David Leite

A chili that you can dress up or down, whether you need something really impressive for game day or relatively inexpensive for Tuesday night dinner.

The secret to this intensely flavored risotto? Using chicken stock mingled with the liquid from rehydrating dried porcini mushrooms.

This turkey meatloaf is not the dry, crumbly meatloaf of your childhood. Thanks to an immodest amount of barbecue sauce, this pleasing rendition turns out moist and lovely and craveable.

To his surprise, and horror, some of the best salt cod fritters David Leite ever ate weren't Portuguese, but Spanish. Light, crunchy, and perfectly balanced.

David's most reliable recipe for really inclement weather consists of braised beef that calls for just three ingredients.

One of the South's greatest achievements, baked country ham takes its salty sweet smack from a glaze of mustard, vinegar, and cloves.

Shrimp paste is a classic southern treat. Small shrimp is blended with butter, shallots, and spices. Smear the shrimp paste on biscuits or toast points.

When David's book, The New Portuguese Table, went into a second printing, he realized he had a lot of thank-yous to make. Twenty thousand to be exact.

An American classic. This chicken and dumplings recipe is made with chicken, creamy gravy, and buttery, feather-light dumplings.

Inspired by a stuffed baked potato, this stovetop mac and cheese is loaded with bacon, Cheddar, and sour cream. Indulgence, baby.

A classic split pea soup gussied up with smoky ham hocks for a substantial supper. Can be made gratifyingly thick or pleasingly thin.

These braised short ribs from Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo are one of David's favorite things. One taste and you'll understand why.

A little spicy, salty, and sweet and altogether satisfying. A weeknight salvation when you need dinner pronto but you want something that's not predictable or boring.

These peanut butter cookies are filled with a creamy milk chocolate filling for a taste that takes you back to childhood. The cookies are easy to make and can be filled later.

Paula Wolfert, the reigning monarch of the Mediterranean, fesses up her culinary secrets when it comes to making France's classic beef stew, called a daube.

Inspired by classic tandoori chicken, these wraps meld warming spices with a cooling mint-yogurt dip for an altogether enticing Middle Eastern-inspired creation.

This warm-from-the-oven nosh is the ideal melding of sweet, spicy, and savory. An ideal pre-Thanksgiving-dinner nosh.

Can't face turkey or ham this holiday season? Consider Cornish game hens. They offer variety, impress guests, and allow for culinary customization. Plus they won't knock you into a tryptophan stupor.

A classic. Bread stuffing filled with celery, onion, thyme, basil, and parsley that's synonymous with Thanksgiving (though honestly, it's equally welcome any time with roast chicken).

This iconic roast turkey is, we sorta have to admit, perfect to behold. And it ought to be after being brined, stuffed with chestnut stuffing, and all but smothered in a ridiculously rich, real-deal gravy.