Pairing of the Day: August 9-13, 2010

This tangy, luscious soup is an excellent make-ahead dish: Simply puree everything except the garnish, then chill. For a milder version, scale back on the serrano.

Pairing: Lively, refreshing Grüner Veltliner: 2009 Berger

More Cold Soups

This dish from Uxua hotel chef Aladim Alves traces its roots to the 1970s, when the beaches of Trancoso, Brazil, were a favorite hippie destination. It combines richly flavored Bahian seafood with healthy whole-grain black rice.

Pairing: Bold, berry-rich Spanish rosé: 2009 Tres Ojos or 2009 Artazuri

More Excellent Rice Dishes

Here, Marcia Kiesel uses only five ingredients, including pleasantly bitter ancho chiles (dried poblanos), to make a luscious sauce that you'd swear has butter in it, even though it doesn't. The secret is the slow-roasted garlic, which becomes wonderfully silky in the blender.

Pairing: An oak-spiced Chardonnay: 2007 Santa Ema Reserve

Fast and Easy Chicken Recipes

Grace Parisi makes a slightly spicy red sauce for these enchiladas with smoky guajillo chiles and fruity ancho chiles.

Pairing: A plummy Merlot

Quick Mexican Recipes

Michael Psilakis dresses these luscious lamb chops with ladolemono, a supersimple Greek sauce of lemon juice and olive oil. The sauce is often spooned over fish, but it's delicious on meat and vegetables, too. "This is real Greek cooking," he says.

Pairing: A Greek white: Assyrtiko

Michael Psilakis: Using Leftovers