7 provincial recipes

Old-fashioned stewing hen braised tender in seasoned broth, served over mashed potatoes or rice with a lemony green pea cream sauce. The kind of cooking grandma got right.

Sophisticate your chicken today with this easy crockpot recipe that you will end up storing in your cookbook.

Provencal chicken slow cooker (crock pot): chicken pieces braised with bacon, shallots, tomato, red wine, and Mediterranean herbs. 8 hours on low for a restaurant-worthy French-Italian-Spanish fusion.

Provencal braised beef marinated overnight in red wine with garlic, cloves, allspice, and vinegar, then slow-braised with bacon, carrots, brandy, and orange zest. A deeply flavored French country casserole.

Northern Chinese-style beef stir-fry with bok choy, sherry, five-spice, and a honey-soy gravy. A 25-minute wok dinner with real Northern provincial flavors.

A classic Yunnan province dish: whole chicken gently steamed for 2 hours with ginger, scallions, and rice wine, producing silky tender meat and a pure, golden broth.

Provencal vegetable stew with fennel, potatoes, tomatoes, saffron, orange zest, olives, and white wine. A fragrant, hearty vegetarian one-pot meal served with garlic mayo.