Despite the ingredients, this dish doesn’t taste Asian—its comforting flavors are essentially universal.

Bagged coleslaw mix is great. Use it in the quick-cooking Ancho and Cocoa Carne Asada as well as this satisfying number.

Toasting barley in a dry pot adds an extra dimension to this hearty twist on risotto.

Roast chicken may be the epitome of comfort food, but a few little flourishes can make it the stuff of dreams.

Homemade stock will make any risotto fabulous. Here, the delicate, springlike combination of leeks and peas is given texture and heft with the addition of calamari, turning it into a main course. ...

This Lowcountry-style dinner—shrimp with saucy black-eyed peas and smoky bacon—is worthy of a glass of sweet tea.

The pan sauce for these scallopini—chopped tomatoes, white wine, chicken broth, olives, and basil—is bright and interesting, yet very comforting.

There really isn’t a lot of work involved in making chicken stock—you pretty much drop everything into a pot of water and let it simmer.

This soup has many layers in its complexity, but the overall effect is of cleanness and freshness.

These chops get their zest from a pan gravy based on an easy “gherkin broth” (made by puréeing them with some store-bought chicken broth).