500 smell recipes

Pasta e ceci, the classic Roman comfort dish. Ditalini and chickpeas in garlicky tomato-basil broth. Pure cucina povera, ready with seven pantry ingredients.

Classic Italian minestrone soup with white beans, salt pork, leeks, cabbage, turnip, zucchini, and elbow macaroni. Slow-simmered farmhouse soup finished with grated parmesan.

A farmers market celebration of artichokes, fava beans, asparagus, peas, leeks, turnips, and carrots gently stewed with lemon, garlic, and butter. Each vegetable cooked to its own ideal doneness.

Containing candied fruit and topped off with frosting, this bread is perfect as a small snack after dinner.

Crispy baked rice cups filled with creamy guacamole and salsa, a vegetarian Mexican appetizer with edible cheddar-cumin shells. Bite-size party food made in a mini muffin tin.

Grandma's apple cake loaded with 4 cups of chopped apples and nuts in a moist, cinnamon-spiced oil batter. No mixer needed, baked in a tube pan and dusted with powdered sugar.

Fresh shelled pinto beans slow-simmered with tomatoes, cumin, paprika, garlic, and olive oil. Finished with lemon juice and fresh herbs. A vegan side dish from scratch.

Favourite walnut cake: a flourless, ground-walnut sponge held together with whipped eggs and a whisper of breadcrumbs. Tall, tender, and naturally gluten-free.

Haselnussmakronen, traditional German hazelnut macaroons: a cocoa meringue folded with crushed hazelnuts and lemon zest, baked low into chewy, flourless cookies. A naturally gluten-free holiday treat.

A plateful of refreshing salad that has mixed greens, apples, and smoked cheddar tossed with a red wine vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette.

Mussels and shrimp with penne in a fresh tomato sauce with garlic, basil, mint, and a splash of brandy. A rustic Italian seafood pasta dinner.

Creamy Italian seafood risotto with shrimp, scallops, shiitake mushrooms, and Roma tomatoes. Arborio rice slow-stirred with chicken broth and white wine until silky.

Bean and pasta soup with kidney beans, elbow macaroni, spinach, and stewed tomatoes in vegetable broth. A one-pot Italian-style soup with Parmesan on top in 30 minutes.

Invisible oatmeal cookies: small, soft drop cookies packed with raisins, chopped dates, pecans, warm cinnamon, and nutmeg. Called "invisible" because they disappear from the cookie jar fast.

Justin Wilson's Cajun crawfish boil simmers 50 pounds of live crawfish with crab boil seasoning, lemons, cayenne, sausage, corn, and potatoes. The gold standard Louisiana backyard feast.

Mike's Baked Stuffed Eggplant fills eggplant shells with a Parmesan, breadcrumb, and egg stuffing, then bakes over a rustic potato-tomato sauce for 90 minutes. A hearty Italian-style vegetarian main.