Pasta recipes

Slow-simmered beef stroganoff with red wine, mushrooms, and fresh dill, finished with sour cream and served over buttered noodles or rice. Hearty Sunday-supper take on a Russian classic.

Roasted pepper salad with multicolored bell peppers in a balsamic vinaigrette spiked with anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, and shallots. A make-ahead antipasto that improves overnight.

Old-fashioned bean and bacon soup made with dried pinto beans, smoky bacon, carrots, celery, and a splash of vinegar at the end. Slow-simmered, hearty, and far better than the canned version.

This recipe was given to me by a friend who is an ex-patriot now living in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I serve this with yellow rice and grilled avocado halves.

Hearty slow cooker spaghetti sauce loaded with ground beef, mushrooms, bell peppers, and Italian herbs. Simmer it low and slow for rich, restaurant-quality marinara.

Slow-simmered Italian tomato sauce with 4 pounds of fresh plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, and a full tablespoon of black pepper. Three hours on the stove.

Tender braised pot roast with Mediterranean spices, olives, and tomatoes. This aromatic one-pot dinner fills your kitchen with the warm scent of cumin, cinnamon, and garlic.

Sicilian-style caponata with tender eggplant, olives, capers, and tomatoes in a tangy vinegar sauce. Make it ahead and serve cold as a rustic Italian appetizer.

Green lentil soup with crushed tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and grated onion simmered for 2 1/2 hours. A splash of red vinegar at the end lifts the whole pot. Hearty, vegetarian, and deeply flavored.

Easy ground beef chili with kidney beans, tomato puree, and tomato paste, simmered low and slow for two hours. Great for camping or feeding a crowd.

Whole roasted chicken rubbed inside and out with sun-dried tomato paste, garlic, fresh basil, and parsley. Crisp golden skin, deeply savory flavor in every bite.

Goldwater's expert chili slow-simmered 5 hours with dried pinto beans, coarsely ground beef, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. No-frills, Arizona-style bean chili.

Bogracs gulyas (Hungarian kettle goulash) slow-stews tender beef cubes with sweet paprika, onions, and bell peppers. The traditional Hungarian comfort dish topped with cool sour cream.

Shchi is a traditional Russian cabbage and sauerkraut soup with beef brisket, marrow bones, porcini mushrooms, and root vegetables. A deeply layered pot that tastes even better the next day.

From-scratch beef chuck chili with dried pinto beans, blended vegetables, tomato paste, and a slow 3-hour simmer. A big-batch recipe built for deep, layered flavor.

Poc-Chuc, the classic Yucatan grilled pork steak marinated in sour orange and achiote paste, served with habanero-spiked pickled red onions. Traditional Maya-style barbecue straight from Merida.