Recipe Sifter

Creole tomato soup simmered with fresh tomatoes and cream, topped with crispy fried goat cheese wonton dumplings. A restaurant-worthy bowl with serious wow factor.

Pasta e fagioli simmers tender navy beans, canned tomatoes, and macaroni in a basil-and-oregano broth, with onions sautéed in balsamic instead of oil. A naturally lean Italian peasant soup.

Lemon-paprika tilapia with potato rutabaga mash pairs paprika-dusted fish with a buttery Yukon-rutabaga mash, finished with a wine-shallot cream sauce laced with lemon peel.

Braised beef short ribs coated in Dijon mustard and crispy breadcrumbs, served over a hearty ragout of butternut squash, chickpeas, and kale. Slow-cooked in porter beer with garlic and brown sugar.

Classic homemade hummus with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and scallions, blended thick and creamy. Vegan Middle Eastern dip ready in 15 minutes.

Russian malossol pickles are lightly brined cucumbers fermented with dill, garlic, horseradish root, and cherry or currant leaves. Ready in 5-6 days, crisp, garlicky, and mildly salty.

Low-fat old-fashioned potato salad with red-skinned potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, and pickle relish in a nonfat sour cream and fat-free mayonnaise dressing with dry mustard.

Spicy garlic-ginger popcorn popped in corn oil with fresh ginger root, then tossed in butter, chili sauce, and parsley. A savory snack ready in 10 minutes.

Chinese clay pot salmon with cloud ear mushrooms, bean thread noodles, and pressed tofu in a gingery chicken broth. Elegant Cantonese-style fish dish with delicate aromatics and a silky sesame finish.

Fresh tomato and scallion salad dressed with raspberry vinegar, sugar, and parsley. A five-ingredient no-cook side dish that highlights peak-season ripe tomatoes.

A proper British steak and kidney pie with claret-marinated beef, browned mushrooms, and a golden puff pastry lid. Hearty, old-school comfort that feeds eight hungry guests.

Kreatopita Therini is a Greek summer meat pie with veal, zucchini, eggplant, and tomato baked between buttered phyllo layers. Fresh, herby, and golden-crisp on top.

Picnic potato salad with hard-boiled eggs, dill and sweet relish, Cajun-style hot sauce, and chopped olives. A big-batch Louisiana-leaning crowd pleaser for cookouts.

Homemade calzones packed with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, and stretchy mozzarella. The tomato oil sautéed onions add a savory depth that takes these over the top.

Bay scallops and steamed mussels tossed in a from-scratch Dijon mustard vinaigrette, served over asparagus and Boston lettuce. An elegant seafood appetizer or light main.

Master chef's chicken stock simmered slow with backs, necks, carcasses, and classic mirepoix for clean, golden, gelatin-rich broth. The pro-kitchen foundation that beats any boxed stock.