Name: Yu Bo's Twice-Cooked Pork
Yield: Makes 2 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 (3/4-lb) piece fresh pork belly (unsmoked bacon) with skin; 2 (1-inch) pieces fresh ginger, smashed with side of a heavy knife; 1 scallion, smashed with side of a heavy knife; 3/4 lb Chinese leeks (about 6), cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices (including dark tubular greens, reserved separately) or 1 1/2 lb baby leeks (6 to 8; white and pale green parts only), cut diagonally into 3/4-inch-thick slices; 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese chile bean sauce or paste; 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; 2 teaspoons Chinese fermented black beans, soaked in water 10 minutes and drained; 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce; 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (preferably Shaoxing) or medium-dry Sherry; 1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoons peanut oil

This recipe calls for Chinese leeks or baby leeks, which are available at some Asian markets. Chinese leeks are thinner and longer than regular leeks, with tubular greens that are edible, like those of scallions.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Cooks' note:

• Pork can be simmered and drained 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Recipe notes

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Crème Anglaise

The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Okonomiyaki Tater Tots

Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.