Recipes with water

Ethiopian ginger vegetables with potatoes, green beans, carrots, and green chilies sauteed with fresh ginger and garlic. A vegan, spiced vegetable stew.

Giant pork meatballs with water chestnuts and ginger, fried until crusted and braised for 2 hours on napa cabbage in a clay pot. A classic Shanghai comfort dish that melts in your mouth.

Here I adapted an 18th century English spice cake recipe which also makes nice cupcakes.

Silky Middle Eastern milk pudding with slivered almonds, cardamom, and saffron. Elegant chilled dessert (firnee) garnished with bright green pistachios.

Perfect for Thanksgiving, roasted turkey with a savory wild rice stuffing.

Apple pie with apricot glaze layers tart Granny Smith apples over a custard pastry cream and finishes with a layer of apricot preserves under the top crust. A French-style twist on classic American apple pie.

Pan haggis with liver, toasted pinhead oatmeal, suet, and onions steamed in a pudding basin for 3 hours. A traditional Scottish dish made without a stomach casing.

Badami Gosht: lamb marinated in saffron yogurt, braised with almond paste, coconut milk, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. A rich, aromatic Indian curry for special occasions.

Velvety pumpkin soup deepened with dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms, nutmeg, and a splash of mushroom soaking liquid. Vegan, low-fat, and packed with fall flavor.

Smooth carrot spread seasoned with dill, garlic, and miso, thickened with arrowroot. Vegetarian pate for crackers or veggie dipping.

Vegan red lentil loaf with brown rice, oats, carrots, and sage, served with a creamy red pepper sauce. A hearty plant-based main dish with protein-rich lentils and whole grains.

German Kalter Kartoffelsalat: cold potato salad dressed with vinegar, mustard, and dill seed. No mayo, the starchy potato water creates a creamy emulsion.

A trail-ready vegetable beef soup made with freeze-dried veggies, pasta shells, and Parmesan. Just add water at camp for a hot, filling bowl after a long hike.

Texas-style beef chili with cubed meat, toasted whole cumin, and six tablespoons of chili powder. No beans, no tomatoes, just beef, spice, and a slow 90-minute simmer.

El Charro Barbacoa, shredded slow-simmered beef brisket (or eye of round) layered with roasted green chile, chile colorado salsa, green olives, tomatoes and jalapenos. Tucson-style barbacoa with bright, complex heat.

Grandma's chicken and dumpling soup with hand-made broth, cream of chicken and mushroom soups, vegetables, and feathery drop dumplings. A Midwestern comfort-food classic built for big gatherings.