345 beacon recipes

Baked barbecued oysters in a tangy sauce of tomato paste, chili sauce, horseradish, and Worcestershire, topped with cracker crumbs. A retro seafood appetizer.

Irish-style baked parsnips parboiled then slow-baked in stock with butter and nutmeg. A simple, traditional side dish that draws out the natural sweetness of the root vegetable.

Authentic frijoles refritos made with cooked beans mashed in lard or bacon drippings and topped with melted longhorn cheese. Three ingredients, 15 minutes, real Mexican flavor.

Spinach alla Romana with pine nuts, raisins, and lard in the traditional Roman style. A classic Italian side dish of wilted spinach with sweet-savory contrasts ready in 25 minutes.

Southern corn lightbread made with cornmeal, buttermilk, and a touch of sugar. A dense, slightly sweet cornbread loaf baked in a loaf pan, just like they make it down South.

Bacon and cheddar beer soup with sauteed potatoes, carrots, celery and onions, simmered in chicken broth with a can of bacon-cheddar cheese sauce, beer, paprika and a hint of liquid smoke. A hearty pub-style chowder.

Savory lentils soaked overnight and simmered tender with sauteed onions in olive oil or bacon fat and a dash of hot sauce. A simple, hearty side dish with just 5 ingredients.

An old-fashioned root vegetable stew with salt pork, cabbage, carrots, turnips, parsnips, and potatoes slow-steamed until fork-tender. Farmhouse cooking at its most honest and filling.

Oatmeal cooked with ham or bacon, chilled overnight in a loaf pan, sliced thick, and pan-fried in butter until golden and crisp. An old-fashioned breakfast served with syrup. Think savory oatmeal meets scrapple.

Helen's Beef Bar-B-Que: a tangy-sweet shredded beef sandwich filling with celery, onions, mushrooms, and a brown sugar-mustard sauce. Crockpot-adaptable, makes 10 generous servings.

Tagliatelle with crispy prosciutto, wilted radicchio, fresh basil, and Asiago shavings. Two ways to finish it: tossed fresh or stir-fried until the radicchio darkens and softens.

Italian-style stuffing with crispy pancetta, lentils, arborio rice, and fresh sage simmered in broth. Built for breast of veal but works beautifully in chicken, pork, or as a hearty side dish.

Traditional New Mexico pinto beans slow-cooked with a meaty ham bone. Just 4 ingredients and old-school technique for creamy, unbroken beans in rich pot liquor.

A single-serving vegetable calzone stuffed with stir-fried veggies and cheddar cheese sauce, folded in pizza dough and baked golden. Quick, easy, and vegetarian.

Mom's baked beans dump canned pork and beans together with ham chunks, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and pearl onions, then bake until thick. Easy potluck side from a no-fuss family recipe.

Macaroni and bean soup with white beans, salt pork, elbow pasta, and a tomato-beef broth base. An Italian-American pasta e fagioli cousin with a hearty two-hour simmer for deep flavor.