Ingredients

• 3 pounds lamb, preferably shoulder or leg, cut into chunks
• 1.25 cups cherry plums, pitted and halved
• 3 cups fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1.5 cups wild garlic, chopped OR 1 cup loosely packed other herbs, chopped (parsley, mint, dill, cilantro)
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cups white wine (at most; Georgian variety if available; qveri is recommended if possible)
• 1 cup water or as needed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the lamb chunks in batches, searing until all sides are golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium. Add the sliced onions.
4. Cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove temporarily from the heat.
5. Reserve a few tablespoons of tarragon for garnish. Add the rest of the herbs and the plums to the pan.
6. Return the lamb to the pan. Pour in the white wine and water. Adjust the liquid so it just covers the ingredients; add more water if necessary.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.
9. Simmer very gently for about 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the lamb is very tender.
10. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. The stew should have a balanced, tangy flavor from the plums. Garnish with the reserved tarragon.

Suneli Valley, modified

Ingredients

for the polenta:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper

for the stew:

• 3 tablespoons pure olive oil
• 3 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

For the polenta:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium ovenproof saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and reduce to a gentle simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal until smooth and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, over low heat; cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes, until thick and no longer gritty. Stir in the butter and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper.

For the stew:

1. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add half of the veal, season with salt and pepper, and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the veal to a plate. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining veal. Pour off the oil.

2. In the casserole, melt the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the celery, onion, and carrot and cook over low heat until softened and golden, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and boil over moderately high heat until almost evaporated, about 12 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, rosemary, and veal, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once or twice, until the veal is very tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon the polenta into bowls, top with the veal stew and serve with more Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 24 oz. prepared marinara sauce
• 1/4 c. fresh basil
• 30 2" fresh ravioli (about 20 oz.)
• 1 lb. ricotta
• 2 tbsp. parsley (optional)
• 2 c. grated mozzarella

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 13x9" pan.
2. Saute onion and sausage. Add marinara sauce and basil, and heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Put 1/3 of sauce in bottom of casserole (sauce layers will be thin). Top with 15 (3x5) ravioli.
4. Mix ricotta, egg, 1/4 tsp. salt, and parsley (if using), and spread over ravioli.
5. Top with 1/3 of sauce and then the next layer of ravioli.
6. Top with remaining sauce and grated mozzarella.
7. Cover with greased foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• ½ large white onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground Kashmiri chile powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon ground fennel
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 star anise
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, divided
• 1 pound ground beef (preferably 20 percent fat)
• ¾ cup Greek-style plain yogurt, divided
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

Preparation

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine rice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, broth and ½ teaspoon of salt over medium-high heat; cover and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant and well blended, 2 minutes.

3. Push onion mixture to one side of the skillet and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee in the empty side. To the melted ghee, add garlic, ginger, garam masala, chile powder, fennel, turmeric, star anise and ¼ teaspoon of the cumin; stir until well blended, 30 seconds.

4. Mix the spices into the onion mixture until well combined, then add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes (it will finish cooking with the rice). Turn off heat and stir in ¼ cup of the yogurt until well incorporated.

5. Drizzle milk evenly over the rice, then add the beef mixture on top in an even layer. Scatter over half of the cilantro, cover and cook until the beef is tender and rice is cooked through, 8 minutes longer.

6. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup yogurt, ¼ teaspoon cumin and 2 tablespoons of water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

7. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and discard star anise and any other visible whole spices. Divide biryani among 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro. Serve warm, with the cumin raita on the side.

NYT

Ingredients

• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups kritharaki (or orzo)
• olive oil
• 1 cube of chicken stock
• salt
• halloumi (optional)

Preparation

1. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil. Heat on medium-high heat.
2. Add the pasta, and stir for a minute to coat with the olive oil.
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pan.
4. Add 850 mL of water and one cube of stock (or 500 mL of liquid stock plus 350 mL of water, if your stock is in liquid form).
5. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom.
6. Cook until the pasta is fully soft (not al dente). Taste for salt (potentially lots!).
7. Serve immediately, or, if there is too much broth in the pan, let stand for a few mintues and it will probably be absorbed. Can be topped with grated halloumi, if you’d like.

Business Insider (lol)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp. red pepper flaks
• 1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, plus more as needed
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. + 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp. roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• rind of 1/2 orange, in 2" to 3" strips
• 1 lb. ground chicken (or pork)
• 10-12 oz. ramen or udon noodles (pref. fresh)
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped chives

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine pepper flakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the 1/2 c. oil, peanuts, and orange rind, shaking the pan occasionally, until the peanuts are golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the contents of the skillet over the red pepper mixture (it may splatter) and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and press down into a single layer. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, occasionally pressing down, until the bottom is browned, 5-7 minutes. Break the chicken up into small pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 1-2 minutes more.
4. While the chicken cooks, cook the noodles according to package directions, until chewy but not soft. Drain and toss with a bit of sesame oil.
5. Remove and discard the orange rind from the chili oil. Off the heat, add enough chili oil to coat the chicken, scraping up any browned bits. Add noodles and toss, adding more chili oil to fully coat. (If you don’t use it all, you can store it for two weeks in the refrigerator.) Top with chives and serve.

NYT

Ingredients

• 16-18 red chili pods
• hot water
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt to taste

Preparation

Wash chilis inside & out. Soak in hot water until soft (abt an hour). Place in blender with enough water to cover, leaving 2" headspace. Blend until smooth and skins disappear. Add a bit of water if too thick. Add garlic, blend 1 min. Salt to taste.

Grandmommy

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. pork (shoulder chops or pork steaks or roast, cubed)
• 2 tsps salt
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tsps whole-leaf oregano
• 1 qt. blended red chili

Preparation

Sprinkle meat with salt. Add garlic & oregano to blended chil. Pour over meat and marinate in refrigerator overnight (8 to 24 hrs). Cook slowly on top of stove or at 350° in oven until meat is tender. Thick slices of potato may be marinated with the meat. (Your tastebuds may say this also needs cumino)

(6 servings)

Grandmommy

Ingredients

• flour tortillas
• carne adovada
• grated cheddar cheese
• green onions
• pinto beans (for serving)

Preparation

Limp flour tortillas in red chili sauce. Fill with chunks of carne adovada, grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onion. Place in baking dish and cover with red chili sauce. Heat in 350° oven until cheese melts, about 15 mins.

Serve with potatoes marinated with meat, boiled pinto beans and chopped lettuce.

Grandmommy

Ingredients

• pot roast
• garlic
• salt
• pepper
• 1 1/4 oz. ground cumin
• 2-3 onions, thickly sliced
• green chile

Preparation

1. Bake pot roast, covered in water in the oven, with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. It should take around 4 to 6 hours.
2. Let cool enough to remove the bone, fat, and gristle.
3. Add the cumin, onions, and green chile. Simmer until the onions are cooked.
4. Serve in burrito form, or in bowls with cheddar cheese and hot buttered tortillas.