Pasta recipes

Button mushrooms simmered in a spicy Creole sauce with red wine, garlic, jalapeno, tomatoes, and oregano. A bold, low-calorie side dish ready in 25 minutes.

Phal base recipe: the blazing-hot curry paste foundation for Britain's spiciest Indian restaurant dish. Four ingredients blend into fiery heat for an authentic phal curry at home.

Crock pot barbecued pork turns leftover pork roast into tender pulled-pork sandwiches, slow-cooked in a homemade sweet-and-tangy tomato BBQ sauce. A freezer-friendly make-ahead, ready to pile on buns.

Homemade Thai green curry paste blitzed from fresh jalapenos, Hawaiian chilies, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, shallots, and shrimp paste. A fiery, fragrant base that runs circles around any jarred version.

Chewy almond paste macaroons with crackled tops and tender centers, baked from a homemade four-day-aged paste of blanched almonds and egg whites. The classic Italian-style cookie before the French sandwich version took over.

Turkish-style sauteed eggplant with a garlicky tomato sauce finished with vinegar. Salted and drained for silky, golden slices. Served warm or at room temperature.

Moong dal pounded into a paste with red curry and kaffir lime, shaped into walnut-sized balls and fried golden. Served with a sweet rice vinegar dipping sauce. A traditional Thai snack.

Super cheese pizza sauce: a herb-loaded tomato paste base with oregano, marjoram, garlic and onion. Spread on crust, layer with mozzarella and parmesan, and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.

Thick-cut cowboy steak rubbed with smoky chipotle paste, grilled over high heat, then slathered with homemade jalapeno jelly. Includes a from-scratch pepper jelly recipe.

Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.

This is a dish that was a favorite at our local Chineses eatery. I used to make it with ground turkey (before I saw the light) and have found that TVP works just as well. It's hot and spicy.delicious and just a little different.

Low-calorie calzones made with frozen bread dough, stuffed with spinach, fat-free mozzarella, tomato paste, mushrooms, and a splash of red wine. Golden, cheesy, and guilt-free.

Baked red beans braised in red wine with garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, and bay leaf. A simple, rustic bean casserole with deep, wine-rich flavor and almost no fat.

Slow cooker barbecue beef shredded with a wire whisk after 8 hours on high. Chuck roast cooks in a tangy sauce of tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and dry mustard.

Smoky chipotle salsa blended from canned chipotles in adobo, tomato paste, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar. Sweet, fiery, and ready in 10 minutes. Makes 2 cups.

Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.