Tomatillo

This pozole from star chef Richard Blais gets amazing flavor from tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeños. Be sure to serve the fragrant chicken stew with all of the delicious garnishes suggested.

Tomatillos provide a sour and zesty edge to rich avocados in this salsa. If a spicier salsa is preferred, leave the jalapeno seeds intact.

The secret to this tangy and spicy stew by chef Deborah Schneider is the warm tomatillo-and-chile sauce; topped with creamy avocado and cool sour cream, it's a perfect meal. Schneider sometimes swaps pork, cubed tofu, or vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms for the chicken.

Guillermo Pernot of ?Pasion! in Philadelphia (an F&W Best New Chef 1998) learned the best way to cook beef burgers in his native Argentina. He uses freshly ground meat and grills it only until it is cooked to medium rare.

This dish has lots of hot chiles but isn't all that spicy. It has lots of olive oil, but it's not greasy-tasting. It has lots of onions and shrimp, but it's not a two-note-Charlie sort of dish. This simple dinner is deceptively complex.

I don't know where I got this recipe, but I have been cooking it since the late 1980s, according to my food diary, and because it's fast and easy I make it all the time. You can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes and the flavors are crazy good. I also happen to be a sucker for the curious ingredient--the ketchup in my Bangkok Chicken recipe, the mayo in this one; they seem so out of place, but the dishes don't work as well without them. Anyway, my family and I love Mexican food--it's one of the world's truly great cuisines. It's regional and as varied as the states that produce it. Mexico also has a fascinating pre- and post-colonial food history that is tangible as I eat my way around the country every time I visit. This dish is often seen in the Yucatan, in Veracruz and in and around oceanfront communities, but for any indefatigable travelers who need to see it up close in its own milieu, head to Huatulco and to the little restaurant called El Marinero. Drop my name. Who knows? They might make it for you. For everyone else, this version is the real deal.--Andrew Zimmern

In this lightened version of guacamole, tomatillo puree replaces some of the rich avocado, adding a bit of sweetness and tang; roasted poblano contributes a little heat. Stretching the recipe with roasted peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes, or diced jicama, mango or papaya would lighten it even more. This dip deserves the best homemade, oven-baked tortilla chips: Cut stacked corn tortillas into wedges, spray or brush them lightly with oil, then bake at 375? until curled and crisp.

For her light and satisfying tacos, chef Deborah Schneider fills warm corn tortillas with meaty charred halibut and aguachiles, a brilliant, spicy, tart salsa.

Lightly charring the vegetables before pureeing them gives this salsa verde an alluring smokiness; fresh cilantro and tart lime juice added at the end make all the flavors pop.

Make this classic Mexican dish in your slow cooker for ease and extra flavor.

Tangy tomatillos add a wonderful layer of flavor and texture to these delicious chicken fajitas.

For chicken fajitas with a twist, make this easy, tangy and spicy green sauce, which gets its punch from a combination of tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro and scallions.

Use a mix of tomatillos, jalapenos and poblano chiles to add some extra heat.