Recipe Sifter

Old-school Texas chili con carne built on rehydrated ancho and pequin chiles, cubed beef, cumin, and oregano. No tomatoes, no beans, no shortcuts. Just pure chile-forward heat the way the Lone Star State intended.

Traditional Spanish black bean soup simmered all day with green peppers, garlic, oregano, bay leaves, and olive oil. Thick, hearty, and naturally vegan. Serve over rice.

Sloppy sardines over rice: canned sardines simmered with onions, green pepper, tomato and garlic, served on a bed of fluffy long-grain rice. Pantry-friendly weeknight protein on a budget.

Add sophistication to your dinner in no time at all with this succulent chicken dish.

Try something new for lunch with this scrumptious dish that will start a fiesta in your tummy!

H. Allen Smith's legendary no-bean chili: 4 pounds of coarse-ground sirloin simmered for 3 hours with dried hot chilis, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Pure Texas-style chili, the way the purists intended.

Hearty Michigan minestrone with dried lima beans, bacon, salami, cabbage, and fresh herbs simmered in chicken broth. A meaty, Midwestern take on the Italian classic.

Savory shrimp and Gruyere cheesecake on a buttery cracker crust, baked silky with sauteed shrimp and peppers, then chilled and served with warm Italian tomato sauce. A make-ahead party appetizer that wows.

Maple-glazed pork tenderloin marinated in a soy, garlic, and brown sugar brine, then seared, roasted, and finished with a maple-Dijon pan sauce. Juicy, sweet-savory pork with a glossy glaze.

Phall curry, the famously fiery British-Indian curry house dish, made with twelve fresh green chiles, garam masala, fenugreek, and your meat of choice. For serious heat seekers only.

Garlic chocolate chip cookies with blanched garlic cloves soaked in maple syrup, mixed into a buttery dough with brown sugar, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Homemade Mexican chorizo with ground pork shoulder, ancho chile powder, cumin, coriander, fresh oregano, and vinegar. No casing needed, ready overnight.

Lucknawi dal simmers pink lentils with turmeric and tamarind, then finishes with a sizzling tadka of cumin seeds, fried onion, garlic, ginger, and dried red chili. Sour, smoky, and brothy in the best Awadhi tradition.

Tuna chili Texas-style with kidney beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, and red wine vinegar. A quick microwave chili that swaps ground beef for canned tuna.

Homemade liver-sage sausage with chicken livers, veal, bacon, capers, and white wine. Marinated overnight, ground, and stuffed into casings or shaped into patties for the grill.

Spicy homemade dill pickles with hot chili peppers, garlic, mustard seeds, and fresh dill in a vinegar brine. Crunchy, fiery refrigerator pickles ready in 3 to 4 weeks.