Recipe Sifter

Herbed tomato spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, red wine, aniseed, and four fresh herbs added at the end to preserve their bright flavor. A vegetarian sauce simmered from scratch.

Greek octopus pilaf simmered in tomato, white wine, and oregano for an hour until tender, served over rice cooked in the braising sauce. A traditional taverna dish.

McCall's Creole jambalaya: a classic three-protein Louisiana rice dish with smoked ham, sausage, and shrimp, simmered with thyme, paprika, and bay in one pot. Serves a crowd, feeds all week.

Pork shoulder goulash simmered with sauerkraut, caraway seeds, paprika, and tomatoes, topped with sour cream. A hearty Central European one-pot stew.

Cajun-spiced shrimp simmered with the holy trinity, fresh tomatoes, apple juice, and fish stock over rice. This New Orleans-style skillet dinner brings bold bayou flavor to your table in 40 minutes flat.

Spicy crab pasta in a quick tomato sauce with red pepper flakes, garlic, fish stock, and lemon zest. Low-fat, ready in 25 minutes, and full of heat.

Rinderrouladen are classic German beef rolls stuffed with Dijon mustard, dill pickles, bacon, and onion then braised in beef broth. Served with a rich pan gravy for a traditional Sunday dinner.

Beef daube with shiitake mushrooms is a Provencal-style red-wine braise of chuck roast, salt pork, and dried shiitakes, served over small pasta with parmesan. Overnight marinade builds deep wine flavor.

Cuban black bean and ham soup simmered with bay, thyme, and oregano, then thickened with mashed beans and finished with a splash of dark rum. Served over rice with cool sour cream.

Oxtails braised in red wine with celery, leeks, carrots, and a French-style sauce made from the reduced braising liquid. Rich, fork-tender, and worth every one of the 4 hours.

Provencal fish stew with haddock, fennel, thyme, and bay leaf in a tomato-white wine broth. Served over garlic croutons, 40 minutes from the first sear to the ladle.

Traditional Scottish potted hough made from slow-simmered beef shin and marrow bones with allspice and bay leaves, set in its own natural jelly.

Handmade ravioli stuffed with shrimp, halibut, and clams on a slow-simmered Spanish tomato sauce infused with saffron, orange zest, and shrimp shell stock. A true showstopper.

Indian pot roast braises beef in rum or red wine with allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, and horseradish, finished with carrots and steamed dumplings. A West Indies-influenced colonial-era recipe.

Pasta e fagioli the proper Italian way: dried red kidney beans slow-baked with sage and garlic, then simmered with pancetta and a sofrito of carrot, celery, and onion. Half the beans get pureed for that signature silky, stew-thick body.

Marinated beef tenderloin with red wine, soy sauce, and garlic slivers. Roasted to juicy medium-rare, this is the centerpiece that earns you a standing ovation at dinner.