Sauces/6 recipes

Masala Vangi: baby eggplants stuffed with toasted coconut, coriander, and cayenne, then simmered and drizzled with tangy ginger-tamarind sauce. A vegetarian Indian classic.

Louisiana red beans and rice simmered with a meaty ham bone, smoked sausage, the holy trinity, and hot sauce. Soaked overnight, slow-cooked, and served over fluffy rice with scallions.

Steamed stuffed bitter melon with seasoned pork, water chestnuts, and ginger, finished with a garlicky fermented black bean sauce. A classic Cantonese home-style dish.

This recipe was absolutely divine. The Korean spicy-sweet sauce was the key, which gave the dish an authentic Korean taste. Assorted mushrooms and vegetables added layers of great textures. The combination was just delicious!

Meat filled green peppers in a spicy tomato cream sauce. A hand me down family recipe that I have greatly modified & finally written down.

Medaillons de veau en croute: veal loin medallions seared, topped with mushroom duxelles, and baked in puff pastry. Classic French haute cuisine served with a white wine pan sauce.

Slow cooker one-dish meal with ground beef, bacon, smoked sausage, and four kinds of beans in a sweet-smoky ketchup and honey sauce. A hearty crowd-feeder for 10.

Four cheese baked macaroni layers provolone, cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan into a creamy bechamel sauce with a paprika-dusted golden top. Comfort food that feeds 16.

I used Cornish Game Hens, but you could also use a cut up chicken. If you can't get winter melon, watermelon will work. Winter melon is white, very mild tasting and a tad denser than watermelon. I think you could get away using something like Honeydew too.

Curry-spiced chicken and sautéed mushrooms wrap in rice paper rounds to create these Vietnamese-inspired spring rolls where Indian flavors meet Southeast Asian technique for a fusion appetizer that's light, fresh, and boldly seasoned.

Swiss steak with flour-pounded round steak braised in tomatoes, onions, celery, and green pepper. A retro skillet supper simmered fork-tender in 90 minutes.

Broiled eggplant topped with a creamy Mediterranean walnut sauce spiked with crushed fennel seed and garlic. A rustic vegetarian starter or side dish that makes produce-section eggplant taste like a proper restaurant plate.

Bite-size pepperoni pizza bites made on English muffins with pizza sauce, green pepper, and melted mozzarella. Microwaved in 1 minute for a 5-minute snack.

Chocolate Purses with Rhubarb-Raspberry Mousse recipe

This creamy, low-fat dressing lends itself to salad greens, cooked or raw vegetable combinations, pasta and grain salads, or as a dipping sauce for crudites or steamed artichoke leaves.

Sesame-crusted tofu cubes fried golden and served with a homemade plum dipping sauce made from fresh plums, soy, and teriyaki. A vegetarian party appetizer that serves 16.