Walking through the streets of Nassau in the Bahamas, I followed my nose to the aroma of spicy jerk chicken outside a small shack on the side of the road. Standing over a grill made from a metal barrel, were two robust women wearing brightly colored scarves wrapped around their heads. One of the women had said something in Bahamian Creole that made the other shake with laughter. They motioned me over as I watched them flip the sizzling chicken with a long fork in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other.

I took two cooking lesson in Marakesh, Morocco learning how to cook in a tagine, the traditional cooking vessel with a tall conical lid. The lid allows the condensation of juices from the food to self-baste and intensify the flavors. You don’t have to own a tagine to make Moroccan recipes, though.

One of my favorite Caribbean islands is Grand Cayman, known for its pristine beaches and gorgeous sunsets. On one visit I spent an afternoon cooking with Chef Beny in his beachside restaurant learning some of his specialties. I had tried his cocoa and coffee-crusted salmon, and I was eager to learn his secrets in making it.

I actually learned to make this dish in Sri Lanka, the small island just south of India. The cuisine is very similar to southern Indian food, with lots of fish and tropical ingredients. I was one of only four guests in a small hotel situated in a forest of coconut trees, palm trees, and curry trees. The curry tree produces small leaves that resemble bay leaves, and they have a citrus and nutty taste that adds a unique flavor to food.

Tikka is an Indian dish of meat marinated in spices. This is the recipe I’ve been using for years as a base to my Tikka Masala. The yogurt and spices in the marinade make the chicken so tender, and it’s a perfect appetizer served with the yogurt dip or topped on a green salad. If you like spicy food, you should add some red pepper flakes to the marinade.

These delicious fried vegetarian balls are a classic middle eastern snack made from dried chickpeas or fava beans (or a mixture of both). They’re traditionally served with hummus or toum, a garlic sauce. Often they are put into a bread roll and served as a sandwich. They are certainly best when they are fresh out of the fryer.

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian recipe made with beef and a delicious sour cream sauce. There are several variations of the recipe, but my Russian friend, Katie insists you must add fresh dill to make it most authentic. She also serves it over mashed potatoes instead of noodles, which I agree tastes the best!

When I was in New Delhi I stayed at the ITC Maurya Hotel. Their restaurant, Bukhara is famous for their delicious Indian food, but mostly for their Dal Bukhara, a black lentil dish that is smoke for 24 hours in the tandoor oven. I asked the chef if he would show me how to make it, and I was given a tour of the small kitchen, which had three tandoor ovens. Each one was heated with flaming red coals, but were kept at different temperatures to be used for various dishes served in the restaurant.

Tagine is a class dish from north Africa. It is a stew that cooks slowly, usually in a vessel called a tagine. It is an earthenware pot with a conical lid designed to lock in moisture and flavors. When I was in Morocco, we cooked with a clay tagine that required a diffuser on top of the stove to prevent foods from scorching.

This is a glorified grilled cheese sandwich that is worth the effort. Many French cafes serve this sandwich as a quick lunch or snack, and since I love many things French I do the same. The creamy béchamel sauce is both inside the sandwich and on top which makes this the the richest sandwich you may ever eat!

If I had to choose my last meal it would be nachos. It is truly my favorite food. These potato nachos are a close second to the traditional tortilla chip nachos, and if you make these at a party you’ll be the hero. It sounds a bit strange to add so much salt to the water, but you must allow all the water to evaporate, giving the potatoes a salty coating. Cover them with your favorite nacho toppings and watch them disappear in minutes!

I first had this pasta dish at a little hotel and winery in Castellina in Chianti, Italy. It was nestled in the hills and there were tables set with white cloths under the canopies of fig trees. After ordering this dish and polishing the plate, I asked the chef if he would share the recipe.

In northern India there are spicy delicacies alongside exquisitely rich vegetarian dishes. This masala dish is made with paneer, a cheese that has a very mild flavor, but doesn’t melt. When paneer is added to curries, it absorbs the rich flavors and adds a creamy texture to the dish.

I love orzo pasta! It looks like rice and tastes like pasta! This is a good way to use the veggies in your fridge that need somewhere to go. Just roast them up with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss them into the pasta with cheese and basil. I can eat this warm or cold, and it keeps in the fridge for several days. It’s perfect for a picnic or side dish at brunch. Let’s be honest, it’s perfect anytime.

In Indonesia sambals are sauces made from pounded chiles and other fresh ingredients like garlic and ginger. Sometimes they are cooked and sometimes they are left raw. Either way, they add a punch of flavor to any dish they are served with. One of my favorite sambals is made with mostly green ingredients, and I use it in many different ways. It’s delicious on its own with peanut crackers or raw vegetables, but it’s also tasty cooked into stews and roasted meats.

In Bali, there are street cafés called Warungs, where an open fire with burning coconut husks are spitting under racks filled with bamboo sticks packed with flavorful chicken. Unlike the chicken skewers we often make with large chunks of meat, satay is small pieces of meat, sometimes minced with spices, that are threaded onto bamboo sticks, lemongrass stalks or sugar cane.

While visiting the Emilia-Romana region in Northern Italy, my friend Marcello took me to the town of Faenza, best known for the ceramic factories. After an afternoon of shopping for hand painted dessert plates to take home, Marcello took me to his favorite restaurant, Villa Golini where Chef Nicola let me cook with him.

There are many pedestrian streets in Athens lined with travernas selling grilled meats and souvlaki. If you venture off the beaten path you’ll find quieter places where the pace is much slower, and the food is prepared with a bit more care. At one such place, I had the most delicious mint sauce, made in a mortar and pestle at the table.

If there is just one dish I can make with my eyes closed it’s bolognese. I first made it with Francesca Tori in Bologna, Italy. She explained that it is best served with tagliatelle pasta, and never spaghetti. “Americans invented spaghetti and meat sauce. We would never put spaghetti with meat sauce”, she told me.