Recipe Sifter

Austrian quick pickled red onions in an apple cider brine with bay leaf, allspice and peppercorns. Bright pink, sweet-tart and warmly spiced. Pile onto dark rye with paprika cheese, burgers, or fish tacos.

Chunky California beef and bean chili made with cubed round steak, scratch-cooked beans and fresh-toasted cumin. Three peppers and a jalapeño build layered heat in this lean, hearty bowl.

There are hundreds versions of this very Polish soup. Here you have an original proposition of mine. I used to cook it on the base of my favorite duck and chicken stock. The cream is a must to create wonderful pink color. Optionally you may add a quarter or a half of hard boiled egg to your bowl. By the way, I change my recipe sometimes, for instance by adding dried California prunes instead of sugar, or by adding some white vinegar instead of lemon juice.

A lovely rich tasting lentil salad. High in protein, fiber and low in saturated fats.

Hearty slow cooker beef vegetable soup loaded with potatoes, carrots, stewed tomatoes, and herbs. Six hours on low builds a broth that warms you from the inside out.

Charleston okra soup, the Lowcountry classic with simmered ham bone, fresh tomatoes, okra, bacon, and bell pepper. Ladled over rice for a true Carolina supper.

A killer no-bean Texas-style chili with coarse-ground chuck, beer, tequila, whiskey, and six whole jalapeños. Not for the faint of heart.

Authentic South Texas skirt steak fajitas marinated in beer, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and jalapenos for 6 to 8 hours. Grilled over mesquite for real Tex-Mex flavor.

Slow-simmered Italian tomato sauce with ground beef, San Marzano-style plum tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Rich, thick, and built for pasta night.

Meatless red beans and rice simmers dry red beans with onion, garlic, and a clever pinch of fennel seed that echoes sausage, cooked down to a thick, creamy gravy and spooned over rice. Vegan comfort, no meat needed.

Escargot and chanterelle stew simmered in white wine and chicken stock with herbs, finished with an egg yolk and cream liaison for a silky, rich French-inspired broth.

Braised wild boar marinated for two days in red wine, cider vinegar, and juniper, then simmered tender with carrots, onions, and celery. Finished in a rich currant-jelly gravy and served with chestnut puree.

Pickled hot red peppers: whole small chilies canned in vinegar brine with garlic, allspice, peppercorn, and bay leaf. Topped with olive oil and processed for shelf-stable storage.

Vegetarian party pate made from pinto beans, TVP, and shiitake mushrooms with mirin and mace, baked in a water bath and served cold on crackers.

Swedish pickled herring with a sweet-sour vinegar brine layered with red onion, carrots, ginger, and horseradish. A classic Scandinavian smorgasbord appetizer that only gets better after 2-3 days in the jar.

Pressure cooker cabbage soup with caraway seeds, apple cider, tomatoes, and rice. Central European flavor in 30 minutes with deep, sweet-tart complexity.