Category Archives: meat

Turkey Meatloaf

Posted on December 28, 2014 | 1 comment

Fully Cooked turkey loaf
ready for the oven turkey meatloaf with ketchup/brown sugar topping

 We haven’t had turkey meat loaf in a very long time and it is a perfect crowd pleaser for the family table. Perfect for a large family gathering or just the two of you with great left-overs.

The first time I made this was in Aspen with my friend Susan many moons ago. We found the recipe from Barefoot Contessa and it was back in the day I wasn’t living out here yet and before my blog was born. We collaborated on it, and Joel and Drew liked it so much they used to tell us to open a shop with turkey lasagna and turkey meat loaf (uh uh, not happening) In any event , it has long become a staple in both of our households and even Drew makes it now. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I have made a few changes to the original, but the original is a perfect recipe as is. It can easily be cut in 1/2, and tonite I cut it even more using only 1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey. This recipe as is will serve 8 – 10 servings easily. Great for a large crowd. I serve with roasted butternut squash , roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and/or a beautiful salad. Possibilities are endless with this meatloaf.

*you will need a meat thermometer to check for doneness

Ingredients:

5 lbs ground turkey— I prefer chopped dark meat as it has a little fat and a lot less dry than white meat turkey. You can find 85% lean which is fine . It’s sometimes hard to find dark meat ground turkey so when I find it I buy it. It just makes for a tastier meat loaf. You can mix dark meat and white meat.

3 cups chopped yellow onions ( app. 2 large onions)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs

3 extra-large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup ketchup/1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium saute pan (frying pan) , over a medium low heat, cook the onions in the olive oil, add salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent app. 10 minutes or so. Don’t brown them. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow this mixture to cool in frying pan off the heat to room temperature.

In the meantime, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Then add in the onion mixture when it’s cooled down and incorporate well. Shape into a rectangular loaf on a lightly sprayed sheet pan. When you shape as a loaf , try to make the ends even with the middle or they will dry out. ( I kind of like the ends like that but just saying…) Spread the ketchup/brown sugar evenly on top. Bake for app. 1 1/2 hours  until the internal temperature of meatloaf is 160 degrees and the meatloaf is cooked through.

I place a large Pyrex with water underneath the meatloaf (rack below) it will help to keep meatloaf from cracking . (it works) I always let it stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serve hot, at room temperature and delicious cold the next day.

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What I made for Dinner – Turkey Bolognese

Posted on December 11, 2014 | 4 comments
IMG_6184

Beautiful Zucchini Linguine in Turkey Bolognese Sauce

The weather has finally gotten cold enough to make me want to cook some heartwarming meals and this has to be one of our all time favorites. I will be making enough to eat some tonite and freeze the sauce for another meal when I don’t have the time to make the sauce. Perfect Sunday night food. I must say Pasta is probably my most favorite food to eat. Bolognese sauce is one of my most favorites. Today I decided not to go to my usual Bolognese which is delicious but very heavy and rich. I went with a lighter approach today using Turkey and Chicken Sausage because I couldn’t find italian turkey sausage and didn’t feel like hunting it down, and the chicken sausage worked just fine. I did use dark meat turkey because it is much more flavorful, it is ideal but if you really don’t want to use the dark meat use 1/2 white and 1/2 dark or all white meat . The only negative to this sauce is that it really needs 3- 4 hours for the sauce to cook down. The longer the sauce cooks the more flavorful it will be.  This sauce would probably serve 4 nicely with 1 lb. of pasta. You can easily double it and freeze the leftover sauce. So nice to have it in the freezer and just have to make the pasta and you have a wonderful homemade meal. I have now started serving the sauce over shredded zucchini (zucchini linguine) and spaghetti squash.  It is so delicious and you may feel a little bit better eating it over zucchini or spaghetti squash than noodles.  Pasta or Vegetable it’s pretty awesome. Look on my blog for Zucchini Bolognese Recipe for how to recipe, posted 12/20/2012.

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more if necessary

1 lb. Italian style Turkey or Chicken Sausage, removed from casings. You can also mix in hot or sweet Italian pork sausage if you don’t mind using the pork.

1 pound ground Turkey ( I used dark meat )

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and finely diced ( app. 2 cups)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 box. Rigatoni ( or any other macaroni you like ) or spaghetti or if you like use *shredded zucchini or *spaghetti squash ( see notes)

Grated Parmesan Cheese for serving

Directions:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pan over medium high heat. ( I use my Le Creuset ) Add the sausage meat and break it up as it cooks, turning now and then, until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside, add the ground turkey to the pan along with a good pinch of salt and a few fresh grind of pepper. Cook the meat stirring here and there, for 10 minutes as well, till meat is nicely browned. I remove and put in bowl with the sausage which was set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook until onion breaks down and gets soft, another good 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice along with 1/2 cup of water. ( You may need more water as you go) Add the sausage and ground turkey, stir the sauce well. Bring the sauce to a boil, season to taste with salt and pepper and turn the heat to low. Cover almost completely with a lid (allowing a little steam to escape) and gently simmer for 4 hours. You may want to add splashes of water if sauce is drying out. After 2 hours I added the 1/3 cup of Tomato Paste, and replace lid and continue simmering for 2 more hours. I added water as it cooked, you’ll have to judge for yourself how much water you add. I added 1/4 cup at a time.

When the sauce is ready for serving, bring a large pot of water and prepare pasta according to package directions.

serve with sauce over the rigatoni ( or any pasta you like) with a nice grating of Parmesan.

Yum!

*so many stores now sell zucchini already shredded and it’s dry and ready to go. The only problem with doing it yourself is that you must get the extra moisture out.

*Spaghetti Squash – just have the store cut it in half because it’s a tough one to cut at home. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and scoop out the seeds. Spray a rimmed baking sheet and turn squash open side down on baking sheet and cook till soft, probably 45 minutes or so. Remove from oven and with a fork remove the inside of the squash into a bowl, it comes out like very thin spaghetti.

For full recipe on Zucchini/Squash go to my Zucchini Bolognese Recipe.

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Old School Meatballs (sweet and sour)

Posted on September 24, 2014 | 2 comments

       Here is a last minute addition for Rosh Hashana. They are “old school” but still hold up.  If you’re looking for an easy addition to your menu this could be it.  L’Shana Tova from our house to yours. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour MBalls with Turkey

I have been making this recipe since I got married in 1975. It is really a perfect recipe for holidays or any time. You can use these meatballs with rice or anything like that. They are good for a big crowd when you have poultry and want another main. A lot of you are probably very familiar with this one and have different versions of it. Believe it or not, I still have the very original recipe. I’ve made a few changes to it: I now add my own bread crumbs, which I always make from whole wheat bread but feel free to use store-bought seasoned bread crumbs; If you want you can make these for* Passover by substituting matzo meal for bread crumbs.  I also grate in a little onion (spanish); and my mother taught me to grate in a little potato so I always do that, as well. Now and then I’ll use turkey in this recipe too. Otherwise, this is  the original and it’s super easy. I  used turkey this time out, and they came out perfectly.

INGREDIENTS: (This is for one pound but you can definitely double and these freeze beautifully.)

1 lb. ground beef (Whatever kind you like. I sometimes use ground turkey. In 1975, we all ate beef, but today you might want to use ground turkey or ground chicken.

1 egg (room temp. works best)

1/4 cup bread crumbs (if you’re using from the can) I use 3 slices of whole wheat bread crusts removed. (when I doubled I used 5 slices and it was enough)

*For Passover – omit the bread crumbs and replace with matzo meal

Kosher Salt,  app. 1 teaspoon

Freshly ground black pepper to taste (1/4 teaspoon)

1 clove garlic, minced (the original calls for garlic powder but I’ve changed this as well. If you prefer, try 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon)

1/8 cup warm water (just to moisten it) when you double just add up to 1/4 , I don’t usually use the whole 1/4 cup.

1/4 spanish onion, grated

1/4 potato, grated

1 bottle (12 oz.) Heinz chili sauce

6 oz. grape jelly

Directions:

Mix meat, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and water all together. I then grate in the onion and potato too. Next, shape into small balls about 3/4 inches in diameter. Heat the chili sauce and grape jelly until they blend and bring to a low boil. Then drop the raw meatballs into the sauce and simmer, covered, for approx. 45 minutes. Again, these can be made ahead and frozen. They are quick, easy, and so good. The larger the pot the more balls you’re able to get in, so a large dutch oven works out best for this.

* serves about 8 – 10

*Some people have been known to throw a can of sauerkraut in the sauce, which is also delicious, but you hafta like that flavor. (Just saying…)

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Happy New Year Brisket

Posted on September 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

Brisket can definitely be an intimidating thing to make. I once made it as a young cook and it was perfectly inedible, I will never forget dumping the whole thing in the garbage and promising myself I would live to learn how to cook a good brisket.  Back then, I couldn’t believe how long it took to cook .  Now I sometimes make it in the slow cooker. This time I used my trusty Le Creuset, which worked out beautifully. I just finished cooking it and I will freeze it till we are going to be eating it.   A lot of people have some pretty awesome brisket recipes and I welcome you to send me yours. This really couldn’t be any easier and it’s super tasty. This original recipe came from my friend, Michele (with a few comments from Karyn too.) I did change a few things to the original recipe, but not a lot and I thank Michele for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

4 lb. brisket (I didn’t need larger but you can adjust this recipe for whatever size brisket you use)

Lawry’s seasoned salt (I’ve never used this before today but I found out it doesn’t contain MSG, as I had previously thought)

2 large Spanish onions (Karyn uses Vidalia, which is also good), sliced thickly

2 cans of tomato sauce , I used the 16 oz. size. You can also use the 1 can of 28 oz. size. It depends on you and how much sauce you like.

2 tbsp. brown sugar (this is my addition. It doesn’t really change the flavor so much as cut the salt a bit)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I sprinkled Lawry’s seasoned salt on both sides of the brisket (generously) then seared it in the Le Creuset pot with a little vegetable oil–probably about a tablespoon. (After the meat was seared, it shrunk to fit perfectly in my pot but I don’t think that a larger brisket would have fit.) Next, I added the tomato sauce and onions, covered the pot and put it in the oven. I cooked it for a total of 3 hours. I checked on it after each hour, which probably wasn’t even necessary. I then let it cool, off of the heat, for about an hour. Next, I sliced it with an electric knife, which came out beautifully. The meat was soft, but not falling apart at all. I then added the brown sugar to the gravy, put the brisket in a container with the gravy and froze it. I’ll take it out of freezer and start to defrost the night before in the refrigerator. Next morning I take it out and bring to room temperature. I heat it up at 350 degrees with the top on the pot till it starts to bubble. If you think you need a little more liquid you can just add a little water to gravy.  Karyn pulses her gravy with an immersion blender. I didn’t do this but I think it makes for a good suggestion.  Thanks again Michele and Karyn!

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Un-Stuffed Cabbage

Posted on April 9, 2014 | 4 comments

photo 3 (4)photo 2 (2)photo 3 (4)photo 3 (5)photo 4 (3)photo 2I love stuffed cabbage and my Grandmother made the most amazing stuffed cabbage ever . I love stuffed cabbage but do not feel like dealing with the actual stuffing of the cabbage, it is way too labor intensive for me.  I have made several variations of this and found this one to my liking the best. You can play with the ingredients which is what I did . Original recipe is from Kosher by Design and it is perfect for Passover by just leaving out the rice and substituting matzoh meal in its place. Basically this is meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce with cabbage . I doubt very much that Joel would ever eat real “stuffed cabbage” but he liked this. The cabbage cooks down so much that you don’t even realize you’re eating cabbage. I also used 1/2 chicken ground meat and 1/2 beef ground meat , this is entirely up to you. I wouldn’t do all chicken because it might be a bit dry, you can definitely make this with turkey but use dark meat turkey or the balls will also be very dry. You can also make this ahead for the holidays which is always a very good thing and feel free to freeze it.  This is the original recipe , adjust amounts for how much you’re making. I made 2 lbs. of meat but made full sauce as I was testing it out. You’ll want to use a large pot for this recipe. Enjoy!

This will be on our Rosh Hashana menu this year with raisins and meat , sweet and sour, oh so perfect!

Ingredients:

Meat

3 lbs. ground meat– I used chicken and beef (dark meat turkey is best here) white meat turkey tends to be very dry. Mixed with beef it’s fine but if using alone you’ll need to use dark meat ground turkey.

2 large eggs, lightly beaten. Use room temperature eggs they work best.*see my post about eggs–a little note on my blog.

3/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice, for Passover use matzoh meal and omit the rice

1/4 cup water

1 onion finely chopped

Kosher Salt to taste–app. 1/2 to 1 tablespoon

Pepper to taste–app. 10 grinds on a pepper mill, or app. 1/4 of a tablespoon

*garlic powder if you like

Sauce:

2 packages of shredded cabbage, probably about 1 head of cabbage finely shredded, no need to do it when you can buy it pre-shredded (not red cabbage)

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Kosher Salt to taste ( app. 1/2 tablespoon)

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

4 8 ounce cans tomato sauce ( or 32 ounces)

1/2 cup brown sugar ( use whichever brown sugar you have in house , it won’t make a difference. Light or Dark, I actually used dark.

1 cup sugar

3 lemons squeezed , I got about 1/2 cup , they were smallish lemons

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, eggs, water, rice and onions. Season with Salt and Pepper , and if you like garlic powder. Gently mix by hand, and I do mean gently, if you over do it the meat will be like concrete. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shredded cabbage and about 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomato juice, tomato sauce, brown sugar, sugar, lemon juice and the raisins. Stir till well combined and continue cooking sauce at simmer setting.

Gently form meatballs out of the meat mixture, I made a rather nice size meatball, not too large and not too small. Make whatever size you’d like. Just do not over-handle the meat because it will cause meat to toughen. Add to cabbage mixture, just drop into the hot sauce and do not stir, you can pile them on top of one another because they will cook down.

I left it to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours . I didn’t touch the meat balls for at least the first 1/2 hour, you’ll want them to cook through and form into nice balls before you stir, so just leave them to cook. After the first 1/2 hour or so you can gently stir and move the meatballs around. They don’t require a lot of stirring around .

This dish brought back memories of my childhood and was a most satisfying main dish.

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Lamb with Orzo–Greek Style in One Pot

Posted on February 20, 2014 | Leave a comment

photo 1 (48)photo 1 (47)  Now that we put the clocks ahead 1 hour and it is starting to feel a lot like Springtime out here in the Rockies I figure it’s time for some new Spring flavors. The orzo is just delicious and has a real mediterranean feel.  I made this delicious dish which has real “Greek” flavor and if you’re looking for something new to make this could be the one.  This dish was a wonderful and fragrant meal with delicious spices , lemons and feta cheese.  I realize that there are people out there who are opposed to eating lamb and I get that and am not trying to convince you to eat it but I think that this dish was intended for lamb because of the distinct flavoring of the lamb. You can definitely tweak this recipe to your liking, I added the black olives to my dish at the end because Joel really doesn’t like olives of any kind. ( his loss). Tzaziki sauce would be perfect served alongside, and I have a recipe for that on my blog as well (look under A Taste of India and Greece posted on September 13 ’11) .  You can also make and freeze the lamb portion which is always a plus to me. I love the flavors that went into making this and while I realize that this recipe is a bit time-consuming it is well worth the effort. When you smell the mix of spices in your kitchen simmering alongside the lamb you will understand what I mean. This should serve 4 beautifully as a main dish, maybe you can stretch to 6. Enjoy!

I have to give credit to FOOD52 for this recipe, I made a few tweaks myself but the original version comes from there.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 average size yellow onion, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, drained and smooshed with your hands

14 ounce can of chopped/diced tomatoes

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

*optional 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped — serve alongside in a separate bowl if you’re not certain everyone will like them

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Orzo:

1 lb. orzo pasta

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed please ( app. 1 average lemon)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

In a good sized Dutch Oven type of pot  heat one tablespoon olive oil ( by the way I always spray with Pam first for easier cleaning) . Heat the one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. Add the lamb and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill. Cook, stirring to break up the lamb until it is nicely browned. Remove the lamb when cooked through with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl .

Add the onion and garlic to the pot , cook on medium heat , stirring occasionally, until onions and garlic are softened and onions are transparently golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spices (cinnamon, oregano, cumin, coriander, and red pepper) and cook until they are fragrant , about 2 minutes. Then stir in the smooshed tomatoes. ( I placed a strainer in sink, drained the can of San Marzano whole tomatoes and with my clean hands smooshed up tomatoes, it’s actually fun).

Cook the smooshed tomatoes in the spices, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Then add the can of diced tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Add the cooked lamb back to the pot, give it a good stir,  cover the pot and leave it to cook, stirring and tasting for salt every once in a while, cook for about 1/2 hour.

After  1/2 hour , you can stir in the fresh spinach and cook for a few minutes till spinach is wilted. I only used 1/2 the spinach because Joel really doesn’t love spinach, if I wasn’t making it for him I would have added whole amount.  Taste for salt but keep in mind you will be adding cheese and olives which will add saltiness.

While the lamb and tomatoes are simmering away, cook the orzo in a separate pot of well-salted water. Cook orzo until al dente and reserve a cup of the pasta water .  I added pasta water to the orzo and a little to the sauce as well.

Drain the orzo and toss the orzo with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice  and the parsley, you may want to add some pasta water to this as well if you feel it needs additional liquid.

I served in individual shallow bowls placing the orzo first and spooning the lamb mixture on top.  I then sprinkled with feta and olives on my bowl and just feta on Joel’s bowl. Serve hot.

Pour a nice glass of red wine and relax and enjoy.

2 tablespoons olive oil

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Sweet and Sour Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker

Posted on January 23, 2014 | Leave a comment

photo 1photo 1 (36)photo 4 (20)photo 5 (19)This Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker has been on my to do list for a long while and last week I finally figured out a recipe that worked out wonderfully and I am going to share it with you.

When it comes to slow-cooking, browning the meat is an optional step. I almost always brown my meat first because I prefer it that way and I think it just tastes so much better that way. It’s up to the individual and it’s all about the texture you’re trying to achieve, with roasts and stews I almost always sear it first.  This roast was just luscious and I highly recommend searing it first. It will form a nice crust on the outside of the meat .

Braising , or slow-cooking in liquid, is the easiest way to tenderize any meat and bring out it’s flavors. A braise is not the same as a stew. A braise refers to a large cut of meat cooked in a small amount of liquid, while a stew is meat that is cut up into small pieces and cooked in plenty of liquid. Searing the meat locks in the flavor and forms a crust around the meat.

I used ingredients from the fridge and pantry and came up with this combo.

Ingredients:

one 3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed of as much fat as possible and patted dry

1 16 ounce can tomato sauce

1 16 ounce can whole cranberry sauce

1/4 cup dry red wine

3 shallots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon dry mustard powder

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper and 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil for searing meat.

Directions:

1. In the slow cooker, stir together the tomato sauce, cranberry sauce, wine, shallots, celery, vinegar, olive oil, horseradish and mustard. Cover and turn to HIGH: cook for 30 minutes. While this is cooking continue to next step to sear meat.

2.  I patted the roast dry with some paper towels. I then rubbed a little olive oil all over the roast with my hands. I then generously sprinkled the roast with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. I heated up about a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet till oil shimmered. Placed roast in pan and seared it on all sides. You will let it sit for a few minutes on each side, you just want it to brown up on each side and form a crust.

Place the roast in the slow cooker and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 – 10 hours.

To serve: transfer the meat to a cutting board and I used my electric knife to make beautiful slices. If the sauce is too thin ( which mine was not) continue cooking sauce for a few more minutes while you slice meat. Serve meat with vegetables and sauce .

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Slow Cooking Beef Stew–Ten Hours

Posted on January 16, 2014 | 1 comment

photo 1 (31) photo 4 (15)All I can say is A-mazing! I have to admit I was a doubter the morning I put this together . I didn’t think I had enough liquid and on my way home I picked up Beef Broth but when I walked in the door and the aroma hit me I knew it was right. So right and I am so excited because I used what I had in the house and am delighted with the results. It’s always weird when you’re wearing your pajamas at 8 a.m. , you’re on your second cup of coffee and slicing and dicing vegetables and braising beef cubes on the stove. I doubt I’ll ever get used to that but what a pleasure it is to walk through the door at the end of the day to this!!!! Yum is all I can say. I really did cook for 10 hours. I completed my prep and turned on slow cooker by 9 a.m. and we ate at 7 p.m.

If you’re looking for a more conventional method of Beef Stew, go to my website and enter Sunday Night Stew on a Tuesday Night.

This will serve 4 people generously. You can adjust for less people.

Ingredients:

4 lbs. stewing beef. ( I buy from the butcher at Whole Foods or at any butcher) It’s usually chuck roast cut into cubes.

2 medium size yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 carrots , peeled and sliced . I like a decent size carrot chunk so cut into decent size chunks. Or you can use baby carrots. ( app. 2 – 3 cups ) and leave them whole.

I used red and white potatoes because that is what I had in the house, any potatoes you’d like to use. Peeled or not, I don’t peel. I quartered them. Just don’t make them too small because they will disintegrate.

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup red wine

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup boiling water

*Beef Broth on hand to thin out if necessary.

*2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary–if you have in the house and want to use it , it adds a great punch of flavor.

*you will be searing the meat first, so that’s where I used Salt and Pepper. ( see directions) and it was enough for us.

Directions:

First:

I placed about a 1/2 cup of flour into a shallow bowl and added about a teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. I lightly coatedphoto 5 (16) the meat with flour, then dumped out excess flour and prepared my Le Creuset for browning the meat. I heated up 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and when oil is hot (not smoking) I added meat in batches to brown them. I had to add a little bit of olive oil to second batch. I put meat on a paper towel lined plate to drain a little bit before adding to slow cooker. Spray slow cooker insert with Pam cooking spray first for easier clean up, then add meat to bottom of slow cooker. Add all of the vegetables on top.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, wine, Worcestershire sauce, Rosemary and boiling water. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover and Cook on LOW for 8 – 10 hours.

You really don’t need noodles or rice with this because you have the potatoes. If you’d like omit the potatoes and serve over rice or noodles. Your choice.

I served in large shallow bowls.

A nice crusty bread would be nice served alongside to sop up the sauce.

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Pasta with Turkey Ragu–Sunday Night Sauce

Posted on December 6, 2013 | 3 comments

IMG_2425DSCN4442DSCN4444I love cooking dinner Sunday nights and find that it is the best way to unwind from a hectic week and weekend and gear up for the week coming up. Catch up on Homeland, etc. I have an actual recipe that I used to follow for this but at this point I just sort of winged it and wrote down everything I did timing it all out. You all know by now how very much we like our sauce spicy, you can easily omit the chili flakes. This would also be delicious made with pork, but I made it with turkey. It might be a good idea to use 1/2 pork and 1/2 turkey. You can also use turkey sausage, I had ground turkey in the house so that’s what I used. Pork will throw off a lot more fat and will have to be skimmed off.  If made with pork it is best to make a day ahead. In any event I used ingredients I had in pantry which always makes me happy and meat that I had already purchased. I even had those beautiful Italian cherry tomatoes in the can that I had bought and knew I would use for something. It’s a good feeling when you use items from your pantry. Enjoy! we did. I actually made this a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving and just got around to posting it. This sauce freezes up beautifully so eat 1/2 and freeze 1/2 for another time.

Enjoy!

Pantry Items:

unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, onion, carrots, garlic, celery , tomato paste, red wine, canned cherry tomatoes/canned diced tomatoes , kosher salt, pepper, pasta and I had pancetta in the freezer

Shopping List:

meat, ricotta salata/fresh ricotta , Parmesano-Reggiano cheese for grating or just buy fresh grated Parmesan Cheese available almost everywhere .

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 lbs. ground turkey, chicken , or pork. Or pork sausage (tastiest and most fattening) or turkey sausage. You can also do any combo you’d like, 1/2 sausage and 1/2 meat would be good.

4 oz. package of diced up pancetta

*1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ( only if you like a little kick)

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2/3 cup finely diced carrots

2/3 cup finely diced celery

3 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2/3 cup dry red wine (use what you have in house)

1 14 oz. can Italian cherry tomatoes ( sold at Grace’s Marketplace in Greenvale) or canned diced tomatoes . Drain and smash cherry tomatoes. If you can’t find the cherry tomatoes buy canned diced tomatoes and just remember to drain.

2 cups water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Fresh Ricotta for finishing. I used Ricotta Salata crumbled up on top plus Parmigiano-Reggiano.

1 lb. macaroni type pasta , fusilli , ziti , etc. any kind will do

Directions:

In a heavy stockpot ( Le Creuset) melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat (you can cook in batches if need to ) cook until just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon , remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

Add the pancetta to the pot and cook until pancetta gets crispy. Stir in the crushed red pepper and garlic for about 1 minute. Add the onion , carrots and celery and cook until onion is translucent , about 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste , cook for another 2 minutes then add the red wine and bring to a simmer.

Add back in the meat to the pot along with the tomatoes, water and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for another hour.

Remove the lid after the first hour, continue to simmer the sauce till it thickens nicely, 1/2 hour more should be sufficient. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper, I didn’t add any more salt, just a few grinds of cracked black pepper.

Cook your pasta according to the package instructions for al dente.

I plated pasta in bowls and spooned sauce over it, if sauce is very thick you can add a little water to it.

Finish each bowl with some cheese of your liking and a dollop of fresh ricotta would be lovely. I used Ricotta Salata and sprinkled Parmigiano-Reggiano over it.

Needless to say this was delicious.

Enjoy! and it’s worth the effort.

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Baked Salami – Again – Great Appetizer

Posted on May 26, 2013 | 5 comments

024 (2)023 (2)cookingwithcandioct17 119Without a doubt this is my most popular post.  I can’t really quite figure it out but who am I to argue? It’s truly A-mazing, really delicious and everyone loves it so maybe that’s why.  I have already re-blogged it and decided to re-post it again. Hold on to this one it’s really an Oldie but Goodie.

This recipe is for a small salami, but you can just double up ingredients for a larger one.

Ingredients:

1 Kosher Salami

1/2 cup Marmalade or Apricot Jam

2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Score into Salami, cutting into narrow slices but not completely through to the bottom. Salami will stay intact, just cut almost to the bottom. (see photos)

Mix all ingredients together and spread on salami making sure to get inside the cuts,  place on a sprayed baking sheet or aluminum foil ( make sure you spray well, this will be sticky) and cook for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Serve on a plate with sliced pumpernickel or rye bread . Party Pumpernickle sliced bread is perfect with this since it’s already sliced and comes in a package ready to go, sliced rye bread cut in smaller pieces is also great.  Put a little Honey Mustard or Dijon Mustard or both in ramekins along with Salami.

This is a big hit. Be prepared to have nothing left over.

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