Keto

I leave the skin on the breasts so I can stuff the herbs and garlic underneath.

What to drink: Sauvignon Blanc or a dry rosé, such as a French Bandol.

A classic roast chicken enlivened with an herbed olivada (olive paste) that is rubbed under the skin. The olivada can be prepared one day before you cook the chicken. What to drink: A crisp white wine or a light, fruity red works well with this menu. For white, Pinot Grigio is a great choice; for red, try a Valpolicella Classico.

Pour a Chardonnay with the meal; if there are kids at the table, offer them apple cider.

The peppers can be roasted and the broccoli blanched a day ahead, leaving just the sautéing to do before serving. This dish is equally delicious served right off the stove or at room temperature.

As pork is bred very lean these days, searing the meat holds in the juices. It is therefore a very important step.

Tomato gratin or potato, red pepper, and fennel salad would make a terrific accompaniment to the fish.

How do you spot a Yankee at Mrs. Wilkes'? He motions toward the turnip greens and says, "Please pass the spinach."

Marinate the steaks one to eight hours before grilling. What to drink: A red wine with ripe fruit (such as Côtes du Rhône) or a pale ale.

Small, slender green beans can stand in for the haricots verts, a petite French variety, in this easy classic.

(Churrasco de Sao Paulo a la Parilla con Chimichurri Rojo) Churrasco is a very primitive form of cooking meat. The gauchos, or cowboys, of Brazil would kill and butcher the animals out on the pampas, build a big fire, and barbecue the meat on a spit of some sort, basting it with a vinegary liquid. As cities developed, however, this recipe too became more civilized — I do ask you to prepare it the way they do in many Brazilian steak houses, with cebollas fritas (otherwise known as onion rings).

Because skirt steaks can be very long, it's much easier to handle them when they are cut in half.

Wasabi powder is fiery-hot, so adjust the proportion in the butter according to your heat tolerance. An Asian noodle salad from the deli, blanched sugar snap peas sprinkled with sesame seeds, and a bakery lime tart would be cooling additions to the menu.

Those with Texas-size appetites will require an entire steak; for most others — even the heartiest of meat lovers — half of one of these rib steaks is probably plenty.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Cilantro Oil and Avocado.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min