In Portugal, deep-frying beans is a long-standing tradition. Serve these addictive nibbles as a starter, snack, or, as the Portuguese do, a side dish.

Imam bayildi may be less famous than the French version – ratatouille – but it still magically transmutes eggplant, tomatoes and garlic into gold.

Escargot with garlic butter and herbs is a classic French preparation. The snails can be served in their shells or in snail dishes, topped with puff pastry.

Hold the mouth-searing heat, but keep the flavor with these marinated chicken wings. Plum, hoisin, and soy sauce provide sweet and spicy Asian flavors.

Cooking pork shoulder, liver, and duck fat with spices, splashes of cognac and wine makes a simple, hearty French country pate. Perfect for entertaining.

Straight from Umberto’s Clam House in NYC, this recipe for clams topped with bread crumbs seasoned with parsley and cheese then baked is the real deal.

Chicken, water chestnuts, and scallions are dressed in a ginger-soy sauce then wrapped with butter lettuce leaves in this Chinese specialty.

For this Armenian dish, homemade yogurt cheese is made into balls and marinated in oil infused with garlic, dill, and Aleppo pepper.

This appetizer is a favorites all over Italy. Zucchini blossoms are stuffed with ricotta cheese, seasoned with basil and lemon, batter-dipped, and then fried.

For this soup, onions, mixed greens, and soaked chewy bread are layered with milk, stewed leeks, and cheese then slowly baked until thick and bubbly.

Smooth goat cheese, colorful roasted beets, and walnuts speckle this creamy, quiche-like tart–all of which is nestled in a flaky buttery crust.

Eggs, smoky garlic Portuguese pork sausage called chourico, onions, and potatoes make up this splendid breakfast recipe. Serve it right for the skillet.

Fresh cod is poached in an herby milk-cream mixture and gently folded into mashed potatoes. It makes a perfect spread for garlic toasts.

These lacy Asian waffles are more like pancakes made with tiny shrimp, coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro. The sauce adds a touch of saltiness and heat.

Silky slices of ripe avocado and marinated fat strips of salty sardine fillets topped with crisp strings of scallions and chives sit atop of toast slices.

Heirloom tomatoes–both red and yellow–and salad greens add layers of color and flavor to this terrine filled with silky, garlicky goat cheese.

Sauteed wild mushrooms, onions, and Parmesan cheese are encased in crackly layers of phyllo pastry, sometimes called filo, in this savory strudel.

This risotto, straight from Rome, gets its flavor and color from cooked spinach, arugula and spinach. Its smoothness is a product of butter, cream, and cheese.

An intense herb oil of basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, garlic an thyme is drizzled atop focaccia loaded with slices of potato, onions, and rosemary.

Thin slices of sauteed plantains, a type of banana, are spread with a fiery mixture of hot peppers and pork, rolled up like a pinwheel and roasted in the oven.

This stew of carrots, turnips, parsnips, onion, flavored with plenty of spices, is a vegetarian’s dream recipe but satisfies even the biggest carnivore.

The full-flavored saltiness of anchovies and the earthy meatiness of oil-packed black olives play off the carmel sweetness of onions in this famous French tart.

Scallops are first marinated in a mixture of sake, ponzu, miso, and ginger, then wrapped with grilled portobello mushrooms, stuck on a skewer, and grilled.

Bright-green, this pureed soup is filled with peas, shallots, celery, and pancetta bits. On top is a squiggle of white-pepper cream and chive oil.

Succulent steamed mussels are served in a delicate curry-white wine broth spiked with shallots, garlic, and lime juice and smoothed with cream.