Pasta recipes

Braised duck breast in a peach-orange cream sauce with mushrooms, honey, and guava jelly. An elegant French-inspired dish finished under the broiler.

Potage Crecy is a classic French pureed carrot soup with rice, chicken stock, tomato paste, and heavy cream finished with butter. Silky smooth, naturally sweet, and garnished with delicate carrot curls.

This recipe was given to me by a friend who is an ex-patriot now living in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I serve this with yellow rice and grilled avocado halves.

Thai hot and sour shrimp soup (Tom Yum Goong) with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chile paste, and straw mushrooms. A bright, aromatic broth built from shrimp shell stock.

Gourmet pork chops braise center-cut chops in a creamy white wine and mushroom sauce with onion soup mix and a kick of chili-garlic paste. Stovetop dinner finished with sour cream.

Start a fiesta in your kitchen with this scrumptious dish that's easy to make and enjoy!

Hearty lentil and brown rice soup with carrots, tomatoes, thyme, and marjoram simmered in chicken broth. Finished with a splash of vinegar and grated Parmesan.

BBQ chicken burgers with tangy tomato, Worcestershire, and hot sauce blended right into the patty, topped with a sweet honey-lemon cabbage slaw on cornmeal kaiser rolls. Weeknight-ready in about 30 minutes.

Ginger barbecue chicken baked in a homemade sauce of tomato paste, fresh ginger, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Sweet, tangy, and smoky.

Killer shrimp: fiery herb-and-garlic broth with rosemary, thyme, fennel, and red pepper, simmered long then poached shrimp added at the end. Eaten with your fingers and plenty of bread.

Pan-seared chicken supremes marinated in lime, white wine, ginger, garlic, and tarragon, finished with a glossy cinnamon-colored pan sauce reduction. Classic French bistro technique.

Cashew chicken with bell peppers, a fast wok stir-fry of tender chicken, crunchy cashews, and sweet peppers in a savory soy and soybean-paste sauce. A quick, takeout-style weeknight dinner, gluten-free with tamari.

Browned chicken and Italian sausage simmer with peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms in a tomato-herb sauce that practically cooks itself in your crockpot.

Peach jambalaya: Louisiana-style jambalaya with shrimp, ham, smoked sausage, and unexpected fresh peach slices. Sweet-spicy fusion served over rice for four.

Slow-simmered conch stew with salt pork, tomatoes, oregano, and potatoes. Two hours of low heat transforms tough conch into a rich, tender Caribbean-style chowder.

Quick coq au vin delivers the classic French chicken-in-red-wine stew in 40 minutes using boneless thighs, cremini mushrooms, carrots, and Canadian bacon. A weeknight-friendly version of the traditional braise.