Bahn Mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich with several components, all of which can be prepared in advance.

Adapted from The Kitchen.

Wine: Michael David Winery, Gluttony Zinfandel 2009 (Amador, Calif.)
Beer: Tuckerman Brewing Co. Altitude (Conway, N.H.)
Makes 8 to 12 servings

Pulled Pork
4 pounds Boston pork butt
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chicken Liver Pate
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound chicken livers
1½ tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ tablespoons chopped basil
4 ounces cream sherry
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Pickled Carrot
2 to 3 large carrots, shredded
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon white peppercorns
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 star anise
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Lime Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
Dash salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Assembled Bahn Mi
1 sub-style hard roll, such as a baguette, per serving
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Chicharrones (fried pork rinds), optional

1. Prepare the Pulled Pork. Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray a roasting pan with vegetable cooking spray. Season pork well with salt and pepper and place in pan. Cover pan with foil and bake for 8 hours. Uncover and raise heat to 375°F and cook for 45 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until just cool enough to handle. Pull apart the meat to shred it, discarding any fat. Reserve the accumulated juices for another use. Chill meat until ready to assemble.

2. Prepare the Chicken Liver Pate. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and stir until fully sweated. Add livers, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, to prevent burning and sticking. Add parsley and basil when the meat is about half way to being cooked through.

3. When almost fully cooked, add sherry, being careful, as the pan may flame up. Cook down the alcohol, turn off heat, and let stand a few minutes. Add mixture to a food processor and pulse till fully blended. Put in a sealable container and refrigerate overnight.

4. Prepare the Pickled Carrots. Place carrots in a large heat-safe container. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining carrot ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, over high heat. Stir to make sure sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and immediately pour vinegar mixture over the carrots. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Will keep several days, refrigerated in an airtight container.)

5. Prepare the Lime Mayo. Mix all ingredients together. May be made in advance and stored in a sealed container, refrigerated.

6. Assemble the Bahn Mi. Cut rolls in half lengthwise and toast. Smear pate on the bottom half of each roll. Top with some pulled pork, then pickled carrots. Sprinkle cilantro over, then top with a few pork rinds if using. Smear lime mayo on the top half of the roll and place on top of the pork rinds. Serve immediately.

This tasty taco is made with ultra slow cooked short ribs, with homemade kimchi and apple slaw on a flour tortilla. To save time, if desired, use store-bought kim chi. Each component can be prepared in advance.

Adapted from Executive Chef Ian Thomas of The District.

Kim Chi

1 head Napa cabbage (about 2 ½ pounds)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
10 tablespoons sugar, divided
¼ cup minced garlic
¼ cup minced ginger
½ cup coarse ground Korean chili powder
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
6 white anchovy filets, rinsed
½ cup julienned scallions
½ cup julienned carrots 

Short Ribs

1½ pounds boneless beef short ribs
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large carrot
2 stalks celery, including leaves
½ yellow onion, skin and root still attached (washed thoroughly)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2½ cups plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
4 slices North Country Smokehouse bacon
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Apple Slaw

1 red bell pepper, deveined and seeded
1 medium carrot
2 stalks celery
½ red onion
2 firm tart apples
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon Applecrest Farms Apple Cider Vinegar

Assembly

8 corn tortillas or 4 flour tortillas
4 teaspoons chopped cilantro
Applecrest Farms Apple Cider Vinegar to taste

1. Prepare the kimchi. Slice cabbage in half lengthwise, from stem to tip. Rotate and slice the cabbage into 1-inch pieces, about the width of your thumb. Place in a large sealable container and sprinkle the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the cabbage. Seal the container and shake gently to coat the cabbage. Let sit overnight at room temperature.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, chili powder, remaining ½ cup sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and anchovies. Beat it like it owed you money. Stir in the scallions and carrots and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

3. The next day, transfer the cabbage to a colander and squeeze as much liquid as you can; using your hands is easiest. Add the drained cabbage to the refrigerated carrot and scallion mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate overnight. Store in a covered jar, refrigerated, for up to month (but you will finish it before then).

4. Prepare the short ribs.  Preheat the oven to 250°F. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper. The ribs may be grilled or pan-seared. To grill, preheat the grill. Grill the ribs just enough to mark them—you’re not cooking them here, so don’t let them cook through. Just grill marks are okay; you want that charred flavor in the final product. Alternately, pan-sear the seasoned ribs in a skillet just to sear the surfaces. Transfer grilled or seared meat to a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan.

5. Peel carrot and cut lengthwise from stem to tip, slice again lengthwise to make four pieces. Place in a saucepan. Smash the celery with the flat of a knife against a cutting board and add to saucepan with the onion and sesame oil. Sprinkle with a little salt to help release moisture. When the vegetables release their juices and have cooked dry, add 2½ cups of the water, bacon, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil and pour over short ribs. Cover the pot and bake for at 250°F until meat is tender, about 8 hours.

6. When meat is tender, let cool. Remove the short ribs and tear into smallish chunks. Strain the remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to simmer, skimming the foam off and spooning out as much fat as possible.

7. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon water. Add to simmering liquid, whisking constantly until thickened. Continue to cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the short rib chunks and toss to coat completely.

8. Prepare the apple slaw. Slice the bell pepper into the thinnest strips you can manage. Cut the carrot into thin slices on the bias, and cut again into julienne sticks. Peel the celery and slice into julienne strips about two inches long. Slice the red onion as thin as you can. Peek the apple if you wish, core it, and slice into equal size sticks.

9. Toss all the vegetables and apples in a bowl; add the cilantro and cider vinegar. Toss to incorporate.

10. Assemble the tacos. Grill or steam tortillas to warm. Place on plates, then place short rib chunks in the middle. Top with kimchi and apple slaw. Sprinkled with cilantro and a dash vinegar and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Beer: Throwback Brewery Campfire Smoked Porter (North Hampton, N.H.)
Wine: Peter Paul Wines, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Napa Valley, California

A great way to use kale a superfood and hardy winter green. Plus, put enough crispy pancetta on top and you’ve got a chance at winning over kale-doubters.

Adapted from Executive Chef Mary Reilly of Enzo Restaurant & Bar in Newburyport.

Wine: Casali di Bibbiano Argante Rosso Toscano (Tuscany, Italy)
Beer: Ipswich Ale Brewery I.P.A. (Ipswich, Mass.)
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
2 bunches kale, leaves pulled from the stems and cut into thin strips; stems discarded
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, or thick-cut pancetta cut it into small cubes
½ a small onion, sliced into super-thin strips
1 egg, beaten, optional
parmesan cheese to taste
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
sherry vinegar to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a spoonful of salt, then add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente. When the pasta is almost cooked through (just still a tiny bit chewy) add the kale to the pasta pot. When the pasta is cooked to your taste, drain the pasta and kale, reserving a cup of the cooking water (to make sure you don’t forget this part, put a coffee mug in the colander to remind you to scoop out some pasta water). Return cooked pasta and kale to the pot.

2. Sauté the pancetta in a skillet until it’s crisp. Set aside.

3. Add onion to the pasta, then stir in a little pasta water. Add in the beaten egg, if using, and keep stirring, adding more pasta water if needed to make a saucier consistency. Stir in a handful or so of parmesan cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. To serve, divide the pasta among 6 to 8 shallow bowls. Top each with the reserved pancetta and a splash of vinegar. Serve immediately.

This French stew makes the most of local seafood, a good representation of the type of food served at The Wellington Room. Note that the lobster stock makes enough for at least two batches of bouillabaisse.

Adapted from Karen Keohane and Matthew Sharlot of The Wellington Room.

Wine: Barrachi Brut Rose (Tuscany, Italy)
Beer: Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. Nelson Imperial IPA (Portland, Ore.)
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Lobster Stock
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 lobster bodies (shells), cleaned
1 cup dry white wine, such as  Pinot Grigio
1 gallon water
2 cans clam juice
½ fennel bulb, roughly chopped (reserve the fronds)
3 ribs celery, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 heads garlic, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pinch saffron

Bouillabaisse
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12  medium scallops, side muscle removed
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 (3 ounce) pieces of cod
28 mussels, debearded and washed
½ bulb fennel (save fronds for garnish), shaved
½ cup slow roasted tomatoes or grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Pernod, optional
½ tablespoon chopped parsley
½ tablespoon chopped tarragon
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare the lobster stock. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. add the lobster shells and cook until beginning to toast. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any bits from the bottom.

2. Add the water, clam juice, fennel, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, red pepper, and tomato paste. Stir to blend. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Partially cover pan and cook at a low simmer for 3 hours. Add saffron and simmer for 15 more minutes. Strain, discarding solids. (May be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container, refrigerated.)

3. Prepare the bouillabaisse. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or saucepan. Sear scallops, both sides, till they are golden brown and half cooked. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the shrimp, then the cod, transferring each to the plate when they’re browned and half cooked. Set aside.

4. Add 4 cups lobster broth to the pan along with the mussels, fennel, and tomatoes. Cover and cook on high for a couple minutes until mussels open. Return reserved seafood to the pan and add lemon juice and Pernod, if using. Cover and simmer until seafood is cooked. You may need to add more stock. Stir in tarragon and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. To serve, transfer the bouillabaisse into a large tureen and serve with bread that has been lightly seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.