Chicken and dumplings are a classic American favorite. For this recipe, chicken is stewed in a creamy gravy while buttery, light, fork-tender dumplings sit on top.

This recipe for a hearty Swiss potato braise is deeply flavored with German speck or slab bacon, pears, apples, and a touch of cream.

Maple glazed tuna is just that: tuna steak brushed with a maple syrup-mustard glaze. Along side is a salad of Yukon Gold potatoes, pears, nuts and greens.

For this barley salad, pearl barley and black barley are tossed with pine nuts, chiles, cucumber, and olives. Serve the salad as starter or as a toothsome lunch.

Braised short ribs are a staple in Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo. This recipe captures the flavors, texture, and succulence of his dish. The ribs are served with pumpkin orzo and a sprinkling of gremolata.

Meaty shrimp stud this creamy, oozing risotto. The recipe’s flavor is deep thanks to a shrimp stock, made with the shells, which enriches the risotto.

This popular Burmese chicken coconut soup features noodles doused in a mild curry sauce with a consistency that’s somewhere between soup and gravy. Delish.

For Thai Basil pork, ground pork is cooked with garlic, shallots, Thai chiles, and sweet basil. Serve white rice alongside mounds Thai basil pork.

Turkey and fall vegetables stew is a saffron broth. Underneath is toothsome couscous. The vegetables include carrots, parsnips, squash. This dish is hearty and a great way to use up leftover turkey.

This stir-fry is the perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Adding some Sichuan and red peppers gives the stir-fry a fiery kick. Serve the whole kit and caboodle over rice for a Black Friday dinner sure to be a knockout.

This is the real thing: an old-fashioned roast turkey. Roasting the turkey using a water-soaked cheesecloth gives the bird crisp skin and moist, juicy meat.

This grilled vegetable sformato is pretty and filling enough to be a main course. Inside the sformato are peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cheeses, pasta, and pistachios. It makes a stunning weekend meal.

Beef goulash, the Austro-Hungarian dish, is a simple meal. Beef is seared and simmered with the goulash ingredients. Beef goulash is a great autumn dish.

Eggs in purgatory–or eggs simmered in tomato sauce–is a simple breakfast or supper. Serve the purgatory eggs over toasted bread rubbed with garlic.

This spaghetti with red wine is made more like risotto than typical pasta. The cooked spaghetti is tossed in oil in the skillet while red wine is slowly added.

Rabbit in red wine is a classic dish from the island of Ischia. The rabbit is slowly braised in red wine studded with vegetables and spiked with herbs.

Linguine pasta, clams, mussels, langoustines, and shrimp are tossed in a light tomato-garlic sauce spiked with pepper flakes. A simple quick dinner.

This pepperoni spinach frittata is great for brunch. Have the ingredients ready and make the frittata while guests watch. The frittata can be an appetizer.

These beef rolls, called paupiettes, are stuffed with pancetta and herbs, and rolled. The beef rolls are then sauteed. Once seared, the rolls are simmered.

This Italian ribollita soup is dense with bread, greens, beans and is topped with caramelized onions. Rich with flavor, the ribbolita is a family dish.

Pappardelle, wide pasta noodles, are topped with a Bolognese sauce full of pork, lamb, veal. The pappardelle is fresh, the Bolognese can be made in ahead.

Fusilli pasta is tossed in a sauce rich with bufala mozzarella. The melted cheese creates strands as the fusilli is lifted, hence the telefono reference.

Potato gnocchi is tossed with sausage, tomato, peas, and smoked mozzarella for a hearty dish. The gnocchi is simple to make and can be frozen.

Baked mussels topped with breadcrumbs are a Sicilian favorite. The mussels are cooked in a skillet until opened then baked with breadcrumbs until brown.

This pasta salad with tuna is tinted yellow by saffron. The pasta salad is easy to cook and can be made ahead. For the salad use big pasta for big effect.