Recipe Sifter

Big-batch hot salsa for canning with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, Vidalia onion, and oregano, thickened with cornstarch. Makes 13 pints of thick, spicy salsa for year-round pantry stocking.

Low-fat pasta sauce with Italian white beans, tomatoes, ham, and fresh herbs simmered in reduced chicken broth. Spooned over your favorite pasta shape.

Peppery mozzarella salad with beefsteak tomatoes, avocado, and shallots in a crushed green peppercorn and lemon dressing. Marinated one hour for bold flavor.

Hearty Italian spaghetti with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black olives, and green peppers simmered 90 minutes. A slow-cooked Sunday sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.

Herbed focaccia, a crisp Italian flatbread with a touch of cornmeal, brushed with warm garlic-herb olive oil and showered with kosher salt. Thin and crackly, it's made for open sandwiches and freezes well.

Light shrimp spaghetti in a white wine and tomato sauce with garlic, basil, and oregano. Low-fat weeknight pasta with bright, clean flavors.

Crab marinara with a pound of crab meat simmered in a from-scratch tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, oregano, basil, and a kick of cayenne. Served over spaghetti or rice.

Onion and tomato tart with anchovies bakes caramelized onions, tomatoes, briny anchovies, and Nicoise olives on a thin yeasted crust. The Provençal pissaladière at home.

Microwave spinach lasagna layered with cottage cheese, fresh spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan in a herb-spiked tomato sauce. Vegetarian lasagna on the table in 70 minutes, no oven required.

A slow-simmered meat sauce with ground beef, red wine, mushrooms, and Italian herbs ladled over spaghetti and showered with Parmesan. Two hours of simmering builds layers of deep, rich flavor.

Vegan black bean chili with corn, zucchini, beer, and a cornmeal thickener. Hearty meatless one-pot dinner that feeds 16 with bold Tex-Mex flavor.

Chicken simmers in a rich, complex mole sauce built from chipotle chili, cocoa, peanut butter, sesame seeds, raisins, and warm spices. Authentic Mexican mole that's worth every minute.

Corn tamale casserole layered with blended corn-cornmeal masa, green chiles, and cheddar cheese, baked under foil. Served with a warm oregano-stewed tomato sauce.

Whole trout baked under a saucy Creole blanket of sauteed bell pepper, onion, celery, and stewed tomatoes with oregano. Simple, flaky, and on the table in an hour.

Big-batch Italian pasta sauce made with fresh canned tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, sage, and grated Romano and Parmesan cheese cooked right into the sauce. Perfect for simmering with homemade meatballs.

Fresh tomato pasta toss simmers blanched and peeled tomatoes with garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano, finished with a splash of cream over penne. A high-summer pasta sauce when tomatoes are at their peak.