Pasta recipes

Crispy chicken chunks coated in water chestnut flour, deep-fried golden, then tossed with roasted peanuts in a spicy sauce of chili paste, dark soy, sesame oil, and Chinese red vinegar. Restaurant-quality kung pao at home.

Thai pad Thai-style fried rice noodles with shrimp three ways (fresh, dried, and paste), scrambled egg, and a sweet-sour-salty sauce of fish sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Topped with crushed peanuts and lime.

Vegetarian black bean burritos packed with corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and smoky spices. Rolled in tortillas and baked until hot, a meatless Mexican-inspired weeknight dinner.

Molasses barbecued ribs get a salt-vinegar brine soak, then a grill basting of dark molasses sauce loaded with onion, pepper, celery, tomato, cloves and allspice. Smoky, tangy, sticky, and built for summer.

Rugged, no-bean chili made with ground beef and chewy wheat berries simmered in a smoky chile, tomato, and cumin broth. A Southwestern twist on Texas red that's hearty enough to stick to your ribs.

Kasha with sauteed onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, seasoned with soy sauce and tahini for a nutty, savory vegetarian main dish. Hearty buckwheat groats in 30 minutes.

Jumbo prawns butterflied and stuffed with a garlic-coriander-chicken paste, then grilled on skewers until bright orange. Served with a tangy sweet-sour cucumber salad on the side.

Italian-seasoned beef and sausage mixed with creamy ricotta and Parmesan, rolled in layers of buttered phyllo, and baked into a crispy golden strudel. A show-stopping dinner or appetizer.

Ambush your tastebuds with this savory chili made with succulent beef chuck, jalapeno peppers and red hot pepper sauce.

Otak otak: Southeast Asian fish mousse with a lemongrass-galangal-chili spice paste and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Each packet holds a shrimp inside a fragrant, spiced fish paste.

Louisiana crawfish etouffee with a dark roux, holy trinity vegetables, tomatoes, and cayenne served over rice. A Cajun classic built on a proper 10-minute dark roux.

Italian meatball sandwich: pork-and-beef meatballs simmered for an hour in a long-cooked red wine tomato sauce built on salt pork, garlic, basil, and marjoram. Piled in a crusty roll with Parmesan and roasted peppers for a proper Sunday sub.

Vegetarian Cajun red beans and brown rice simmered low and slow with onions, bell pepper, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Hearty, meat-free, and full of bayou flavor.

Herb-loaded tomato barbecue sauce sweetened with honey and spiked with cumin, coriander, chili powder, and Tabasco. Simmers for 30 minutes and makes 5 cups of bold, versatile basting sauce.

Red wine-marinated caribou simmered with paprika, red peppers, tomatoes, and caraway seeds, finished with sour cream. A hunter's take on classic Hungarian goulash.

Thick, high-fiber black bean chili simmered with dry sherry, honey, cilantro, and fresh vegetables. Topped with Monterey Jack and yogurt. Feeds 6 to 8 hungry folks.