Gluten Free

With a mega-flame and a gargantuan pot, you can cook an ocean's worth of seafood in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop—without stepping foot in a steamy kitchen.

Slightly underripe plums? Add a touch more honey.

When you put an egg on eggplant, you get a veg main course.

Strawberries and cream...and cardamom. The cooling spice and cucumbers give berries an element of intrigue.

Typical Mexican enchiladas arrive rolled up and stuffed, but at my favorite enchilada street stand—the inspiration for this recipe—they're stacked in a messy, luxurious pile, with separate individual layers of corn tortillas, fresh cilantro and onion, green enchilada sauce, shredded cheese and chicken. The whole thing is topped with a blanket of crema and more cheese. It's almost like a deconstructed lasagna. The dish is enough to make you fall deeply in love with Mexico City—particularly when the corn tortillas are homemade, and the green sauce is prepared with a slow-simmering pot of fresh chicken stock.

Tacos al pastor—made from marinated pork that's been roasted on a vertical spit—are wildly popular in Mexico City, particularly at night. The best taqueros put on a show, slicing off bits of caramelized meat and catching it in one hand (or behind their back!), and then reaching above the meat to slice off a piece of warm, juicy pineapple. According to city folklore, these tacos were invented in the capital. The dish is a direct descendant of shawarma, brought by Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Mexico in the early twentieth century. The marinade in this recipe comes from Tacos Don Guero in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, whose taqueros were kind enough to explain their ingredients to me at six a.m. one weekday morning. Obviously very few people at home will have a vertical spit—part of what gives tacos al pastor its signature flavor—but a grill would work well, or a blazing-hot cast iron skillet or griddle greased with a little lard.

Bitter and bossy seeks warm and sweet: This robust dressing is capable of standing up to—and slightly softening—acerbic greens like dandelion or arugula. (Maybe it's the bacon...)

Roasted poblano chiles and cream are a classic—and irresistible—combination. It's worth roasting more than you need—the peeled and seeded chiles freeze well and thaw quickly. Sliced and seared zucchini or chayote squash is a terrific addition to the rajas mixture.

In the state of Chiapas, these are made with chewy dried shrimp and called tostadas turulas. Use the most flavorful shrimp and best tomatoes you can find.

The classic combination of peaches and cream takes a trip south of the border in these cinnamon-spiked ice pops.

Spicy Mexican chorizo adds richness to tinga, a tomatoey shredded-chicken tostada topping.

When coming up with a vinegar sauce for Fette Sau, I didn't want something that was too obviously connected to any specific regional barbecue. (North Carolina 'cue employs a sauce that's either vinegar and spices, in the eastern part of the state, or the same with the addition of tomato, in the west; South Carolina adds mustard to its vinegar sauce.) And I wanted a vinegar sauce that would work equally well with all kinds of smoked meat—not just the pork it's usually paired with. This sauce will add brightness to pulled pork, and it has enough depth to stand up to beef and lamb.

We use this rub on just about everything that we smoke at the restaurant, but you needn't follow the recipe exactly. Feel free to improvise on the ingredients and amounts, reducing the sugar for a less-sweet "bark" (crust), increasing the cayenne for a spicier one, and so on.

Serve this cooling mint-infused watermelon juice as cooling refreshment in the summer sun.

In Mexico, salpicón is a kind of shredded meat or fish salad, usually made with beef, and commonly served on tostadas. This version gets a fresh crunch from radishes and sweet acidic kick from a combination of lime and pineapple juices.

This black bean spread gets a hint of unexpected sweetness from the ground fennel seeds. Traditional Mexican dishes often use dried avocado leaf, which has a similar flavor. Try the spread as a base for tostadas or nachos, or serve with chips for dipping.

Once you try the combination of tangy and smoky flavors of pickled, grilled cabbage, you'll always want to make your slaw this way.

Aromatic spices and tangy yogurt give great flavor to this quick riff on the Indian classic.

This antioxidant-and fiber-packed salad is a perfect side for your summer dinner and spring brunches. With the fragrant addition of caraway seeds and curry powder, you'll be in anti-inflammatory (and flavor) heaven.