cross, he was a Mexican-cooking mentor.

Serve with warm corn bread or spoon over steamed rice. What to drink: Pale ale or Mexican lager or dark ale, such as Bohemia or Negra Modelo.

Chilies and corn—staples of the southwestern diet—are the hallmarks of this stuffing. Its intense corn flavor comes from a mixture of corn bread, corn chips, corn kernels and cream-style corn. It gets its zip from poblano and jalapeño chilies.