Chipotle

Canned chipotle peppers add smoky, spicy heat.

Flavored butter can make plain food instantly interesting by enlivening it with the flavors of fresh herbs, ginger, citrus, chiles, or roasted garlic. Keep some in the freezer to use in cooking or at the table. Give an instant flavor boost to plain steamed vegetables, broiled or grilled fish, eggs, grains, pasta, corn on the cob, or mashed potatoes. Slather it on fresh bread, rolls, or biscuits.

This is one of the fastest yet most delectable fish preparations. Flounder is a delicate fish, so you need to use care (a wide spatula helps) when turning it to cook on the second side.

Fast, easy, warm, and inviting, this dish will quickly become a favorite part of your simple supper repertoire.

There must be as many recipes for chili as there are cooks. This one has the surprising addition of lentils and the smoky spiciness of chipotles.

Inspired by a Southwestern Native American dish, this is a sunny, colorful stew of roasted vegetables in a hot and smoky mole-type sauce.

I love ketchup as much as the next American does, but when I was designing the menu for Bobby’s Burger Palace, I knew that I wanted to have a little something extra to offer in the squeeze bottles. The simple addition of pureed chipotle in adobo gives prepared ketchup an exciting smoky edge, while still keeping its sweet yet tangy identity intact.

I created this barbecue sauce to top the Dallas and Cheyenne burgers (pages 37 and 39), but it’s also an ideal dipping sauce for Perfect French Fries (page 86). After you’ve made this quick and easy sauce once, you’ll want to slather it on grilled chicken, steak, pork chops . . . you might never go back to the bottled stuff.

This comforting steak casserole is slightly sweet and savory at the same time.

Pat: This is our kind of tomato soup—it has plenty of attitude! A double dose of heat (crushed red-pepper flakes and chipotle-pepper purée) gives it a smoky undertone; a garnish of avocado relish balances the flavors and provides an appealing texture. This soup is delicious with hot cornbread or grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

Chipotle in adobo sauce can be found in both small and large cans. They are smoked dried jalapeño peppers that are packed with flavor! In the can, they are soft and packed in vinegar and spices. If heat is not your thing, then use half of one chipotle pepper. The remainder of the chipotles can be frozen in a resealable plastic bag for other uses such as adding a smoky, spicy flavor to soups and stews or shaking up and waking up your everyday guacamole.

East Coast meets West Coast in this dish. Chowder plus Tex-Mex equals a really good idea in any direction!

Stoup is good food. Homemade? Well, that’s even better