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The name, pronounced shnee-peck, means "dog's nose," and it's sure to make yours run. You rinse the chopped onions in a sieve or colander under hot running tap water for 20 to 30 seconds, then for the same amount of time with cold water, which removes the hot taste.

• 1 1/2 cups diced ripe tomatoes (about 4 to 5 Roma or 2 to 3 medium)
• 1 or 2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 medium (1/2 cup) red or white onion, diced and rinsed
• 4 tablespoons sour orange juice (or 3 tablespoons sweet orange juice plus 1 tablespoon mild vinegar or 3 tablespoons lime juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon or more salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients except cilantro and oil and let sit for 30 to 60 minutes, taste and adjust as needed. Add cilantro and oil, if using. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. It's best in the first 2 hours.

Makes about 2 cups.

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This can also be used on grilled meats, tamales and in tacos.

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, well charred
• 1 habanero chile or 2 to 3 jalapeno or serrano chiles, etc., charred, stemmed and seeded (you can regulate heat by your choice)
• 1 medium white or red onion, peeled, quartered and pan-roasted
• 2 cups pumpkin seeds, toasted and ground fine
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• Water as needed
• Salt to taste

Puree tomatoes, chile and onion in a blender until smooth. Mix with ground pumpkin seeds and cilantro and enough water to make a smooth, thick paste.

Add salt to taste and serve.

Makes 2 cups.

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This dish, writes Daniel Hoyer, "is so ingrained into the psyche of the people of the Yucatan that every Monday on restaurant menus and home tables throughout the region," you'll find it. I used a store-bought version of Recado Colorado, also known as achiote paste (from Reyna in the Strip District, where I also bought the dried epazote), but his book shows you how to make it.

Chiltomate (Charred Chile and Tomato Sauce)

• About 12 ounces ripe tomatoes
• 1 chile habanero, serrano, New Mexican green or jalapeno
• 1 small white onion, peeled and thickly sliced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 3 to 4 epazote leaves OR 1/8 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup sour orange juice or 1/4 cup sweet orange juice plus 2 tablespoons mild vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Grill tomatoes, chile, onion and garlic on a comal or heavy skillet until slightly blackened

Stem and seed chile, peel garlic and chop onion.

Coarsely mash the tomatoes, chile, onion and garlic in a jolcajete, mortar and pestle or pulse in a food processor.

Mix in the epazote or cilantro, orange juice and salt.

For Pork with Black Beans

• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds pork butt, leg, country ribs or stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons Recado Colorado
• 2 tablespoons sour orange juice or mild fruity vinegar
• 1 pound dried black beans, sorted and washed
• 2 quarts water
• 4 tablespoons pork lard or vegetable oil, divided
• 2 medium white onions, diced, divided
• 12 cloves of garlic, toasted (in a skillet in a 350-degree oven) and peeled
• 4 to 5 springs epazote or 3 tablespoons dried epazote
• 1 habanero chile, charred and left whole (optional; I used it)
• Pork bones for flavor (optional)
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 batch Chiltomate, warmed
• Garnishes
• Radishes, sliced
• Cilantro, chopped
• Limes, sliced
• Red onion, chopped
• Green cabbage, chopped
• Hot green chiles, toasted, peeled, seeded and diced, or Chile Tumulado (recipe in the book)
• Avocado, sliced or diced
• Warm corn tortillas

Salt and pepper meat. Mix recado and juice or vinegar together, then mix with pork to marinate.

Bring the beans to boil in two quarts water in a large pot and cook for 1 hour. Brown pork in 2 tablespoons of lard or oil.

Add 1/2 of white onion, garlic, epazote, chile and meat and bones to the beans. Cook for 1 1/2 hours on slow boil.

Remove the chile and the bones and discard. Reserve 2 1/4 cups of the broth for the rice (you may cook it in water to keep it white).

Taste for salt and simmer for 30 minutes more (beans should become soft and fork tender).

Saute rice and remaining onion in 2 tablespoons lard or oil until rice begins to show color. Add tomatoes, salt and reserved bean broth. Bring to a boil, stir well, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let sit with cover on for 20 minutes more.

Serve pork and beans next to rice and top with some Chiltomate. Serve garnishes on side. All recipes here are from "Mayan Cuisine: Recipes from the Yucatan Region" by Daniel Hoyer (Gibbs Smith, $34.95). Some call for salsa or spice paste mixtures that should be made ahead. Some also call for first toasting or roasting onions and garlic. You can do this by cutting the onions into quarters and leaving the skins on, and leaving the garlic unpeeled too, and roasting them together in a heavy, preheated skillet (no oil or lid) on high heat on top of the stove (best) or in the oven. You want the onion to be slightly charred on the edges and the garlic to be slightly blackened but not too soft. "In the oven, I would use 425 to 450 degrees and roast [garlic] for about 7 to 9 minutes," Mr. Hoyer says, noting that you can also roast peeled garlic, but "unpeeled has a more caramelized, charred flavor."

-- Bob Batz Jr.

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"This is a celebration cake in the Yucatan," writes Daniel Hoyer, who notes that this cake is nicely not too sweet and keeps for days. Be sure you test the middle to make sure that it's done.

• 12 ounces blanched, peeled almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, I did not use)
• 1 tablespoon dark rum (I used) or brandy
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Grind the almonds very fine with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well with the flour, salt and baking powder.

Beat the egg yolks with 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and creamy. Add extracts, rum and flour-almond mixture. Beat until smooth.

Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until medium-stiff peaks form. By hand, gently beat 1/3 of egg whites into the yolk-almond-flour batter to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining egg whites until they are just mixed in.

Grease well a 9- or 10-inch-diameter springform pan and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until cake is golden brown and beginning to pull away from sides of pan.

Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from pan and garnish with powdered sugar, toasted almonds and fruit, such as sliced strawberries or mango.

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Daniel Hoyer calls this spicy soup "one of the most recognized menu items in the Yucatan" and says it "captures the soul of this region."

For the Recado Salpimentado (Peppery Seasoning Paste)

• 1 medium white onion, cut into quarters, with skin left on, and pan-toasted until charred around the edges.
• 12 garlic cloves, toasted and peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
• 1-inch-long stick canela (cinnamon)
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons lightly toasted Mexican oregano

Peel the toasted onion and roughly chop along with the roasted garlic. Puree in a blender until smooth.

Finely grind the pepper, canela, cloves and oregano in a spice grinder or molcajete. Combine everything in the blender and puree until well mixed.

Form into a block or a circular disc, wrap well and refrigerate to store.

For the soup

• 1 pound chicken pieces
• 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 habanero or other hot chile, charred and left whole
• 2 tablespoons Recado Salpimentado (recipe above)
• 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
• Oil for frying the tortilla chips (I used corn oil)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium red or white onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 sweet bell pepper (red or green), chopped or sliced
• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 lima (Mexican lime) or substitute such as key limes (I used three of the small key limes), sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Chopped cilantro to garnish
• Lime wedges for garnish
• Hot salsa for serving

Place the chicken pieces in the broth and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that rises to the surface and discard. Add the charred chile and the recado, reduce the heat, cover and cook until the chicken is done (about 30 minutes). Remove the chicken from the broth, cool, pick the meat off the bones and shred. Strain the broth and reserve.

Fry the tortilla strips in the oil until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a hot, deep skillet, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and saute the onion and pepper until softened (3 to 4 minutes). Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more while stirring. Add the lime slices and juice, broth and chicken, briefly bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Adjust for salt.

Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with tortilla strips and chopped cilantro. Pass lime wedges and hot salsa.