Recipe Sifter

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.

Homemade apricot butter with fresh apricots, orange juice, and orange zest cooked down to a thick, spreadable preserve. Properly water-bath canned for year-round pantry storage.

Basic beer bread with just five ingredients and no yeast. Flour, baking powder, beer, and a touch of honey make a dense, flavorful loaf with a crispy golden crust.

Set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker chicken ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and bell pepper in a garlicky tomato-basil sauce. Ten minutes of prep, hours of flavor.

Italian chocolate nut cookies (mostaccioli) are dense, spiced cocoa cookies with chopped almonds and raisins on whole wheat flour. A traditional Calabrian holiday cookie with deep chocolate-clove flavor.

Whole rye berry porridge simmered with cinnamon, caraway, and vanilla, finished with plump raisins. A chewy, nutty Scandinavian breakfast topped with ricotta. Slow-cooked comfort in a bowl.

Quick and easy butterfly soup made with bow-tie pasta, canned tomato soup, and a splash of lemon juice. A kid-friendly lunch ready in 40 minutes flat.

Ron Santo's linguine with clam sauce pairs the Chicago Cubs legend's red clam sauce with diced tomatoes, mushrooms, white wine, and a pinch of cayenne for a quick Italian pasta dinner.

Chhole alu: North Indian chickpeas and potatoes in a tangy-spicy gravy with jaggery, tamarind, garam masala, and green chiles. A Punjabi street-food classic made vegetarian and satisfying.

Homemade bread dough enhancer made with lecithin, dried whey, diastatic malt powder, and ascorbic acid. Mix once, store in a jar, and add a tablespoon to any bread recipe for softer, higher-rising loaves.

Wok-steamed corned beef and cabbage uses beer, allspice, mustard seed, and bay leaf to steam a brisket fork-tender, finishing with cabbage wedges and a mustard-mayo dressing. Irish St. Patrick's Day classic.

Homemade spiced herbal liqueur infused with cardamom, star anise, angelica root, cinnamon, and mace in vodka. Steep for one week, strain, and sweeten with sugar syrup.

Crispy golden phyllo cups filled with a creamy smoked trout, horseradish and scallion mixture, topped with cool shredded cucumber. An elegant make-ahead appetizer that yields 48 bite-sized pieces.

Fresh Italian antipasto salad with marinated mushrooms and artichokes over crisp vegetables drizzled with balsamic herb dressing for a light, impressive no-cook meal.

Chilled lobster tails stuffed with a creamy lobster salad made with mayonnaise, tarragon vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. An elegant no-cook first course for a special dinner.

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake made from scratch with just six pantry ingredients. A simple homemade mix replacement so kids can bake without the store-bought packets.