8 short recipes

Slow-cooked beef short ribs with sauerkraut, Granny Smith apples, onions, and caraway seeds. Make it in the crockpot, oven, or on the stovetop for a hearty German-inspired comfort meal.

This recipe is a tradition in my husband's Swedish family. It makes enough cookies to feed the Swedish Army.

Golden amaranth shortcake made with amaranth flour, whole wheat pastry flour, tahini, and almonds, topped with crushed pineapple and a blended tofu cream. Dairy-free and honey-sweetened.

Sweet pickles brine cucumber chunks overnight, then bring them to a boil in apple cider vinegar with sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, allspice, and celery seed. Eight pints of golden, crunchy pickles by tomorrow.

Sweet buttermilk biscuits with a touch of sugar, made with shortening for a tender, flaky crumb. Six ingredients, patted by hand, and baked golden in 15 minutes.

Tender cactus shoots (nopales) simmered in a smoky homemade chili sauce with garlic and onion. A bold Mexican-inspired side dish that pairs beautifully with beef, chicken, or fish.

Kinome-ae is a classic Japanese dish pairing dashi-simmered bamboo shoots with a vivid green miso dressing colored with spinach paste. Finished with fragrant sansho pepper powder.

Fiery pork and bamboo shoots over crispy rice noodles: stir-fried slivered pork with winter bamboo, Thai chili paste, and ginger served over a cloud of deep-fried puffy rice stick noodles.