Recipe Sifter

Ukrainian meatless cabbage rolls filled with rice, sauteed onions, and mushrooms, baked in tomato sauce. A traditional Lenten dish that freezes beautifully.

Slow cooker shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo built on an oven-toasted dry roux, the holy trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery, plus Creole seasoning. Six hours on low for real Louisiana depth, no roux-stirring required.

Kentucky bourbon balls with pecans soaked in real bourbon, rolled in a buttery powdered-sugar fondant, then dipped in semi-sweet chocolate for that signature glossy shell. A classic Southern holiday confection worth the wait.

Italian beef over buttered egg noodles with sliced round steak marinated in red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, basil, marjoram, and garlic. Savory, saucy, comes together in one skillet.

Molded crab dip with cream cheese, cream of celery soup, scallions, and gelatin for a sliceable appetizer. Vintage party fare made for crackers.

A buttery ginger pound cake baked in a ring mold, splashed with rum, and crowned with a garland of poached pears, candied orange peel, and grapes glazed in apple jelly. A showpiece holiday dessert.

Flourless chocolate cake with a full pound of butter, 20 ounces of dark chocolate, 10 eggs, and Grand Marnier. Baked low and slow for 3 hours into pure fudge.

Old-fashioned eggplant marmalade with cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon cooked to a thick, spiced preserve. A unique canning project that turns eggplant into something like fig jam.

Lemon chiffon pie with a lemon-zest shortbread crust, cloud-light gelatin-set citrus filling, and a topping of fresh whipped cream. Bright, fluffy, refreshing.

Italian-style lamb chops marinated in red wine, oregano, thyme, soy sauce, and lemon juice, then broiled to medium-rare. Tender rib chops with a savory-herbal crust and rosy pink center.

New England boiled dinner with corned beef simmered until tender, then carrots, turnips, potatoes, onions, and cabbage cooked in the broth. A classic one-pot Yankee comfort meal.

Easy oven beef stew for diabetics made with round steak, potatoes, carrots, and stewed tomatoes. Thickened with tapioca, baked low and slow in a Dutch oven.

Potée Auvergnate is the rustic French farmhouse stew of cabbage, beans, potatoes, and three kinds of pork (bacon, sausage, smoked chops) slow-braised together in one pot. Hearty mountain cooking from central France.

Hawaiian namasu, a Japanese-Hawaiian pickled vegetable salad with cucumber, carrot, onion, and celery in a sweet vinegar brine. Served cold with sliced smoked salmon.

Easy two-layer peanut butter and chocolate fudge with sweetened condensed milk. No candy thermometer, no boiling sugar. Five ingredients, ready in three hours.

Hearty Shaker bean soup simmered with a ham bone, navy beans, tomatoes, carrots, and spinach. A rustic American heritage recipe that feeds 12 and gets better every hour it cooks.