Pasta recipes

Red-wine-marinated beef stew oven-braised with blanched bacon, dark-roux broth, and tomato paste. A freezer-friendly French bourguignon-style stew built in a Dutch oven.

Roasted sweet potato salad with five-spice, watercress, toasted almonds, and tangy goat cheese for warm vegetable sides ready in 60 minutes.

Poc-Chuc, the classic Yucatan grilled pork steak marinated in sour orange and achiote paste, served with habanero-spiked pickled red onions. Traditional Maya-style barbecue straight from Merida.

Smoky, flame-kissed whiskey BBQ sauce with molasses, brown sugar, and a splash of hot sauce. Sauteed in scotch then flambeed for deep, complex flavor that only gets better with age.

Chicken coq au vin made weeknight-easy: browned chicken breasts braised with mushrooms, carrots, and onion in red wine, broth, and tomato paste. A lighter, faster take on the French classic, ready in under an hour.

Tuscan-style white bean and potato pie: garlic-pureed navy beans topped with caramelized onions, potatoes, and Parmesan, baked into a golden rustic torta. Vegetarian Italian main dish.

Slow-cooker two-bean corn chili with black-eyed peas, navy beans, sweet corn, and jalapenos. Vegan, dump-and-go, ready when you walk in the door.

Vegan eggplant bake layered with a savory nutritional yeast and tahini sauce. Sliced eggplant and sauteed onions in a creamy, dairy-free, cheese-like sauce with tamari and basil.

Kahlua chili: ground beef chili spiked with coffee liqueur, served Cincinnati-style over spaghetti with cheddar and onion. The coffee-and-cocoa background note that makes it work.

Ground beef chili with kidney beans, tomato sauce, celery, green pepper, and scallions simmered until thick. A classic weeknight chili topped with cheddar, lettuce, and tortilla chips.

Crispy deep-fried spring rolls packed with stir-fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and julienned vegetables seasoned with garlic, curry paste, and soy for an addictive Thai appetizer.

Lamb stew with chestnuts and pomegranate layers tender braised lamb with saffron, cinnamon, ground walnuts, and tart pomegranate juice. A jewel-toned Persian-style stew, sweet, sour, and savory, spooned over saffron rice.

If you're having friends over, then don't hesitate to make this hearty dish made with succulent ham, smoked sausage and hot pepper sauce.

Joyce's Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng): the classic Southeast Asian fried rice with shrimp paste, tamarind, and ketjap manis, loaded with shrimp, chicken, and barbecued pork. Dinner for four in 45 minutes.

Portuguese garlic chicken slow-cooked with port wine, brandy, ham, golden raisins, and six cloves of garlic, then broiled golden. A rich slow cooker showpiece.

Crispy deep-fried curry puffs made with homemade crepes wrapped around a spiced beef, carrot, and parsnip filling. A Singapore street food favorite made from scratch at home.