Pasta recipes

A 9-pound beef brisket smothered in a brown sugar and tomato paste sauce, wrapped in foil, and oven-braised for 5 hours until fork-tender. Shred it and pile it on buns for a crowd.

Italian macaroons made from almond paste kneaded with egg whites and sugar, baked into chewy, fragrant amaretti-style cookies. A short rest before baking gives them their crackly top and tender center.

Moong dal pounded into a paste with red curry and kaffir lime, shaped into walnut-sized balls and fried golden. Served with a sweet rice vinegar dipping sauce. A traditional Thai snack.

Watercress salad with a Chinese-style bean curd cheese and tahini dressing. Blanched watercress tossed in a creamy, savory fermented bean curd dressing with chili flakes and lemon.

Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.

Pignoli cookies (pine nut macaroons): the chewy almond-paste Italian classic studded with toasted pine nuts and dusted with powdered sugar. Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and totally addictive.

Norwegian almond bars with an almond paste filling spiced with cardamom and cinnamon between buttery crumb layers. A Scandinavian cookie bar with a unique potato flake filling.

Basic Italian tomato sauce with peeled plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, a splash of red wine, and a knob of butter for a silky, restaurant-style red sauce in 40 minutes.

Thai-style spicy peanut sauce for satay: red curry paste cooked in coconut cream until oily, finished with thin coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind, and ground peanuts.

A bold Texas-style BBQ sauce made with beer, brown sugar, jalapeños, tomato paste, and lime juice. Five cups of tangy, smoky heat for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork.

Authentic Sichuan beef stew with star anise, dried orange peel, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns. Slow-simmered for three hours with hot bean paste and soy. Serve over rice.

Bold, smoky homemade BBQ sauce with a whole head of garlic, brown sugar, orange juice, and cayenne heat. Simmers for 2 hours in a cast-iron Dutch oven.

Hunan-style salmon stir-fried with chili paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, and garlic in a glossy sauce. Finished with toasted pumpkin seeds over rice.

Slow cooker barbecue beef and pork: cubed beef and pork stewed all day in a tangy tomato sauce with onions, chili powder, and brown sugar. Feeds 16 on buns.

Hearty slow cooker spaghetti sauce loaded with ground beef, mushrooms, bell peppers, and Italian herbs. Simmer it low and slow for rich, restaurant-quality marinara.

Thai barbecued chicken brushes a hoisin, ketchup, molasses and chili-paste glaze onto poached chicken then finishes on the grill for sticky charred edges. The technique that prevents burnt sauce.