Recipe Sifter

Thick homemade pizza sauce with sauteed onion, garlic, and oregano in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Simmers in 10 minutes and freezes beautifully for pizza night anytime.

Chicken breasts baked under a homemade ratatouille of eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers, and tomatoes with fresh oregano. Serve over pasta or rice.

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.

Big-batch beef and pork chili con carne with four kinds of beans, plantain (or banana), molasses, and a deep spice blend. An overnight-marinated chili built for slow simmering and serving a crowd.

Mexican chicken wings coated in chili-cumin-oregano oil and dredged in crushed tortilla chips, then baked until golden and crispy. A crunchy, spicy oven-baked wing.

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

Cajun skillet beans with black-eyed peas, the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, plus tomatoes, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne. A quick, hearty vegetarian Cajun side.

Baked orange roughy with a Parmesan herb breadcrumb crust, white wine, lemon juice, sliced mushrooms, and slivered almonds. A mild, flaky weeknight fish dinner.

Roast pork loin rubbed with ground ancho chilies, cumin, and a bold Southwestern spice blend, served sliced on a pepper-tomato-bacon sauce reduced with red wine and veal stock.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

Microwave Italian tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, basil, and oregano, ready in under 10 minutes. No stirring, no stovetop. A quick base sauce for pasta, pizza, or chicken Parmesan.

Italian meat sauce built on a proper soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery with ground beef, mushrooms, red wine, and beef stock. A slow-simmered Bolognese-style ragù.

Garlic shrimp linguine with rosemary, oregano, and a touch of cayenne. Eight cloves of garlic, lemon-spiked olive oil, fresh spinach and tomato, finished with parmesan.

Mexican pork beer roast slow-roasts a 5-pound pork loin with beer, oregano, and coriander, served with a tangy tomatillo green sauce pureed with garlic, cilantro, and white wine vinegar.

Garlicky sauteed shrimp in a white wine cream sauce spooned over vibrant spinach noodles. A homemade bechamel, shallots, and fresh chives make this scampi richer than your usual butter-and-garlic version.

Pork chili with artichoke hearts and white beans: a Mediterranean-leaning chili with cumin, oregano, white wine, and roma tomatoes. Lemon juice and cilantro hit at the end for brightness.