Brightly colored vegetables make this a beautiful dish. Chow fun noodles can be found at Asian markets.

The Bar & Grille serves these Maryland-style crab cakes with a spicy aioli sauce.

James Burnham, sous chef at Mombo in Portsmouth, is in charge of the award-winning charcuterie program. Making bacon safely at home requires curing salt, also known as Pink Salt or Prague Powder#1, a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrite, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and prevent botulism. Curing salt is not meant to be consumed directly or substituted for any other kind of salt in any recipe. (It is very different from Himalayan pink salt, which won’t work in curing.) Curing salts can be purchased in specialty food shops and online and should be stored separately from all other kitchen salts.

These Greek meatballs are infused with a variety of herbs. Serve by themselves or with a side of rice.

Chef Alex Thomas of The Wellington Room in Portsmouth, NH serves this multi-squash hash with his Bone-in Braised Short Rib. It also goes great with a holiday turkey or ham. You can save the seeds from each kind of squash and toast them for a tasty snack.

The allium family is well represented here: Spanish onions, red onions, shallots, scallions, and garlic make for a full-flavored soup. Beef broth is traditional; use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version. Executive Chef Julie Cutting says, “Onions must cook slowly and become evenly browned. This process is slow. Do not brown too fast or use high heat.”

Portobella mushrooms are the perfect ready-made veggie burger, given their flavorful, meaty texture. A garlicky marinade enhances the taste. Serve on a bed of greens or on sliced, toasted buns.