Big chunks of roast squash with a drizzle of citrussy tahini and a dusting of za'atar would do us just fine.
Some dishes get everything right — the smokiness of guanciale in bucatini all'amatriciana ($14), a dressing's vinegary contrast to creamy-firm white beans and chunks of roast pork ($11), an overlay of bottarga on spaghetti with garlic and clams ($19).
Garlic is the pertinent ingredient in dishes like pernil asado, moist chunks of roast pork occasionally adorned with crisp bits of skin, and mofongo, a potent blend of mashed plantains and crisp pork cracklings.
A special one chilly evening couldn't have been better suited to the weather: a deep ceramic crock filled with chunks of roast lamb and potatoes, all of it dark, crisp-tender and satisfying.
(Ask for a couple of chunks of roasted pineapple to be added to the mix).
There are sausages grilling and chunks of roasted Gloucester Old Spot being shoved into soft baps at the stand run by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage lot.
A special risotto was also excellent: compact, but not overcooked, the rice was lively with lemon, bits of tomato, chunks of roasted butternut squash and lots of tasty shrimp.
Jumbo shrimp grilled in sea salt are fearsomely salty, and chunks of roasted rabbit are very dry, although their garnish of deep-fried sage leaves, coated in a crisp, nubbly breading, nearly rescues the dish.
Among the fresh leaves in my side salad (£2.90), I discovered chunks of roasted rhubarb, chick peas, a fist of flat-leaf parsley and a spritz of orange zest.
The tacos al pastor, made with chunks of roasted pork, are superb, and Tehuitzingo often serves chicharron tacos, made with almost jellylike pork skin that is far less chewy and more flavorful than you might expect.
I've chosen from a collection of salads, including greens, pasta and potato salads, cold beets, octopus and chicken salads, hard-boiled eggs, shredded collard greens layered with chunks of bacon and farofa (toasted, ground manioc), white and yellow rice, feijoada (a soupy stew of black beans, sausage and pieces of pork), roasted pork shoulder, salt cod, pinto beans and chunks of roasted manioc.
