Recipes with bay leaves

Pressure cooker lamb stew with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Hearty chunks of meat and vegetables in a thick gravy, done in just 45 minutes.

Greek eel baked Spetses-style in a tomato, honey, and feta sauce with thyme, mint, and lemon. A rustic island dish where the rich fish meets briny cheese and sweet sun-dried tomato.

Guisado rico, a Mexican pork stew with roasted loin simmered in green chiles, tomatoes, beer, and chicken broth. Served in bowls with cilantro, refried beans, and warm tortillas.

Greek beef stew braised with tomato paste, red wine vinegar, whole white onions, and mushrooms, finished with melted Monterey Jack cheese. A hearty stifado-style one-pot dinner.

Venison chili with both ground and chunked deer meat simmered for two hours in a cumin-oregano-cayenne tomato sauce with kidney beans and hot chili peppers. Lean, hearty, and full of wild game flavor.

Mussels mariniere steamed in dry white wine with scallion, garlic, parsley, bay, and thyme, finished with butter. The classic French moules style, ready in under 30 minutes from kettle to bowl.

Homemade herbes de Provence blend with basil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, savory, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, and white pepper. A fragrant French herb mix in five minutes.

Vegetarian chili with kidney beans, raisins, cashews, beer, and Swiss cheese. Spiced with cumin, allspice, and Tabasco, simmered two hours for deep, complex flavor.

Delicious twice baked goats cheese soufflé made with nutmeg and Australian Alpine Pepper.

Mexican-style hand-shredded beef brisket: rubbed with garlic, onion, oregano, and cumin, foil-roasted then broiled. The foundation for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.

Vegan tofu noodle soup with frozen-then-thawed tofu for a chewy, meaty texture. Simmered in herb-seasoned vegetable broth with carrots, celery, peas, and egg-free noodles.

Vegetarian split pea soup simmered with leeks, carrots, and garlic, then half-pureed for a body that's creamy and chunky at once. Crowned with homemade garlic-butter whole wheat croutons.

Salmon baked in cream with bay leaf, cloves, thyme, and onion, then served with a silky cream sauce finished with lemon juice. An elegant old-school French-style fish dish with a rich, aromatic sauce.

Vegan eggplant and rice one-pot meal simmered in vegetable broth with crushed tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and cayenne. Low-fat, filling, and oil-free.

Garlic broth made with two whole heads of garlic, saffron, curry powder, and sage. A pureed vegetarian soup with deep, aromatic flavor from simmered garlic and warm spices.

Bean chili built from scratch with toasted cumin and oregano, ground dried ancho or negro chilies, smoky chipotle, and a splash of red wine for depth. A meatless chili with serious heat and layered spice.

Garlic marinated olives with lemon, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, and sherry. A make-ahead antipasto jar that gets better every day in the fridge.

Unlike meat stock, vegetable stock doesn't benefit from hours of cooking. After about 40 minutes of simmering, the vegetables have yielded all of their flavor.

Classic quiche Lorraine with bacon, Swiss cheese, and thyme-sauteed onions in a homemade butter crust. Five whole eggs plus two yolks create an extra-rich, silky custard filling.

Westphalian leg of lamb roasted in a buttermilk and vegetable sauce inside an oven bag. A German roasting method that keeps the meat incredibly tender with a tangy pan gravy.

Chicken cacciatore braised in tomato sauce with onions, garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. A rustic Italian hunter-style chicken simmered tender and served over spaghetti or noodles.

Rancho California rice casserole layered with sour cream, cottage cheese, whole green chiles, and sharp cheddar. A creamy Tex-Mex side dish that bakes up bubbly and golden.

Flexible vegetable stock you can customize with whatever fresh veggies or leftovers are lurking in your crisper drawer, ready in 90 minutes with zero food waste.

Rice pilaf with green peas, bay leaves, and a whole cinnamon stick cooked in the Middle Eastern soaked-rice method. A fragrant vegetarian side with toasted, fluffy grains.

Slow-braised shredded beef chuck in a tangy ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard sauce with a kick of hot sauce. A ranch-style crowd-pleaser built for sandwiches.

A traditional seasoning that is perfect for meats and vegetables.

Veal stock roasts meaty veal bones with onions, carrots, leeks, and garlic until deeply browned, then simmers gently for 6 to 8 hours into a clear, rich foundation for sauces and soups.

Pressure cooker New England fish chowder simmers white fish, potatoes, and corn in milky broth with thyme and bay. Classic Yankee chowder ready in under 45 minutes.

Pickled shallots in red wine vinegar with bay leaf and thyme. Crunchy, rosy-pink no-cook refrigerator pickle that brightens salads, sandwiches, and cheese boards.

Pureed mushroom vegetable soup with a full pound of fresh mushrooms, carrots, celery, and beef stock, finished with sauteed mushroom slices and dry sherry.

Creamy garlic soup made with a full pound of garlic cloves slow-cooked in olive oil, pureed with chicken broth, and finished with milk. Surprisingly mellow and silky.

Northwest fish veggie cioppino simmers tomatoes, white wine, and chicken broth with peppers, carrots, celery, and garlic before folding in flaky fish fillets. Hearty Pacific-style stew, ready in under an hour.

Provencal garlic soup with potatoes, saffron, sage, and thyme, strained and served over French bread with grated Parmesan. Simple, fragrant, and warming.

Summer cucumber crisps: refrigerator quick pickles with cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and mustard seed. Sweet-tart spiced pickle chips, no canning, ready overnight.

Cincinnati five-way chili over spaghetti, layered with kidney beans, raw onions, and a heavy snowfall of shredded cheddar. The Ohio classic with cinnamon, cocoa, and a touch of vinegar in the simmer.

Crockpot cooked chicken simmers chicken breasts with bay leaf, parsley, garlic, and onion until tender. The hands-off way to make shredded chicken for casseroles and meal prep.

Mushroom bisque made from scratch with a full pound of fresh mushrooms, white wine, chicken broth, and heavy cream. A rich, velvety soup thickened with a roux and cornstarch.

Homemade light vegetable broth simmered with white wine, leeks, mushrooms, and fresh herbs. Low-fat, freezer-friendly, and packed with clean veggie flavor for soups, stews, and risottos.

Tuscan-style white beans simmered with sage, garlic, plum tomatoes, and chicken broth. Dried beans cooked from scratch for a creamy, rustic Italian side or pasta topping.

This is a nice spinach rice recipe, low-fat, low-calories, very healthy!

Master homemade beef stock made by roasting marrow bones with mirepoix, then simmering 8 hours with tomatoes, thyme, and bay. A deep, golden-amber stock that beats store-bought broth in every recipe.

Curried chicken and apple soup with golden sautéed onions and celery, pureed smooth with stock, then chilled and finished with cold cream for silky texture.

Creamy Italian shrimp risotto built on a homemade saffron shrimp-shell stock with oyster mushrooms, zucchini, white wine, and Parmesan. The extra step of making stock from the shells is what sets this apart.

Brined and roasted pork loin with a pinot noir pan sauce, thyme, juniper berries, and whole grain mustard. An elegant Sunday roast for dinner-party plating.

Emerald seafood salad with wine-poached scallops, shrimp, kiwi, apple, walnuts, and red onion on fresh spinach. A colorful, elegant main-course salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

A little of this warm, spicy blend goes a long way. Coming from North India, where meat is eaten more frequently than in the South, it is the kind of masala that's popular as an accompaniment for almost any meat dish, as a condiment or in the sauce.

Grilled Greek-style fresh tuna souvlaki skewered with soaked bay leaves between each cube, marinated in lemon, garlic, olive oil, and oregano. A smoky Mediterranean main served with lemon wedges.

Authentic tandoori marinade with drained yogurt, fresh ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and hot chilies. Draining the yogurt first is the step most recipes skip.