Braising: Method and Recipes

Adobong manok, often called "chicken adobo," is often considered the national dish of the Philippines. Its origins are with the Spanish colonizers — adobo is the Spanish word for a marinade — but Filipinos have happily adapted it as their own. The vinegar marinade makes a dish that stores very well in the Filipino heat. Endless varieties of adobo exist and each region has its own specialty. Besides chicken and pork, there is fish, squid, green bean and even eggplant adobo. Read more »

Pizzaiola is an Italian word that means "pizza style." And it perfectly describes this dish of thinly pounded beef cutlets simmered briefly in a simple tomato sauce. Read more »

Brasato al Chianti is great Tuscan cold-weather food and goes well with polenta or potato gnocchi. Brasato, Italian for "braised," can also be made with Barolo or any other Italian red wine. Read more »

Carottes braisées au beurre are a classic French side dish. The natural sweetness of the carrots, accentuated with a pinch of sugar, goes perfectly with roasted meats and fowl. Read more »

Tzimmes, or tsimmes, is a Jewish side dish that is a traditional part of a Rosh Hashanah meal. Carrot, or mehren, tzimmes, are a favorite, slowly simmered with honey to make a sweet dish symbolizing a sweet new year. There are endless variations on the basic tzimmes recipe. Some mix carrots and sweet potatoes. Others add dried fruits. Still others braise a nice brisket with the carrots. Read more »

Coq au vin is a classic winter dish from the Bourgogne region of France. Use a burgundy, Beaujolais, or any young, full-bodied red wine for this warming braised chicken dish. Read more »

Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patricks Day dish for Irish Americans, but not for the Irish themselves. The meal became popular with immigrants from Ireland in the 19th century. The word "corned" comes from the Old English for "grain" or "pellets," and pellets of salt were originally used to cure the beef for this dish. These days corned beef is usually sold brined in vacuum-packed bags with a spice packet for flavoring. A variation of the dish with root vegetables makes up a New England boiled dinner. A Canadian version is served with pease pudding. Read more »

Djej emshmel is a popular Moroccan chicken tagine also known as djej m'chemel, djej emshemel or djej emsharmel. The unique flavor of the chicken slow simmered with olives and preserved lemons highlights the best aspects of Moroccan cuisine. Read more »

Dublin coddle, as its name implies, is a warming dish particularly popular in the Irish capital city of Dublin. Often simply known as coddle, this simple and filling mix of potatoes, sausages and bacon often serves as a hearty dinner. Read more »

Braised cabbage is a very popular side vegetable in Central Europe, often served with roast meats and dumplings. It is called gedünstetes Kraut in Germany. Read more »

Fesenjan, also known as khoresht-e fesenjan or fesenjoon, is special occasion food in Iran. It is traditionally made with duck or pheasant in the north of the country along the Caspian Sea. A thick, rich, sweet-sour dish, fesenjan improves in flavor if served the next day. Read more »

Golabki (pronounced ga-WUMP-kee) means "little pigeons" in Polish and is a reference to their size and shape. These stuffed cabbage rolls simmered in a tomato sauce are popular throughout Eastern Europe. In Russia, where they are known as golubtsy. In Ukraine they are called holubtsi. Hungarians refer to them as töltött káposzta. Read more »

Hasenpfeffer is German for "hare-pepper," or peppered hare, and is a famous game dish in Germany. Serve it with spätzle dumplings or with boiled or mashed potatoes and blaukraut (braised red cabbage). Read more »

Hong shao, or red-cooking, is a popular way to prepare meats in the Shanghai region of eastern China. Simmering in dark soy sauce gives the meat a reddish color and the dish its name. Red-cooked dishes often include a mix of meat and vegetables and are similar to a western stew. The sauce produced during hong shao cooking is sometimes reserved and used again and again, improving in flavor with each use. Families and restaurants often claim sauces that reach back for generations. Read more »

This eggplant dish is one of the most famous dishes of Turkish cuisine. İmam bayıldı means "the imam fainted." Legends abound as to how it got this name. Some say he fainted at the extravagant use of olive oil. Others say he swooned at its delightful flavor. Both will seem just as likely when you try this excellent recipe. Read more »

Kabocha nimono is an easy, quick and nourishing way to prepare kabocha squash. Simmered pumpkin is particularly popular in the fall as kabocha comes into season. Read more »

Kalbi jjim is a favorite comfort food for Koreans. Beef short ribs are slowly simmered in a sweet-salty broth until they are practically falling off the bone. Vegetables and sometimes chestnuts enrich the mix and provide a satisfying meal for a cold winter day. Other spellings include galbijjim and kal bi chim. Read more »

Pescado à la veracruzana is one of the most famous dishes of Veracruz on the Caribbean coast of eastern Mexico. The ingredients and seasonings show a strong Spanish influence. Read more »

Pollo alla cacciatora, or chicken cacciatore in English, is a simple dish that is popular not only in Italy but around the world. The word cacciatore means "hunter," and alla cacciatora means "hunter style." The ingredients vary wildly, but its essentials seem to be chicken, onions, tomatoes and wine. It is often made with rabbit, and many recipes call for mushrooms, both things an Italian hunter might come across in the woods. Read more »

This simple recipe puts the deep, rich, sweet flavor of balsamic vinegar to good use. The marinade not only flavors the chicken pieces but tenderizes them as well. Balsamic vinegar was first made in the city of Modena in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Read more »

Pollo en fricasé is a simple fricasee of chicken with typically Caribbean flavors like ham, oregano, cilantro and olives. Sometimes called fricasé de pollo, it is especially popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Leftovers taste even better when reheated the next day. Read more »

Chicken smothered with onions, or pollo encebollado, is a popular homestyle dish throughout Central America. It's an incredibly easy dish to make and full of flavor. The red meat variety, bistec encebollado is also a favorite, and both versions are found on most Central American restaurant menus. Read more »

This delicious dish of chicken stewed with vegetables is an indispensable part of Dominican cooking. Along with arroz con habichuelas (red beans and rice) and a side salad, pollo guisado makes up a patriotic lunch called la bandera, or "the Dominican flag." Even so, Puerto Ricans are fans of pollo guisado too. Read more »

Ratatouille is a famous dish from the Provençal region of southern France. It is a perfect dish for late summer when tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini are in season. Serve it hot, cold or at room temperature with grilled meats, fish or just some good, crusty bread. It is also delicious tossed with pasta. Read more »

Slow-braised brisket is a traditional part of Passover and Rosh Hashanah meals in many Jewish households. Most of these brisket recipes have a sweet-sour flavor to the braising liquid. For Jews in the United States, ketchup is a common ingredient, as are different types of soda pop. I have kept the ketchup for this recipe. The soda pop is up to you. Read more »

This is a wonderful Moroccan tagine, redolent with the sweet flavors of dried fruit. Serve tagine de poulet aux fruits secs with couscous. Place a heap of couscous on a plate with steep sides, ladle the tagine over the top and spoon extra sauce around the edge. Read more »