Creamy risotto flavored with lemon zest and is studded with shrimp that’s sauteed in a garlic-chile pepper mix. Tangy, hot, sweet, silky.

These intensely flavored vegetarian main-course or side-dish cakes are rich with mushrooms, sticky rice, shallots, scallion, and black sesame seeds.

Creamy Southern stone-ground grits are filled with Cheddar cheese, plump sauteed shrimp, crisp bacon, garlic, and green onion. A must-eat for grits fans.

For this Italian recipe, rigatoni pasta is tossed with tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, eggplant, and a bit of cream. Pure comfort and kid-friendly.

A Cantonese noodle dish with stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and noodles coated in soy sauce and sesame oil. Ham or prosciutto is sprinkled on at the end.

A perfect fall recipe. Delicate homemade pasta is filled with pumpkin, cheese, and nutmeg then all tossed in a butter-sage sauce. Kids love it.

For this farro salad recipe, warm farro is tossed with zucchini, onion, garlic, chickpeas, and spicy salami then drizzled with a lemon salad dressing.

Nutty, sweet wild rice is tossed with oats, cranberries, mushrooms, and walnuts for a savory side dish or salad in the autumn. Think Thanksgiving.

Despite the short cooking time, this Marinara sauce is packed with fresh basil flavor from both the stalk and the leaves. Use good quality canned tomatoes.

Basmati rice turns golden in this saffron-filled recipe. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almonds, and pistachios give the Indian side dish more even flavor.

Noodles and vegetables never had it so good, coated in a lemon, lime, and ginger dressing. Make this salad with chicken or shrimp for a complete meal.

Roasted buttercup squash adds to the richness of this Italian gnocchi recipe. Black trumpet mushrooms provide a dramatic contrast to the colorful squash.

This manicotti is made with marinara sauce from Borgatti’s ravioli shop in the Bronx. The manicotti is filled with a simple ricotta-Parmesan mixture.

Dinner doesn’t get any easier or elegant than pasta tossed with butter, olive oil, Parmesan and pecorino Romano cheeses, and dusted with lots of black pepper.

This risotto, straight from Rome, gets its flavor and color from cooked spinach, arugula and spinach. Its smoothness is a product of butter, cream, and cheese.

Underneath this wonderfully flaky and crisp crust is sumptuous creamy filling of chicken, pearl onions, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, peas, and peppers.

Raw food lover will devour this recipe. The herbed cheese filling is balanced by the mild, radish ravioli. Oil-marinated diced yellow tomatoes act as the sauce.

Creamy, cheesy, irresistible polenta, similar to American grits, is cooked slowly until impossible soft and then is topped with all types of sauteed mushrooms

Bow tie pasta is given the black-tie treatment by being tossed with creme fraiche and topped with caviar. This elegant dish is great for New Year’s Eve.

Brown rice is the perfect complement for tender, spicy lamb curry or any stew with a rich braising liquid. Make the rice while the meat is cooking.

These Chinese dumplings filled with pork, ginger, scallions, dried fruit, and chile paste are a great starter. They’re a fun dish to make with a crowd, too.

Macaroni and cheese is a kid’s favorite. Make it homemade instead of out of a box with this easy to mix and bake cheesy version of an American classic.

Here’s a perfectly balanced spring salad: just enough fresh flavors like cool mint, tangy feta cheese, sauteed tomatoes, and savory couscous mingling together.

Tagliatelle with leeks and shrimp is an great alternative to pasta with heavy sauces. Here a light chicken stock complements sauteed leeks and shrimp. This is one of David’s favorite for more than 15 years.

Lidia’s classic risotto from the city of Milan in Italy gets its flavor and color from saffron, shallots, white wine, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.