Recipe Sifter

A creative fusion filling that brings together Middle Eastern hummus and Mexican tamales. Chickpeas, tahini, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce blended into a thick paste, then wrapped in corn husks.

Lean ground beef simmered in a spiced no-salt tomato sauce, served in crispy baked tortilla bowls on a bed of shredded lettuce with cherry tomatoes, carrots, and Parmesan. A lighter taco salad that doesn't skimp on flavor.

Canned pork and beans get the full BBQ treatment: molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire, topped with bacon and smoked low and slow for over two hours. Cookout-worthy baked beans with minimal prep.

Navy bean and tomato soup made from dried beans, with stewed tomatoes, onion, and celery sauteed in margarine. A high-fiber, low-fat, gluten-free farmhouse soup that costs pennies to make.

Chilled pasta salad with flaked salmon, avocado, red bell pepper, cilantro, and lime-mayonnaise dressing: creamy, fresh, served on lettuce with paprika garnish.

Homemade Cajun spice blend with cayenne, black pepper, oregano, thyme, cumin, cardamom, fennel, and coriander. Makes 2 cups of bold, aromatic seasoning for any protein or vegetable.

Tomato and zucchini gratin: thin slices fanned and overlapped, showered with a herby Parmesan breadcrumb topping, drizzled with olive oil, and baked until golden. A rustic summer-garden side dish.

Slow-cooker German peppered beef soup with red potatoes, carrots, celery, caraway, and dill. A heavy-handed peppery roast turned low-and-slow into hearty winter soup.

Asparagus and mushrooms stir-fried with garlic and fermented black beans get tossed in a savory sauce made with rice vinegar, tamari, and sake for a quick Asian-inspired vegetable dish.

Not Just Regular Beef Stew: a refined version with seared tenderloin cubes, red wine, clove-studded onion, and grated potato as a natural thickener. Pearl onions and fresh parsley finish.

Yes from the year 1475. Platina mentions several odd fishes not usually used today as food, such as cuttlefish, scorpions, lampreys and sea-lion. But most of his fish are still favorites-eels, lobsters, crabs, oysters, sturgeon and sturgeon eggs (which he calls caviar), salmon, sole, etc., and he gives a recipe for a Squid Dish for Days of Abstinence. Although squid is eaten today in the South of France and Greece, and can be found in special fish shops here, I would prefer salmon or halibut. But if you hanker for squid, just go ahead with it if you can find some, and be sure to have the fish man prepare it for you by removing the black liquid from the backbone.

Crispy skillet corned beef hash with diced potatoes, onion, and dry mustard, topped with a fried egg. A quick, crunchy homemade hash that beats the canned stuff every time.

Sautéed chicken breast tossed with fluffy couscous, marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, currants, and toasted pine nuts. Served with a tangy yogurt-tomato sauce on the side.

Vegan pearl barley and white kidney bean side dish brightened with fresh mint. Just 4 ingredients, high in fiber and protein, ready in under an hour.

Sweet and sour lentils with brown rice simmer in a tangy honey-tamari-ginger sauce with sauteed onion and celery. A hearty vegetarian one-bowl dinner with plant-protein backbone.

The sauce was too much like spagetti sauce. I cooked the pork chops in the sauce for hours and it was tender, but the pork flavor was diminished; I would prefer to taste the pork more.