150 mock recipes

Nachos from scratch, or make these nachos quick and easy by using store bought refried beans and tortilla chips.

New Orleans red beans and rice made easy in the slow cooker. Dried red beans cooked low with a smoky ham hock, garlic, and bay, thickened creamy, then piled over rice with browned smoked sausage.

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.

Classic headcheese simmers pork hocks with onion and sage until the meat falls off the bone, then sets in its own gelatinous cooking liquid. The traditional European charcuterie made simple.

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.

Split pea soup simmers dried split peas with a smoky ham hock, onion, salt, and pepper for 90 minutes until the peas collapse into a thick green broth and the meat falls off the bone.

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.

French market soup simmers a medley of dried beans with a smoky ham hock until tender, then brightens the pot with tomatoes and a finishing splash of lemon. A hearty, economical bean soup made from a colorful bean mix.

Southern-style pole beans slow-simmered with a smoked ham hock until tender and deeply flavored. Just five ingredients and pure comfort.

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.

Hearty smoked pork and bean soup built from ham hocks, dried pink beans, and beef stock with paprika and sauteed garlic. Partially pureed for a thick, velvety body. Serves 6.

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.

Thick, creamy potato soup baked in the oven with a smoked ham hock, thyme, and milk. A hands-off Dutch oven recipe that simmers itself into hearty, smoky comfort.

Hoosier bean soup with navy beans and ham hock, simmered low and slow after an overnight soak. A classic Midwestern ham and bean soup that's thick, smoky, and deeply satisfying.

Lima bean and ham stew, smoky ham hocks simmered with tender dried lima beans, onion, carrot and celery. A hearty, soul-warming pot of Southern comfort, with the ham shredded right back in.