Pasta recipes

Perfumed wtih Benali 5-spice (panch puran), this tasty melange of vegetables is wonderful with basmati rice.

Mandelbreit is a Jewish almond bread sliced twice-baked style with three fillings: cocoa, walnuts, and candied fruit. Aging the rolls in foil for a week deepens the flavor.

Phanang curry paste pounded from dried red chiles, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, coriander root, cumin, and shrimp paste. An authentic Thai curry paste made from scratch.

Homemade Thai curry spice paste with dried red chilies, coriander, garlic, shallots, anchovy, and lemon zest. Keeps two months in the fridge for quick weeknight curries.

A Louisiana-style turkey gumbo loaded with sauteed okra, the holy trinity of celery, onion, and green pepper, fresh and canned tomatoes, and file powder, served over rice. Leftover turkey gets a bayou soul in 40 minutes.

Provencal onion soup with eggplant, zucchini, tomato paste, and fresh basil simmered in red wine. A low-fat, vegetable-rich French soup with no butter or cheese.

Crispy tofu and tender-crisp green beans tossed in a spicy hoisin chili sauce. This 30-minute Chinese vegetarian stir-fry is packed with savory heat and works beautifully over steamed rice.

San Francisco seafood casserole bakes mussels, shrimp, and white fish in a tomato-wine-clam juice broth. A streamlined cioppino in casserole form, ready in under an hour.

Spiced Chinese cucumber salad with sesame oil, hot soybean paste, soy sauce, and lemon. A crunchy, spicy-tangy cold side dish that takes just minutes to prepare.

Shredded turkey slow cooks in enchilada sauce and tomato paste, then gets smothered in melted Monterey Jack. Scoop it up with corn chips or stuff it into tacos for the easiest Crock-Pot Mexican dinner you'll ever make.

Tender chicken simmered in a rich coconut milk and red curry paste sauce with zucchini, jalapeños, and fresh basil. A quick, creamy Thai red curry ready in 40 minutes.

Texas-style chili with cubed beef chuck, no beans, simmered with chili powder, green peppers, tomatoes, and oregano. Topped with cheese and raw onion.

Southwest riblets baked in a mole-inspired sauce with ground red chiles, unsweetened chocolate, juniper berries, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar. A smoky, complex, slightly bitter glaze on tender pork back ribs.

Thai hot and sour shrimp soup (Tom Yum Goong) with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, red curry paste, fish sauce, and fresh lime juice. A fragrant, spicy broth ready in 35 minutes.

Italian meat pie with seasoned ground beef, tomato paste, green pepper, and layers of mozzarella and Parmesan in a pie crust. Like pizza in pie form.

H. Allen Smith's legendary no-bean chili: 4 pounds of coarse-ground sirloin simmered for 3 hours with dried hot chilis, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Pure Texas-style chili, the way the purists intended.