39 mock recipes

Homemade salted eggs brined in rock salt water for three weeks until the yolks turn firm, golden-orange, and richly savory. Just three ingredients and patience. Serve quartered with rice or congee.

Preserved grape vine leaves for making dolmades all year. Fresh-picked early-summer leaves get bundled, blanched in salted water, then packed into jars with rock salt brine for long-term pantry storage.

White Michigan bean soup is a three-ingredient classic: white navy-style beans simmered slowly with a smoked ham hock, then partly mashed to thicken. Old-school, no-fuss comfort.

Traditional Ukrainian fermented beet juice made with just beets, salt, water, and a slice of sourdough bread. Tangy, earthy, and ruby-red after one to two weeks of natural fermentation.

Layers of tofu ricotta, herb-sautéed zucchini, golden mushrooms, and spinach stacked between artichoke lasagna noodles in a rich spaghetti sauce. A hearty vegan lasagna for 8 that's loaded with vegetables and bakes up bubbling and gorgeous.

Texas caviar made from dried black beans slow-simmered with a smoky ham hock, then tossed with sauteed peppers, onions, and fresh tomatoes. A Lone Star classic side dish.

Prime rib roasted in a rock salt crust that seals in every drop of juice, producing fork-tender, deeply seasoned meat. A showstopping Old English technique you crack open with a hammer.

Salt-roasted shrimp with a scampi beurre blanc dipping sauce. A showstopper appetizer where shrimp cook shell-on over a bed of rock salt and get served with a buttery white wine dip.

Smoky, spicy black bean pesto made with ham hock, jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro stems. A thick, spreadable paste for tacos, chips, or as a bold side dish. Makes 3 cups.

Traditional Cherokee succotash with lima beans, fresh-cut corn, and smoky ham hocks simmered low and slow with bacon drippings. A hearty, soul-warming side dish.

Traditional Quebec habitant pea soup with yellow split peas, smoked ham hocks, savory, and thyme simmered three hours until thick and creamy. A French-Canadian classic.

Lima bean soup simmered low and slow with smoky ham hocks, ham bone, celery, and green onions. Classic Southern bean soup served with Mexican cornbread.

Baked oysters with garlic pine nut butter: fresh oysters baked in their shells under a compound butter of toasted pine nuts, garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, brandy, and lemon. A restaurant-grade appetizer.

Senate bean soup with navy beans, smoked ham hock, potatoes, and an onion pique, half-pureed for a creamy-chunky texture. The famous US Capitol dining room recipe.

Chinese hot orange soup made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, rock sugar, and preserved ginger, lightly thickened with cornstarch. Served warm with citrus slices and cream wafers.

Braised Pork, served with bunya nut, Australian rice grass and dusted with Lemon Myrtle.