There are a few cool tricks to this Enchiladas Con Carne recipe, one of which Sam Sifton picked up from an old issue of Bon Appétit, one he learned from Robb Walsh, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur who runs El Real Tex-Mex in Houston, and a final one Sifton learned by happenstance. First, for the thickening agent in the chile sauce, toast raw all-purpose flour in a pan until it is nutty and golden brown, then reserve it to stir in with the browned beef later in the recipe. Second, if you like truly melty cheese in the classic Tex-Mex tradition, use a mixture of American cheese, like Velveeta, with the Cheddar you use inside and on top of the finished enchiladas.

cooking.nytimes.com

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHILI CON CARNE
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
1 pound ground chuck beef, ideally 20 percent fat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 jalapeño pepper or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and chopped
1 cup chopped or canned crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano, ideally Mexican
2 cups chicken stock, ideally homemade or low-sodium if store-bought

FOR THE ENCHILADAS
½ cup neutral oil, like canola
12 yellow corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, or a mixture of 1½ cups Cheddar cheese and 1½ cups American cheese, like Velveeta
1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the chili con carne: Put flour in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty, then pour it onto a plate to cool.

Wipe out sauté pan and return it to high heat with 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot and shimmery, add ground beef to pan, and cook, breaking it up with a fork and stirring, until it is well browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then use a slotted spoon to remove meat to a bowl, leaving drippings behind.

Add onion, garlic and jalapeño to pan and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits of meat, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Stir in tomatoes and cook until their liquid has evaporated, then add chile powder, cumin and oregano and stir to combine. After a minute or so, when mixture begins to turn fragrant, return browned meat to pan, along with toasted flour, and stir well to combine.

Lower heat to medium-high and slowly stir in chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, until mixture has thickened and started to simmer. Lower heat again and allow chili to cook slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat is tender. Add more stock or water if needed. Use immediately, or let cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a few days.

When you are ready to cook the enchiladas, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat ½ cup neutral oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don’t have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.

Assemble the enchiladas: Using a ladle, put about ½ cup chili in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of cheese into each tortilla, along with a tablespoon or so of chili, then place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle remaining chili over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle chopped onions over the top, if using, and serve immediately.

Zuni’s Pasta with Preserved Tuna is adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (which can never be praised enough). Judy Rodgers created the recipe as a way of saving leftover tuna on Sunday. I assume you do not have that problem, but if you do, take the time to preserve the tuna yourself. It isn’t hard and it is wonderful; you can find Rodgers’s method in the Zuni cookbook. What’s below is her adaptation for canned tuna — good olive oil-packed tuna. As for the pasta: Rodgers recommends penne, ziti, or ditali, but I’ve made this with spaghetti and perciatelli and I was pleased. Also, while we’re being heretical, have I substituted walnuts [why not roasted cashews?] for the pine nuts before? I have.

Serves 4

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta (see above)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, for the sake of small humans)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional, for the same reason)
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped roasted cashews
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped (optional)
12 ounces olive oil-packed tuna (slightly more or less is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a small skillet, gently warm the olive oil with the lemon zest, bay leaf, chili flakes and black pepper (if using), garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook for about 15 minutes over very low heat to let the flavors infuse the oil. Then add the canned tuna, pine nuts, capers, and preserved lemon (if using). Gently nudge apart the tuna and let it warm up but not cook.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the tuna mixture. Serve.

Beef suet [use lard] and masa give this Texas chili its distinctive flavor. For a true taste of this state dish skip the beans and tomatoes.

Serves 6

saveur.com

INGREDIENTS
6 oz. beef suet, coarsely chopped [use appropriate amount of lard]
3 lb. trimmed beef chuck, cut into ½-in. pieces
6 tbsp. chili powder
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup masa harina
4 cups beef stock or low-sodium beef broth, warm
3 tbsp. white vinegar
Cayenne pepper
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Tabasco, for serving
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Tabasco, for serving
Saltines, for serving
Sour cream, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, melt the suet, stirring frequently, 8–9 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to discard any solids. Working in batches if necessary, add the chuck and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 8–10 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and stir in the chili powder, garlic, and salt and black pepper to taste. Add the masa harina and stir to coat, then gradually pour in the broth, vinegar, and 4 cups of water. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to fall apart, about 4 hours, adding water as needed to prevent sticking. Season with additional salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste.

To serve, ladle the chili into bowls and garnish with the cilantro and scallions. Accompany with Tabasco, saltines, and sour cream.

Beer, chocolate, lard and masa harina are critical ingredients – no beans!

[Stock photo]

From Michael Chiarello:

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds beef chuck
Freshly ground black pepper
Gray salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus 2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 tablespoons
Masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lard (Manteca)
4 red onions, peeled and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 jalapeno peppers, sliced thin with seeds, stems removed [use chipotle in adobo – watch amount]
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 to 3 (12-ounce) bottles beer
1 (12-ounce) can diced tomato in juices
1 quart chicken stock
3 (12-ounce) cans black beans
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into large chunks

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the chuck into ¾-inch pieces, or, to save time, have your butcher do this for you. Place the chuck in a large bowl. Season liberally with pepper (about 20 turns of the pepper grinder) and grey salt to taste– remember half of this will come off in the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and 2 tablespoons of the chili powder. Mix this well and coat the meat with the masa harina (this is a ground hominy flour common to Mexican cuisine and easily found in the Mexican food sections of many grocery stores). The flour will thicken the sauce and give it a specific, Mexican taste.

Preheat a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and then the coated meat, spreading it evenly so it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven in 1 layer. Leave it alone, without turning it, so the meat will brown and caramelize. Meanwhile, add the lard. The meat has a lot of moisture in it, so a good amount of steam will come from the pan before it is caramelized. As it browns, slowly turn each piece with tongs. Once all sides are caramelized, remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet to cool, leaving juices in the Dutch oven to saute vegetables. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until they start to caramelize and get soft. Add the jalapenos and allow to cook for 2 more minutes until soft. Add the tomato paste. Some of the same spices as were used on the meat will be used in the sauce. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the oregano, and 2 heaping tablespoons of the chili powder. Add beer. Stir to incorporate everything. Add diced tomatoes, and stir. Then add the reserved meat. Add chicken stock. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until meat is wonderfully tender. Strain juice from the black beans, add the beans to the chili pot and bring up to simmer. Then add chunks of bittersweet chocolate. Stir until it melts. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days