Pérnil al caldero is a Puerto Rican staple of succulent slow-cooked pork with shatteringly crisp skin that’s seasoned with adobo, a garlicky, oregano-spiced marinade. The name is a combination of pérnil — a pork roast, usually either the shoulder or ham — and caldero, the dish’s cooking vessel, an aluminum pot with rounded sides, a tight-fitting lid and excellent heat conduction.

Achieving the dish’s characteristic crisp skin on the outside with juicy meat inside can be a challenge. In this recipe from our cookbook “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we found the best way to ensure this was by braising the roast stovetop, then removing the skin as a single piece and frying it in a skillet. Of course, a caldero is the traditional choice for preparing pérnil al caldero, but a large Dutch oven also works perfectly well.

The classic Cajun/Creole dish Shrimp Etouffee is a great warm, hearty dish this time of year.

This iconic dish features the “Holy Trinity” of vegetables — onion, celery and green bell pepper — forming the aromatic base of its rich flavor. It’s thickened with a roux, a fundamental element of Southern cooking made by slowly cooking flour with butter until it reaches a beautiful caramel color.

The result is a savory, comforting dish that perfectly embodies the bold and vibrant flavors of New Orleans cuisine.