5 Ingredients or Fewer

Fried fish is the traditional filling of Baja tacos. They are simply garnished with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

This versatile dish is equally delicious served piping hot or at room temperature.

You can make this sauce with thawed frozen peas instead of fresh, in which case they don’t need to be blanched. The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat over medium-low heat, adding water to thin, if necessary.

Liana DiMeglio of Liana’s Trattoria in Fairfield, Connecticut, brought this recipe from Naples, Italy, years ago.

For more-generous portions, cook one hen per person. If you do, use two roasting pans, and double the other ingredients.

Garlic gives the dish a mellow flavor.

We serve this flavorful gravy over meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but it is equally good with other classic comfort foods, such as ham and biscuits.

If you can’t find precut chicken quarters, ask your butcher to quarter a 5-pound chicken and remove the backbone.

You can bake the chicken wings a day ahead and store them, covered, in the refrigerator; bring them to room temperature before grilling.

Leftover crème fraîche makes a delicious accompaniment to fruit desserts.

The potatoes must be parboiled so they will be done at the same time as the chicken.

Save extra pesto to use on other grilled meats or fish. It will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Five-spice powder is a pungent seasoning mix used widely in Chinese cooking. It is made of equal parts ground cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. For a recipe, see page 650.

Brush on fish, chicken, and burgers.

Leave a cool spot on the grill for cooking the roasts after they are glazed; turn them frequently to avoid burning.

Low-fat plain yogurt can be used instead.