Recipe Sifter

Scalloped turkey and cauliflower baked in a light turkey stock gravy. A low-calorie main dish that puts leftover turkey to good use.

Lean beef stroganoff made with round steak, fresh mushrooms, dry sherry, and nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream. All the creamy richness with a fraction of the fat.

Old-fashioned veal stew is the French classic blanquette de veau: blanched veal gently simmered with pearl onions, mushrooms, and chicken stock, finished with a velvety egg-yolk and cream velouté sauce.

Carbonnade flamande, the Belgian beef-and-beer stew: chunks of beef simmered low in dark stout with caramelized onions, brown sugar, vinegar, and a Dijon-smeared piece of stale bread that thickens the gravy.

Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie with layers of homemade egg noodle dough and quartered potatoes baked in a buttered kettle for 3 hours. Not a typical pot pie, this is old-world comfort food.

Creamy Cajun stew loaded with shucked oysters and bay scallops in a spiced half-and-half broth with sherry, Worcestershire, and fresh herbs. Topped with croutons for a rich, warming bowl.

Pork, ham, and shrimp jambalaya is a Louisiana-Creole rice dish layering sausage, cubed ham, and shrimp in a tomato-thyme broth. Three-protein one-pot meal with deep Southern roots.

Albondigas soup with small browned meatballs simmered in stock with garlic, parsley, and white wine. Serve as a Mexican-style meatball soup or a saucy main dish.

Pan-fried brook trout stuffed with a creamy shrimp and ginger mousseline, finished with lemon brown butter and parsley. An elegant French-style fish course for a special occasion.

Ink-stuffed squid seared over campfire coals with garlic, lemon, paprika, and rice. Inspired by a Catalina Island beach cook from Jean-Michel Cousteau. Rustic, bold seafood.

Poulet a l'Intrigue: a Louisiana-style stuffed chicken breast marinated, packed with a sausage-eggplant dressing under the skin, lightly hickory-smoked, and finished with an andouille-pecan cream sauce.

Steak and kidney pudding, the British pub classic: cubes of round steak and kidney slow-braised with onions, Worcestershire and herbs into a rich gravy, then topped with flaky pastry and baked golden. Hearty old-country comfort.

Hard-boiled eggs baked in a silky apple-curry sauce that marries sweet caramelized onions with warm spices. Ready in 30 minutes for an easy vegetarian brunch or light supper.

Beefsteak smothered in onions (filet braise aux ognons): pounded round steak braised for two hours over six sliced onions with vinegar, thyme, bay, and garlic. Classic French-Creole comfort.

Sweet and sour chicken saute with orange juice, white wine, raspberry vinegar, and rosemary, finished with fresh orange segments and avocado. Bistro-style chicken with bright pan sauce.

Louisiana crawfish bread studded with chopped crawfish tails, green onions, parsley, thyme, and garlic baked into a savory quick bread. A Cajun-style bread that's part cornbread, part seafood loaf.