While it may take a bit of trial and error when you start your semolina pasta dough making journey, just remember: anyone can make great fresh pasta.

My take on boeuf bourguignon skips a couple ingredients—namely the bacon, whose fat traditionally adds luscious flavor to the classic French stew, and the flour, which would otherwise serve as a thickener for the sauce. I find that boneless beef short ribs, which are marbled with fat and collagen, do all the heavy lifting in this recipe and help you arrive at a final stew that’s just as glossy, satisfying, and full of deep, savory flavor as the original. My final flourish is a clean, crunchy panko gremolata with parsley, lemon zest, and raw garlic (trust me!) that helps to liven up the slow-cooked dish and will make you wonder why you haven’t been sprinkling this stuff over your food the whole time. This single-serving recipe is for my column, Table for One. Should you have more mouths to feed, then just multiply the amounts you see here.

Forget chickpea, mushroom, bean, and quinoa patties. With vegan ground beef—Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat Burger—you can make smash and cheeseburgers at home.

These aren't from Ikea. They contain no pre-made meatballs, onion soup mix, or cream of mushroom. They are not healthy in any way. Old-school Swedish meatballs are a hassle to make but are absolutely worth it -- even in the triple batches you will have to make to satisfy your family, friends, and yourself. Merry Christmas to all! New-School Tips: - When browning the meatballs, roll them frequently to maintain any semblance of roundness. Cooking chopsticks (the long ones) are a great asset for this and keep your wrists away from sputtering melted butter to boot. - Swedish meatballs do quite well in a warm crockpot, should you find it in your heart to share them. - Homemade, collagen-rich broth adds a lot to an already fantastic recipe. Out of distaste for store-bought broth, I once used homemade pho broth in the recipe and it complemented the spices in the meatballs nicely.