We know what you’re thinking… “This isn’t Aglio e Olio.” You aren’t wrong. Otherwise known as spaghetti with olive oil and garlic, Aglio e Olio is a traditional Italian flavorful and quick pasta dish. Simply google “Aglio e Olio” and you’ll find a plethora of authentic recipes. But if you want to spice things up, literally, then this is the Aglio e Olio for you. Not only does this recipe call for a heavy hand of chili flakes to give it more heat, I added another unconventional ingredient: anchovies. Yes, they’re necessary. The anchovies add a rich, salty, slightly funky umami flavor. Topped off with crispy toasted cheesy panko breadcrumbs for texture. Try this recipe once, and you may never go back to the original.

Moules Frites is just the French way of saying mussels and fries. There are many iterations of this dish such as moules marinière (marinara sauce) or a moules à la crème (cream sauce). In my opinion the best by far is mussels in a white wine and garlic broth. Here I added pancetta, which gives the broth an extra layer of dimension, and the mussels some additional texture and salt as you bite into a piece of crispy pancetta.

I grew up eating red cabbage and rice. That’s all, red cabbage, white rice, in a Middle Eastern cumin lemon dressing. I knew it was kind of weird when I made it for my boyfriend, now husband, 12 years ago, and he was not on board with the combo. There was something about the dish, though, that kept me going back for more. Maybe it was the fresh pickle on the cabbage, or the fact that the rice soaks up all the dressing. Whatever it was, it inspired this pickled red cabbage salad, which I must note is now husband-approved.

These Chinese-inspired spicy garlic green beans are the side dish you’ve been waiting for. Packed with a ton of garlic flavor, medium level of heat, and ready in less than 20 minutes, you might just skip the take out and make these instead. While inspired by Sichuan green beans, they aren’t exactly the same. Authentic Sichuan green beans have fresh ginger, green onions, and most importantly, Sichuan peppercorns. Considering Sichuan peppercorns can be difficult to find, this recipe omits them.