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Posole is a thick, hearty stew typically containing corn and pork that originated in Jalisco, Mexico. Since I wanted to make this recipe vegetarian anyway, I decided to take it in an entirely new direction. The dried cherries may seem a little odd at first, but they lend a pleasant sweet-tartness to the dish while the pecans take it a bit deeper into the South. In the United States, we call the dried posole "hominy."

This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of cooked beet. Wrap a fresh beet tightly in foil and put it in the oven with the almond cake if you're making this whole menu (if you're not, simply roast the beet in a 325°F oven for 1 hour). You could use canned beets instead, but fresh beets have far more vibrant color and flavor.

Salmorejo Cordobés In Córdoba, gazpacho is reduced to its most basic elements, with no cucumbers or peppers, and is known as salmorejo. It takes on a saucelike consistency but is still considered a soup and is served in small portions. It is scattered with chopped hard-boiled egg and julienne strips of serrano ham, both indispensable to achieving salmorejo's fullest flavor. Salmorejo is sometimes used as a dip.

Ajo Blanco Malagueño This gazpacho from Málaga gets its pure white color and creamy consistency from blanched almonds. Sweet green grapes are the essential counterpoint to the tang of garlic and vinegar. The addition of shrimp comes from chef Bartolomé Rodrigo Lucena.

Asparagus heralds spring! It still may be a little early, but as the asparagus season moves along, the stalks will be less woody.

Guacamole con Tomatillos Use Haas avocados if available; their buttery creaminess makes for the best guacamole.

Roasted eggplant spreads and salads come in many variations throughout Greece and are usually embellished with local flavor. In the North, yogurt is often added to the eggplants, for example, throughout the Cyclades, it is the ubiquitous caper and tomato that season this delicious dish.

These little quesadillas are made with masa rather than packaged tortillas.

Hybrids can be substituted in this recipe.

Chef Christoforos Peskias turned rice-stuffed tomatoes inside out and came up with something that resembles sushi topped with tuna. He forms rectangular "sushi" using a special mold; we found that a scoop works well for the home cook. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. In this recipe hot pasta is tossed with an uncooked sauce of oil, herbs, a little vinegar, mozzarella, and raw garlic. The pasta absorbs some of the vinegar and oil and slightly melts the mozzarella. We call for bocconcini — bite-size pieces of mozzarella — but regular fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2-inch cubes would work just as well. Tip: When incorporating raw garlic into a dish such as this, buy the freshest garlic you can find. The cloves should be dry and tightly packed together, and they should feel firm. Old garlic may impart a bitter, strong flavor — overwhelming the other components.

The most popular dish on the menu at The Atlantic Inn. It is served with sautéed bacon and radicchio and Honey Mustard Sauce .

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too. To read more about Neil and Australian cuisine, click here. This dish is a take on a Korean salad of raw beef with a sesame-oil dressing, raw egg yolk, Chinese cabbage and a combination of sesame seeds and pine nuts. The beef is almost frozen, and the crisp texture is offset by the silkiness of the egg yolk and the creaminess of the pine nuts. This dish is so good that in the old days Greg Frazer, Barry McDonald and I have been known to start with one and have another for dessert at the end of a meal. I decided to do a tuna dish inspired by this, and since it was raw and used an egg yolk, I called it Korean Tuna Tartare. The times I have taken it off the menu have been met with firm resistance from regular customers.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but require additional sitting time. These peppers get even better when made ahead because the flavors develop more fully over time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe was created to accompany <epi:recipelink id="12388">Grilled Spiced Garlic Skirt Steak</epi:recipelink>. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.