Recipe Sifter

A spicy vegetable stew - easy to make. Some find that the flavors of the vegetables don't stand out unless you put in a lot of tabasco. But not everyone likes it hot. Just add enough to make the stew seem spicy to you.

Pan-seared pork chops braised in a maple syrup and fresh pear sauce with ginger. A sweet-savory one-skillet dinner that comes together in 45 minutes.

Beef and sausage chili built on a scratch-made ancho chile sauce, with green chiles, tomato, cumin and Mexican oregano. Rehydrated dried anchos give it deep, smoky flavor you can dial up to taste. No beans.

Homemade Nuts and Bolts party mix with almonds, three cereals, pretzels, and cheese crackers baked in a Worcestershire-bacon dripping sauce. Makes 5 quarts for a crowd.

Anchovies seem to have a natural affinity with veal - consider ossi buci, for instance, those not in the know usually cannot pick the presence of anchovies in this pot-roasted dish, but they do rave about the flavour.

Farm market soup stew packed with carrots, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, zucchini, Swiss chard, split peas, and tomatoes in vegetable broth. A hearty vegetarian garden harvest pot.

Tri-grain bread machine loaf made with bread flour, barley flour, and oat flour plus wheat germ. Applesauce adds moisture and a subtle sweetness without added fat.

Fiery homemade salsa made from oil-fried dried chile piquin blended with tomato sauce, cumin, and garlic. Five ingredients, ten minutes, serious heat.

Garlic mud chicken roasted under a thick paste of 50 garlic cloves, olive oil, Cajun spice, and flour that bakes into a crispy, flavor-sealing crust. Seriously garlicky.

Wacky cake (Depression-era chocolate cake) made with no eggs, no milk, no butter. Vinegar and baking soda lift it to fluffy chocolate perfection in one pan.

German apple kuchen with a buttery crumb topping that shatters under your fork. Sweet-tart apple slices nestle into tender cake, all crowned with cinnamon-spiced streusel.

A whole fish baked Cuban-style on a bed of sauteed onions and peppers, rubbed with a garlic-oregano paste and bathed in tomato puree, lime juice, and white wine. Feeds 6 in under 80 minutes.

One-skillet Basque vegetable rice with tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, Spanish paprika, and thyme cooked in broth until tender. A healthy, hearty vegetarian main served straight from the cast-iron pan.

Pasta Napolitana with a quick homemade tomato sauce from plum tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and a touch of honey to cut the acidity. Simple Italian comfort ready in 20 minutes.

Old-fashioned pickled beets in a sweet cinnamon, clove, and allspice syrup with apple cider vinegar and lemon slices. A classic pantry staple that brightens any plate.

This warm spiced wassail blends claret wine, dry sherry, citrus juices, and cinnamon into a fragrant holiday punch. Ready in 20 minutes, it's the coziest sip for cold-weather gatherings.