Dominican

This Caribbean classic, made with beets for a magenta hue, looks as striking as it tastes.

A slow-simmering, comforting braise delivering healing to both body and soul.

Make this easy recipe for tostones for any get-together. The twice-fried plantains with creamy, spicy cilantro dipping sauce is the ultimate party flex.

The secret to lasagna de carne that packs a wallop of flavor? An herby sofrito that cooks with the beef until toasty and caramelized.

Get ready to fill your home with the mouthwatering scent of this super tender, super satisfying holiday centerpiece. 

Mofongo is a garlicky, salty green-plantain-based dish hailing from the island of Puerto Rico, though it has woven itself into the cultural fabric of the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba as well.

Depending on their level of ripeness, plantains can be savory or sweet—for this sweet plantains recipe, look for mostly black ones.

These Dominican mashed plantains are creamy, hearty, and full of flavor, while still tasting fresh and light. They have a mellow, tropical earthiness that becomes a canvas for colorful toppings like pickled red onions and avocados.

An international dish if ever there was one (the Philippine version is quite similar and you can find others around the globe) and one that can be spiced with as little as a rub of garlic, salt, and pepper or a little more elaborately, as is this one. Use a bone-in loin cut, from the rib (shoulder) end, or simply a boneless shoulder (picnic or butt) roast. This is the pork that is best used for Sandwich Cubano (page 363).

The novelist Julia Alvarez grew up in the Dominican Republic; her husband, Bill Eichner, is the son of tenant farmers in Nebraska. Dinner at the couple's Vermont home is a study in how far-flung flavors have enriched the simple sturdy fare of America. Dr. Eichner spent hours coaxing Alcarez's mother, her aunts, and her cousins (not to mention, Ana, the family cook) into giving him the broad outlines of their family's dishes—sweet-and-sour carrots, spicy Caribbean chicken, red beans and rice, and bread pudding. He tested the recipes on his parents, Ruth and John, who now live a couple of minutes away. Ruth, herself an accomplished cook, really liked the recipe for sweet-and-sour carrots.

No need to worry about why this Dominican burger shares a name with the Argentinean sauce—nobody knows. Instead, just call it a chimi, grab a cold beer, and enjoy!

Talk about comfort food. This traditional stew combines all manner of meat with two different kinds of tubers. Sour orange lends a uniquely Caribbean flair. We like to brighten our sancocho by pairing it with avocado, rice, and cilantro, and to inject a little heat with a splash of hot sauce. We would not turn down an accompanying plate of crunchy tostones (twice-fried green plantains).

These irresistible nuggets, a specialty of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, are here made with boneless chicken instead of the usual chicken-on-the-bone.

Sweetened by pepper and rounded out with cilantro, vinegar, and tomato paste, this Latin American staple is perfect with anything on your table or as a meal itself.