34 ragged recipes

Paper bag apple pie: a vintage baking trick that wraps the whole pie in a brown paper bag during baking. Tender apples, golden streusel top, and an evenly browned crust without scorching.

No-cook freezer pickles combine sliced cucumbers and onions with sweet vinegar brine, ready to pull from the freezer whenever guests arrive.

Baker's bread in a bag is mixed and kneaded entirely in a zip-top bag, no mixing bowl needed. A kid-friendly intro to yeast bread that bakes into a tender white loaf.

A bit sweet, sour with slightly spicy, this Thai cauliflower curry has lots of deliciousness that coconut milk, fish sauce and Thai curry paste have delivered. Serve it over a bed of rice that helps to soak up all the goodness.

Freezer fajitas: marinated sirloin steak frozen with frozen fajita vegetables for a make-ahead Tex-Mex weeknight dinner. Thaw, sear, and serve in flour tortillas with salsa.

Moist wholemeal zucchini cake topped with sliced apple, crunchy walnuts, and warm allspice. Baked in a ring tin, this one's brilliant warm or cold with a cuppa.

Phaalse Ka Sharbat is a traditional Indian blackberry summer drink with mashed soaked berries, sugar, and a pinch of salt over crushed ice. Refreshing North Indian sherbet for hot days.

Fresh sweet corn and parsnip soup blends summer corn with earthy parsnips, milk, and herbs into a silky pureed bowl finished with mascarpone and parsley. A vegetarian late-summer comfort soup.

Nutty plum crumble with peanut butter rubbed into a whole wheat and oat topping over fresh sliced plums. A single-serving vegetarian dessert with a crunchy, protein-rich crumble.

Dominican red beans and rice (habichuelas con arroz), small red beans simmered with cumin, garlic, a touch of sugar, and vinegar, spooned over fluffy rice. A naturally vegan plate, great with avocado and plantains.

From-scratch banana cream pie with tea-infused pastry cream, a flaky pate brisee crust, and billowy whipped cream. A bakery-level banana pie that's worth every minute of the effort.

Banana apple bread combines three ripe bananas with chunky chopped apples for a moist, fruit-loaded quick bread. Topped with chopped almonds for crunch, perfect for breakfast or brown-bag snacks.

Chock full of beef and loads of veggies that suck up the flavor of the red wine, herbs and garlic. Make up a large batch on the weekend and freeze in individual portions in zipper bags for up to 3 months.

One of the best homemade mac n' cheese I've ever had. The flavor of the sauce was excellent. Instead of provolone I use asiago cheese. The bits of feta and spinach made for nice variety. Bread crumb topping added another layer of crunchy texture.

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

Four cheeses mixed with spinach is the cheese layers, baby portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms and tomatoes make this delicious ragu. The lasagna comes out cheesy, juicy and full of flavors.