Pasta recipes

Thai fish cakes with red curry paste, nam pla, chopped green beans, and fresh basil, pan-fried golden and served with a sweet-tangy cucumber salad on the side.

Quick Chinese-style chicken stir-fry with shredded breast, bamboo shoots, zucchini, and bell peppers tossed in chili bean sauce and dark soy for a fiery weeknight dinner.

Italian-style party meatballs with Parmesan and rolled oats simmered in a homemade tomato-oregano-basil sauce. Serve in a chafing dish for easy entertaining and cocktail parties.

Fiery pork and bamboo shoots over crispy rice noodles: stir-fried slivered pork with winter bamboo, Thai chili paste, and ginger served over a cloud of deep-fried puffy rice stick noodles.

Keema mattar is an Indian ground lamb curry with green peas, cooked in ghee with cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, and whole cloves. Serve with naan or rice.

A North African-inspired vegetarian stew with chickpeas, butternut squash, turnips, and carrots simmered with harissa and served over fluffy couscous. Warm, spiced, and feeds 8.

Stuffed poblano chiles filled with ripe olives, ricotta and Monterey Jack, baked and finished with a quick olive mole sauce of tomato, cumin, chili powder and beef stock.

Layered bar cookies with an oat-almond-tahini crumb crust and a rich carob filling made from tofu, ricotta, and maple syrup. A wholesome, caffeine-free treat for health-conscious bakers.

Homemade hummus from scratch using dried chickpeas, a pound of tahini, fresh lemon, and a freeze-to-soften trick for ultra-creamy texture. Middle Eastern dip that puts store-bought tubs to shame.

Baked chicken drumsticks coated in a sticky honey-ketchup glaze with five spice powder, Worcestershire, and chili sauce. Finger-licking glazed drumsticks great hot or cold.

Santa Fe red pork chili with coarsely ground pork shoulder, beer, stewed tomatoes, and layers of cumin and chili powder. No beans, no shortcuts. A thick, meaty Tex-Mex red chili simmered low and slow.

Dad's shepherd's pie: ground beef with mushrooms, tomato and brown gravy, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and baked until the crust turns golden brown. Sunday-supper comfort food.

Hungarian goulash soup with tender beef cubes, paprika, green peppers, and caraway seeds simmered in beef stock. A hearty one-pot soup that tastes even better the next day.

Curried deer (venison) stew with curry powder, tomato paste, raisins, grapes, and diced apple simmered for 90 minutes. A sweet-savory game curry that tames venison's wild flavor.

Peach crumb cake with an almond paste pound cake base, fresh peach slices, brown sugar crumb topping, and sliced almonds. Dense, buttery, and freezer-friendly for up to a month.

Ethiopian-style mixed vegetable stew (atkilt alicha) built on berbere spice and ghee. Green beans, carrots and potatoes simmered in tomato broth, ready in 45 minutes. Vegetarian, deeply spiced.