Recipes with salt

Elbow pasta tossed with garlic olive oil, wilted basil, fresh parsley, lime zest, and lime juice. A bright, vegetarian pasta ready in 30 minutes.

Char-broiled turkey stuffed with citrus, apple, onions, and celery, then grilled low and slow with smoker chips for a smoky, juicy holiday bird right off the charcoal grill.

Pastitsio makaronia me feta: a Greek baked pasta casserole with elbow macaroni, cubed feta, grated cheese, and eggs wrapped in crispy buttered filo pastry. Nutmeg-scented and golden-topped.

Penne with eggplant, mushrooms, and red wine tomato sauce finished with melted mozzarella. A hearty Italian pasta ready in 45 minutes.

Crockpot applesauce walnut cake baked individually in canning jars. Warmly spiced single-serve dessert with cinnamon, clove, and toasted walnuts, slow-cooker style.

Pepper oysters are a chef-style appetizer of fresh oysters poached in their own liquor, then marinated overnight in mortar-ground black peppercorn, garlic, bay leaf, and lime. Bright, briny, bracing.

Fruited cheesecake: a creamy ricotta cheesecake on a vanilla wafer crust, crowned with fresh fruit arranged in concentric circles and glazed with currant jelly. A bakery-style summer dessert for eight.

Double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening pastry and a simple sugar-and-flour-thickened filling. The kind of late-summer fruit pie that lets the berries do the talking.

Halloween black cat cookies turn rich chocolate cookie dough into spooky-cute pops, with pinched ears, fork-pressed whiskers, candy corn eyes, and red-hot noses. A fun bake the kids can help shape.

German chocolate pies: two pies at once, gooey cocoa-pecan-coconut filling in flaky shells. One to eat now, one to freeze. A Southern dessert for holidays and church suppers.

Granny's corn and bean chowder: a vegetarian chowder built on sweet corn, beans, and powdered milk for body. Sweet, savory, lightly nutmeg-warmed comfort in a bowl, no dairy needed.

Veal braised with onions and cucumber, topped with crumbled sheep cheese, fresh dill, and tomato. Balkan-style stew served with warm flatbread.

Curried beef stew with seared round steak, fresh tomatoes, and sweet curry powder simmered until fork-tender. A simple, no-fuss Indian-inspired one-pot meal with red pepper flakes on the side.

Oatmeal walnut cookies pack whole wheat flour, wheat germ, oats, raisins, and walnuts into a chewy cookie sweetened with brown sugar and orange juice concentrate. Hearty and wholesome.

Lamb rib chops broiled under a rosemary-garlic quince jelly glaze. A 15-minute dinner-party main with a sweet-savory lacquer that caramelizes under the broiler.

Classic French apple tarte Tatin with Granny Smith apples caramelized in a skillet and topped with buttery homemade pastry. A stunning upside-down dessert with deep golden caramel.