Recipe Sifter

Garlic steak stir-fry with round steak or venison marinated in soy, sherry, and ginger, then wok-seared with green peppers and water chestnuts. Served over rice.

Spicy Szechuan chicken stir fry with snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and dried red chiles. A 30-minute weeknight dinner with bold heat and clean veggies.

Roasted pheasant halves basted in a mandarin orange and lemon glaze thickened with cornstarch. A citrus-glazed game bird roasted in three stages for crispy, lacquered skin.

Quick beef stir-fry with tender flank steak, crisp-tender cauliflower, and bright snow peas in a garlicky soy sauce glaze. Ready in 35 minutes using one skillet or wok.

Grandma's butterscotch cream pie features a silky dark brown sugar custard cooked stovetop, poured into a flaky shell and crowned with billowy whipped cream. Old-fashioned pure butterscotch.

Quick shrimp linguine with bell peppers, broccoli, and scallions in a light cornstarch-thickened white wine and chicken broth sauce. A 30-minute weeknight pasta that skips the heavy cream entirely.

Blintz souffle layers a cream cheese and cottage cheese filling inside a puffy orange-scented batter, baked golden and served with warm blueberry sauce. A Jewish brunch classic.

Inagami-pakwejigan is a traditional Ojibway soft cornstarch porridge served warm with margarine and sunflower seeds. A simple, gluten-free Native American dish ready in 15 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.

Fiery Sichuan-style ma po tofu with dried mushrooms, chili oil, brown bean sauce, and homemade Szechwan peppercorn powder. All the numbing heat, zero meat.

Oshkinigikwe is a Native American tomato stew with shallots, cucumber, and corn flour. A simple, plant-based dish thickened naturally with just seven ingredients.

Chinese pepper steak with sirloin, green bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes in a soy-cornstarch sauce. A classic stir-fry with a quick soy marinade.

Harvard beets in a sweet and tangy cornstarch glaze made in the microwave. Five ingredients, ready in minutes using canned beets. A classic New England side dish.

Oven-baked sweet and sour spareribs glazed with a homemade sauce of brown sugar, crushed pineapple, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and dry mustard. Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs with a thick, sticky glaze.

Tuscan skillet chicken with cannellini beans, fresh spinach, tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary. One pan, 30 minutes, healthy weeknight Italian dinner.

Lace cookies with lemon buttercream filling, thin caramelized oat-and-molasses wafers sandwiched around a silky lemon curd buttercream. Delicate, bakery-style cookies worth the patience.