Pasta recipes

Red chili nightmare: a wild Mexican-style red chili with beef, sausage, pinto beans, almonds, sesame, chocolate, and a dozen green chiles. Mole-inspired, fiery, and not for the timid.

Crispy sesame chicken just like takeout: chicken cubes in a light, crackly batter deep-fried golden, then coated in a glossy sweet-and-tangy sesame sauce and showered with toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

Authentic Ukrainian borscht from Kiev with beef chuck, ham bone, oven-roasted beets, cabbage, potatoes, and prunes for subtle sweetness. Topped with sour cream, dill, and crumbled bacon. Serves 12.

Lemongrass and chili paste beef burgers topped with a cool mint cucumber relish. All the bright, punchy Thai flavors you crave in a juicy, grillable patty.

Sherry-marinated beef stir-fried with cauliflower, roll-cut carrots, and black mushrooms in a Szechuan peppercorn sauce with black bean paste and Chinkiang vinegar. Authentic wok cooking with serious depth of flavor.

Creole beans and rice layers a tomato-spiced kidney bean stew over fluffy rice, finished with a fresh cucumber-tomato salsa for crunch. Vegan, high-fiber Louisiana classic.

Italian-style jalapeño chili with hot Italian sausage, ground chuck, fennel, red wine, and three kinds of peppers. A sturdy bowl for game day or cold-weather feeding.

I made two pizzas today, but since my target audience does not much like mushrooms I only took a photo of this one.

Serve this rich and creamy shrimp over cooked rice, toast points or pasta.

A different kind of chili, not too hot. Serves wonderfully over pasta.

Tender chicken breast pieces and sliced mushrooms in a lovely Marsala wine sauce. Great over pasta or with risotto.

A cheesy and scrumptious side dish that goes perfect with mashed potatoes or any pasta dish.

Pan-seared scallops with fennel over soba noodles plates golden-crusted scallops on Japanese buckwheat noodles in a Pernod and orange pan sauce. East-meets-West restaurant plating at home.

Homemade hot Italian sausage stuffed into hog casings with pork butt, fennel seed, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cayenne. The real deal for pasta, pizza, and grilling.

Barbecue meatballs in a sweet-tangy ketchup and chili sauce glaze, baked until sticky and caramelized. Family-style comfort food great over rice, pasta or with toothpicks for parties.

Beef meatballs in a creamy milk gravy with sherry, thyme, and Worcestershire. A lighter take on Swedish-style meatballs using yogurt as binder. Serve over egg noodles or pasta.