Pasta recipes

Classic French tomato basil soup made from scratch with fresh Roma tomatoes and topped with sautéed fennel, zucchini, and mushrooms. A vegetarian potage that's rustic, fragrant, and deeply satisfying.

Fourby chili: a vegan black bean chili simmered in stout beer with peanut butter for depth, corn for sweetness, and broccoli florets on top for crunch. An unconventional, deeply flavored chili worth the slow cook.

A hearty, full-scale borsch loaded with beef, bacon, kielbasa, beets, cabbage, potatoes, and navy beans. This is the real deal: slow-simmered, sweet-sour balanced, and crowned with sour cream. Feeds 10.

Soy-marinated chicken wok-seared with hot bean paste, ginger, garlic, and five spice, then served over steamed bok choy. An authentic Szechuan stir-fry with fiery, aromatic flavor.

Blinchaty pirog is a Russian layered crepe pie filled with seasoned ground beef, mushrooms, red wine, and dill, topped with a cool yogurt sauce. A showstopping centerpiece dish.

Indonesian nasi goreng (fried rice) with shrimp, chicken, and barbecued pork, built on a shrimp paste and chili spice paste with tamarind and kecap manis. Authentic Southeast Asian flavor.

Veggie chili with chunky bell peppers, jalapenos, kidney beans, and Roma tomatoes simmered with chili powder and cumin. A hearty meatless chili topped with Monterey Jack and served with cornbread.

Hearty Russian beet soup (borscht) loaded with beef, bacon, kielbasa, cabbage, potatoes, and navy beans in a sweet-sour broth. A slow-simmered weekend project topped with sour cream.

Vegetarian black bean chili simmered in stout beer with three chiles, peanut butter, and steamed broccoli florets. Deep, malty, and surprisingly bold.

Italian potato salad tosses steamed red potatoes with green beans, Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil in a light cornstarch-thickened red wine vinaigrette.

Wok-seared chicken with ginger, garlic, and Szechuan hot bean paste, finished with sesame oil and served with broccoli. Fiery 45-minute stir-fry.

Navy bean borscht with beef, bacon, kielbasa, beets, cabbage, and potatoes in a sweet-sour broth. A hearty Polish-style beet soup thickened with a butter-flour paste and topped with sour cream.

A make-ahead beef roast with a caper sauce. Thinly sliced and arranged on a plate or cubed and served as an appetizer.

Authentic Ukrainian borscht from Kiev with beef chuck, ham bone, oven-roasted beets, cabbage, potatoes, and prunes for subtle sweetness. Topped with sour cream, dill, and crumbled bacon. Serves 12.

Root vegetable tagine simmers sweet potatoes, turnips, and carrots in a Moroccan spice blend with preserved lemon, green olives, and fresh herbs. Served over couscous with crisp spice-roasted chickpeas.

Traditional Italian minestrone with white beans, vegetables, broken spaghetti, and a Parmesan rind simmered into the broth for umami depth. The classic peasant-soup approach.