Sauces recipes

Chicken enchiladas with two from-scratch sauces: a tangy green tomatillo-spinach sauce with sour cream or a smoky red ancho chile sauce. Topped with melted Monterey Jack.

Crisp stir-fried vegetables in a glossy honey-orange-ginger sauce tucked into whole wheat pita pockets and grilled until sealed. A wholesome meatless dinner in 40 minutes.

Layered crab gratin over linguine with mushrooms, white wine, clam juice, and tarragon in a light cream sauce, baked and broiled until golden. A refined seafood pasta bake.

Oysters Bienville baked on the half shell with a rich cream sauce of shrimp, mushrooms, white wine, green onions, and Parmesan. A classic New Orleans appetizer that's worth every minute.

Delicate homemade ravioli filled with wilted arugula, sautéed chanterelle mushrooms, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, served over more arugula and mushrooms with brown chicken sauce. Restaurant-quality Italian pasta at home.

Jerk chicken pizza, a Caribbean spin: spicy jerk-seared chicken and shiitakes on a barbecue-sauce base with smoked mozzarella and asiago, finished with cool mango-mint salsa. Sweet heat meets smoky cheese.

Christmas Eve couscous with a spiced vegetable stew of squash, carrots, broad beans, and zucchini, served with harissa, chickpeas, raisins, pine nuts, and yogurt. A vegetarian North African feast.

Jamie Oliver chicken fajitas done as a full spread: smoky paprika chicken, charred peppers, crispy cumin beans, brown rice, and a fresh blender salsa, wrapped in warm tortillas with feta and lime.

Beef stir fry with mushrooms, bean sprouts, snow peas, green beans, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in soy sauce. A loaded wok dinner served over rice or chow mein noodles.

Asian-style pasta salad tosses cheese tortellini with sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, and five-spice dressing alongside snow peas, red pepper, scallion, and shredded carrot over cabbage. East-West fusion that works.

Cold noodle salad with tender shrimp, crisp snow peas, and luscious ginger-garlic dressing. This Asian-inspired pasta salad is ready in 20 minutes, perfect for lunch or potlucks.

Vegetable nut burgers with brown rice, wild rice, lentils, millet, and cashew butter, served with a fresh fennel-tomato-basil coulis. A hearty, vegan patty with serious substance.

Nori lamb surprise butterflies lamb loin around scallops, mango, mushrooms, and pickled ginger, wraps it in seaweed, and pairs it with a chili-lemongrass syrup and a roasted pepper relish.

Handmade tortelloni stuffed with acorn squash, escarole, ham, and ricotta, finished in a buttery pecorino-tomato cream sauce. An Italian masterclass worth every minute.

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.

Ginger glazed salmon broiled with a soy, lime and brown sugar glaze, served with a bright green herb sauce of cilantro, mint, parsley, and jalapeno. A restaurant-style dinner ready in under 30 minutes.