Recipe Sifter

Reno Red competition-style chili with coarse-ground beef, dried red chiles, cumin, oregano brewed in beer, and masa flour. No beans, all meat, pure heat.

Vegetable pasta primavera with fettuccine, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, artichoke hearts, peppers, and cherry tomatoes. A garlic-and-herb skillet vegetarian classic.

A whole pumpkin stuffed with herbed rice, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and bell pepper, then baked until the flesh turns silky soft. A vegetarian showstopper.

Mushroom Bolognese with finely chopped shiitake and button mushrooms in a thick tomato sauce. A hearty, low-fat vegetarian pasta sauce with deep umami flavor and meaty texture.

Loaded tuna nicoise sandwich on grilled Italian bread with roasted peppers, kalamata olives, capers, and a homemade oregano vinaigrette. A Mediterranean-inspired lunch that eats like a feast.

White chicken chili with great northern beans, poached chicken, green chiles, cumin, and a full pound of melted Monterey Jack. Served with sour cream and jalapenos for a hearty Southwest crowd-feeder.

Ratatouille-topped chicken: pan-seared breasts blanketed in Provencal vegetable stew with eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. Mediterranean weeknight dinner.

Northwest fish veggie cioppino simmers tomatoes, white wine, and chicken broth with peppers, carrots, celery, and garlic before folding in flaky fish fillets. Hearty Pacific-style stew, ready in under an hour.

Polpettone Italian stuffed meat steaks sandwich ham and melted mozzarella between two herbed beef-and-veal patties, breaded crisp, then baked under tomato sauce and more cheese. The Italian-American answer to chicken cordon bleu.

Veal parmigiana with pounded cutlets dredged in parmesan breadcrumbs, browned in a skillet, then baked under chunky stewed-tomato sauce and a blanket of melted mozzarella. Classic Italian American comfort.

Chicken Alla Spina braised with red wine, onions, and oregano in a roasting pan. An Italian-American one-pan chicken dinner with tender meat and a savory wine sauce for sopping with bread.

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.

Layered Mexican beef casserole with tortillas, creamed corn, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and two cheeses. A crowd-feeding Tex-Mex bake that assembles in minutes.

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.

Authentic Spanish-American chili con carne made with cubed beef, beef suet, and whole dried red chile peppers reconstituted and pulped into a smoky, deeply flavored bowl of red. A traditional no-bean chili built on real chiles, not powder.

Homemade marinara sauce with crushed plum tomatoes, mushrooms, and a secret trio of steak sauce, barbecue sauce, and ketchup for unexpected depth. Vegetarian and ready in 45 minutes.