Recipes with peppercorns

Whole chicken steamed then wok-smoked over tea leaves, cassia bark, star anise, and rice for deeply aromatic, mahogany-skinned Chinese smoked chicken. A showstopper Hunan technique with layers of warm spice and sesame.

Oxtail is one of the most economical and most flavorful cuts of meat, and one that takes well to marinating for days in a hearty mixture of red wine, herbs, and vegetables. The longer you marinate the mixture, the more flavorful it will be, but be sure it marinates at least 3 days. Oxtail is also a fatty cut -- give yourself plenty of time to allow the stew to cook and then cool, so all the fat can be skimmed off. Serve this with thick noodles in warmed soup bowls, accompanied by a tossed salad, and of course, a robust red wine.

Pad Go: Thai stir-fried lobster with fresh ginger, garlic, jalapeño, and scallions in an oyster-fish sauce glaze. A showstopping seafood dinner that's on the table in 30 minutes.

A succulent pork roast dish that's made with green peppercorns and apple cider.

A classic Thai hot and sour shrimp soup (Tom Yum Goong) with lemongrass, galangal, coriander root, lime juice, fish sauce, and red chilies. Fragrant, spicy, and ready in 30 minutes.

Homemade lamb stock from leftover leg-of-lamb bones simmered with celery, carrot, onion, tomato, and herbs. The kitchen-fundamental that turns a roast carcass into the base for stews, soups, and sauces.

Szczupak po polsku is a classic Polish dish of gently poached pike (or whitefish, perch, or sole) topped with a warm butter sauce of chopped hard-boiled eggs, fresh dill, and lemon juice. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Kakavia is the Greek fisherman's soup built from homemade fish stock, whole fish pieces, lobster tails, and shrimp simmered with tomatoes, leeks, and potatoes. A traditional seafood soup served with crusty bread and lemon wedges.

Making your own chicken stock may take some time, but when you taste one tablespoonful afterwards, you will feel it's well worth the effort.

Vegan shepherd's pie style casserole with a mashed potato crust, savory tofu filling, mushrooms, corn and spinach, smothered in homemade brown gravy. Hearty plant-based comfort food.

Arroz con pollo Puerto Rican style with chicken marinated overnight in adobo, sofrito, salt pork, ham, olives, capers, and peas, then simmered together into one golden pot.

Classic French veal stew with shoulder cubes browned in butter, braised in white wine and broth with a bouquet garni. Fork-tender and rich, served over rice, polenta, or potatoes.

Grilled steaks marinated in red wine, garlic, and Worcestershire then crusted with grainy mustard and cracked black pepper. The mustard caramelizes on the grill into a peppery, fragrant bark.

Thai red curry scallops (Chuu-Chii) with homemade curry paste, coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, and fish sauce. Includes a from-scratch paste recipe using galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste.

Thai glass noodles baked with prawns, coriander root, ginger, peppercorns, and oyster sauce in individual pots. Kung Op Wun Sen ready in 30 minutes.

A fiery Chinese hot pot of pork intestine, duck blood curd, and sour cabbage simmered in a chili-ginger broth with Sichuan peppercorns. Served bubbling over a tabletop burner.