Main Dish Recipes

Impanadas are Italian baked half-moon pies filled with pork braised in red wine and vinegar with fennel and mint, wrapped in a butter semolina crust. Baked until golden.

Crispy fried crab croquettes seasoned with cayenne, white pepper, and garlic, served with a cream of wine sauce. Old-school Southern entertaining at its finest.

Slow-simmered chili con carne with ground beef, kidney beans, and black olives. Bacon fat builds the base, and a splash of vinegar and brown sugar balance the heat.

Traditional Irish pot-roasted chicken stuffed with oatmeal, bacon, and onion, braised with carrots and potatoes in giblet stock. Country Sunday supper from the Emerald Isle that turns a whole bird into a one-pot feast.

Fried calamari with spicy anchovy mayonnaise: squid rings in a graham cracker and flour coating fried crisp, served with a bold anchovy-cayenne dipping sauce. A restaurant appetizer at home.

Chicken delish is a lattice-topped chicken and ham pie with toasted almonds, mushrooms, and a nutmeg-spiced cream broth poured over the top. Classic midcentury potluck casserole, baked golden.

Slow cooker Hawaiian chicken breasts braised in pineapple juice, topped with butter-sauteed pineapple rings and fresh avocado slices. Served over buttered rice.

Marcia Adams's maple baked ham: an 8-pound cooked ham glazed with pure maple syrup and served with a mustard-Worcestershire pan sauce. A classic holiday centerpiece with sweet-savory drippings.

Granny's chicken and dumplings made the Southern way with rolled, cut flat dumplings and a whole chicken pressure-cooked into rich stock. Old-fashioned scratch comfort food from a hand-me-down recipe.

Mexican oven-bag pork chops with salsa, kidney beans, bell peppers, lime, and chili powder. A one-bag weeknight dinner that bakes tender in under 40 minutes with zero scrubbing.

Moroccan chicken breasts stuffed with California dried figs, almonds, and honey, then simmered in a spiced tomato-wine sauce with allspice and sesame seeds. Served over rice for an exotic weeknight dinner.

Baked catfish fillets coated in Parmesan cheese and flour, topped with sliced almonds and melted butter. A crispy, golden fish dinner ready in 45 minutes.

Slow-simmered buffalo meat with beer, root vegetables, and sage tucked under a golden, flaky pastry crust. A rugged pot pie straight from the Northern Plains.

Canned salmon and grated potato pancakes fried crispy golden, served with applesauce or horseradish sour cream. An easy, budget-friendly dinner the whole family loves. Think latkes meet salmon cakes.

Steamed cabbage-beef rolls stuffed with ground beef, rice, and sage, finished with a chili-tomato pan sauce. An Eastern European golubtsi-style dish with tender, juicy filling from steam cooking.

Crustless feta spinach quiche, a lighter quiche skipping the pastry, with sauteed spinach and onion, tangy feta, and a touch of cayenne in a fluffy egg custard. Easy, lower-carb, and protein-packed.