Recipe Sifter

Homemade Filipino-style banana ketchup simmered with raisins, tomato paste, allspice, cayenne, and dark rum. Sweet, tangy, and warmly spiced. Makes 3.5 cups and keeps for a month.

Gumbo z'herbes, the New Orleans green gumbo: spinach, mustard, turnip, and collard greens simmered with smoked pork, ham, and oysters, spiced Creole-style and served over rice with file powder.

Browned chicken bakes in a citrusy sauce of fresh orange juice, orange zest, cumin, and red pepper flakes with green bell pepper strips. Bright, zesty, and lightly spicy.

Add some fun to dinner with this scrumptious dish that's fun to make and enjoy!

Chicago Italian beef, a garlic-and-herb roasted sirloin sliced paper-thin and dipped in its own seasoned jus, then piled onto French rolls. The real-deal dipped sandwich, made for a crowd.

Traditional German Surbraten: pork brined for three weeks with juniper berries, garlic, and onion, then roasted until the outside is crackling-crisp. An old-world curing project for the patient and adventurous cook.

Homemade Chinese duck sauce from fresh plums and apricots simmered with ginger, mustard seed, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar. A sweet-tangy condiment that needs two weeks to mature in the jar.

Chicken broccoli salad with bulgur wheat, lime juice and ginger. Light Asian-inspired protein salad chilled 2-3 hours before serving.

Lightning-fast bay scallop saute with tri-color bell peppers, garlic, white wine, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts over pasta. A low-calorie seafood dinner that's on the table in 20 minutes.

Fireside brisket braises beef low and slow in beer, chili sauce, onion soup mix, and Worcestershire, with rye cornbread thickening the pan into rich, self-saucing gravy.

Marinated venison loin seared hot then roasted under a thick Dijon mustard, garlic, and herb crust. A lean gamey cut treated with classic French hunter-cuisine technique.

Shark fillets marinated in lemon juice, fresh basil, garlic, chili sauce, and soy sauce, then broiled and drizzled with a reduced marinade glaze. Meaty, spicy, and full of punch.

Homemade vinaigrette with extra-virgin olive oil, malt vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, tarragon, and dill. A tangy, herbaceous dressing made in five minutes.

Sage-crusted roast pork loin marinated overnight with garlic and peppercorns, served with a flambeed Calvados apple brandy sauce made from pan drippings and Granny Smith apples.

No-cook spinach pesto pasta sauce with fresh basil, parsley, pine nuts, ripe tomatoes, garlic, and Parmesan. Blender-quick, served at room temperature over hot pasta.

Spanish-inspired shrimp baked in a brandy and white wine tomato sauce with thyme, chili flakes, and a golden Parmesan crust. A stunning make-ahead gratin that's ready when your guests arrive.