10,000 pepper recipes

Littleneck clams steamed open in white wine with leeks, garlic, and cream, finished with a splash of Ricard for an anise-kissed French bistro soup. Ready in 30 minutes.

Gateaux piments, Mauritian chilli cakes made from soaked chana dal, green chilies, turmeric, and fresh herbs. Deep-fried into crispy golden fritters.

Curried yogurt dip with honey, lemon juice, hot sauce, and black pepper. A creamy, Indian-inspired party dip for vegetables and pita, ready in 10 minutes.

Mama's chicken cacciatore: paprika-dusted chicken browned in olive oil, then braised in dry Marsala with crushed plum tomatoes, carrots, celery, and peppers. Italian comfort food the way Madre made it.

Savory crustless eggplant quiche loaded with tomatoes, mushrooms, Italian herbs, and two cheeses. A hearty vegetarian main dish that's lighter than it looks.

Low-fat marinated vegetable platter with crisp broccoli, carrots, celery, red pepper, olives, and artichoke hearts in tangy Italian dressing. Make-ahead appetizer that gets better as it chills.

A very tasty pasta dish in a rich and creamy sauce flavoured with Asiago cheese. Easy to upgrade from an appetizer to main dish with the addition of your favourite seafood.

The lobster in the southern part of Thailand is considered a large shrimp and is therefore called goong mang-gorn - dragon shrimp.

Caribbean-style baby back ribs marinated in a from-scratch sofrito with annatto oil, cilantro, Anaheim chile, guava jelly, and coffee liqueur. Baked low and slow until tender.

A bare-bones homemade sausage base of ground beef and cracked black pepper, stuffed into casings and left to dry. The blank-canvas starting point for building your own Italian, breakfast, or smoky sausage blends.

Homemade hummus from dried chickpeas with tomato puree, garlic, lemon, cumin, and paprika. A tahini-free, tomato-tinged version with deeper bean-forward flavor.

Lighter chili with tender turkey, creamy white beans, and green chiles in savory broth. Cumin and oregano spices with melted Monterey Jack on top.

Crab cakes bound with a silky béchamel and sharpened with dijon, horseradish, and capers, then pan-fried in a crisp breadcrumb crust until deep golden brown.

Slow cooker tamale pie with a cornmeal crust lining the crock and a filling of sausage, stew beef, sundried tomatoes, green chile, corn, and olives. A set-it-and-forget-it Tex-Mex one-pot dinner.

Grilled beef blade steaks marinated overnight in a spicy orange-soy blend with garlic, red pepper flakes, and apple cider vinegar. Served with grilled red bell peppers.

A whole fish baked Cuban-style on a bed of sauteed onions and peppers, rubbed with a garlic-oregano paste and bathed in tomato puree, lime juice, and white wine. Feeds 6 in under 80 minutes.