Category Archives: meat

Sunday Night Stew on a Tuesday Night

Posted on January 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

I bought some Beef Stew Meat from Whole Foods, and was trying to decide what to do with it . It was Tuesday night and freezing out here in Colorado . We were caught in a frozen snap of weather and there was no way I was venturing out of the house again with temperatures dropping below O. I love to make my beef stew in the slow cooker but no time for that. This does need three hours but the slow cooker needs at least 6 .  If making in the slow cooker you’ll need more liquid. I will say that the key to a good stew is cooking a long time. This is super easy to make and I even got Joel to eat the turnips because he thought they were potatoes, but he knew better and asked so I had to fess up. He ate all of the carrots and all the turnips on his plate, maybe because I cut them up small? who knows. It does my heart good to see him eat a vegetable, any vegetable. I served with egg noodles, but must say mashed potatoes would be pretty awesome!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Olive OIl

1 tablespoon Butter

2 lbs. Beef Stew Meat ( Chuck Roast cut into Cubes)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole medium yellow onion, diced

4 oz. Tomato Paste

1/4 cup Red Wine

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar* not totally necessary but rounds it out somehow

4 cups Beef Stock ( Broth) * you may need more if sauce thickens too much, you can always add a little water

4 whole carrots , peeled and diced

2 whole turnips, peeled and diced

* I cut this whole recipe in 1/2 for just the two of us, and it was perfect.

*use whatever vegetables you’d like , it doesn’t matter, I like the turnips because they have a potato like texture and parsnips will fall apart easier.

Directions:

This recipe all took place in one pot, Le Creuset dutch oven for everything.( simply the best possible pot to own)

I like to pat my meat dry before seasoning, it helps to form a crust. I salt and pepper pretty liberally. (just a little tip)

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat. Add butter, and as soon as it is melted, brown half the meat ( or as much as you can at one time without crowding) until the outside gets nice and brown and forms a nice little crust. Let it sit for a couple of minutes , then turn it as it browns. Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it on a plate on the side. When all of the meat is browned, just set it aside.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot, stirring to coat it, and scraping up all the brown bits as you go. Cook for a few minutes till onions become transparent , add the tomato paste to the pot, and swirl around stirring it into the onions. Stirring constantly , pour in the beef stock, red wine and Beef Stew 012Beef Stew 016Beef Stew 018Beef Stew 021Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef back into pot, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered for at least 2 hours. If liquid starts to evaporate during this period , add more stock a little at a time, or water if you have no stock.

After the 2 hours of simmering, add the turnips and carrots to the pot. Stir to combine all ingredients, taste for salt and pepper,  cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes I simmered for an hour. Sauce should be thick but not too thick, you can always add a little broth/liquid.

Serve hot in bowls with noodles, rice, mashed potatoes or alone. It should serve 6 nicely this way.

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What I made for Dinner – Turkey Bolognese

Posted on October 22, 2012 | 1 comment

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 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.

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Happy New Year Brisket re-blog

Posted on September 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Happy New Year Brisket – excellent recipe for delicious brisket.

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Flank Steak with Cola (Soda)

Posted on July 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

Seems a little crazy to dump a cup of Cola on your steak but here you go. I have had this recipe for a while and I guess all the stuff in that Coke works magic on your steak. I use regular Cola Soda ( not diet) and this marinade will tenderize your flank steak or london broil. Marinate overnight, it’s best.  This recipe was in Living magazine and it looked good and it was!

Ingredients:

1 cup cola ( any kind will do, just not diet)

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/2 white/yellow onion , grated

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, chopped ( app. 3 garlic cloves)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/4 cup safflower oil

1 Flank Steak or London Broil

Directions:

Combine cola, vinegar, onion , garlic, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the oil in a bowl. Place steak in a large plastic bag. ( Hefty Ziploc are the best) Pour the marinade over the steak.  Seal bag, press extra air out of bag. Refrigerate overnight. You might want to reserve a little bit of the marinade in a seperate container. When you take steak out the next day , you can brush it with remaining marinade after you grill for extra flavor.

Let steak stand at room temperature for at least an hour or so before you’re going to cook. Remove steak from bag, and discard the bag and marinade. Brush off any and all remaining onion and garlic from steak, or else it will just burn on grill. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper right before grilling, I am pretty liberal with the s and p.

Preheat grill to medium high, and I spray grill with Pam grill spray. If no spray , oil the grates . Grill Steak for probably 10 minutes per side for medium. All grills are different and you’ll have to see for yourself how long. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let it rest for a bit. I put foil over it, this steak is good even when it sits for a while and pretty good cold the next day on a salad.

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Another Classic Ragu Bolognese (Meat Lovers only)

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 4 comments

clean plate club for sure

Joel was riding a 100 mile bike ride the next day and that meant an early night at the Kolen House. I thought I would try out this Bolognese ( Meat Sauce)  and what a perfect dinner for him. I was not riding but love it and to hell with the calories, (which I’m sure are way high) sometimes you gotta just run with it. right? I have posted my other bolognese recipe  (delish bolognese) but this one intrigued me because of the red wine and simmered milk.   I am using fresh fettucine I was able to buy today. I don’t make my own pasta, but will have to attempt that someday. In the meanwhile I was able to buy it and would suggest using as fresh as you can get. If not it’s obviously fine, and just use a fettucine or tagliatelle type pasta. This sauce cooks for a while, so plan it out, make it on a day that you’re home for a few hours and can cook it. It’s perfect to make a head of time as well. This can be made 2 days ahead. Keep in fridge till ready to use . Rewarm it in a saucepan at a very low heat. I have also frozen it, and it came out perfectly, you just may have to add a little broth or pasta water. If can also freeze  the sauce, which I’ve done numerous times. This recipe was from one of our trips to Italy converted to US measurements for me I happen to come across it , and I am so happy that I did.  Enjoy! I am fairly confident you will.

*this will nicely serve 4 people, or 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions ( spanish) app. 1 large onion or 2 small should do it

1 cup finely chopped celery ( app. 2 stalks)

1 cup finely chopped carrots ( app. 2 large carrots)

6 oz. ground beef ( try to get 85/15 if available, you don’t want it too lean)

6 oz. ground veal

3 oz. diced pancetta

1/2 cup dry red wine ( I had a Pinot open so I used it and drank it while I cooked)

3 cups Chicken Stock, divided into 2 1/2 and 1/2 cup ( if you’d like you can also use Beef Stock) I used Chicken Stock

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 cup Whole Milk ( yes I used whole not skim please)

1 lb. fresh egg fettucine or tagliatelle if available. If not use boxed, no biggie

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Finely Grated Parmesan ( fresh always best)

Directions:

I sprayed pot with cooking spray to make clean up easier. Heat oil in a large heavy pot( Le Creuset once again) over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots. Saute until soft, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add beef, veal and pancetta; continue to saute, breaking meat up with the back of a wooden spoon until nice and browned, I did it for about 15 minutes. Add wine; boil for 1 minute, stirring often and scraping up all those delicious brown bits as you go. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and tomato paste; stir to blend. Reduce heat to as low as you can and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for salt and pepper.

Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan; when it simmers add to meat sauce. Stir well, and cover pot with lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for another 45 minutes or until the milk is fully absorbed.

Cook pasta according to directions, remember to salt water well. I go for al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water ( at least 1/2 cup) I then transferred ragu to a large skillet, over low heat added the cooked pasta and toss to coat. If it seems to dry stir in a little of the reserved pasta water, dribble it in. Place in bowls and serve with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

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Easy Peasy Turkey Meatballs

Posted on March 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

Sometimes you are just not really sure what to make for dinner. I had a pound of ground turkey at home. What to do with it was the question. Felt like meatballs and spaghetti kind of night, but I didn’t feel like frying or turning the oven on. I decided to just make it super easy on myself, and make my sauce which is so easy and already on my website (weeknight red sauce).  I made the sauce, made the turkey meatballs, and put the turkey meatballs raw into the sauce. The finished product was amazing. In under an hour, the turkey meatballs were done, moist, and cheesy. The cheese sort of oozed out into the sauce a bit which was just perfect. This only required one pot, and I actually used dry bread crumbs. For my real deal meatballs I make my own breadcrumbs, but tonite I just wanted easy. Easy won out! Try it. Also, I didn’t have whole milk but I had heavy cream; so I used that and it was divine.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey (dark meat is best, just try not to use the superlean)

1/4 cup plain, dried bread crumbs

2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup Romano or any Parmesan cheese, grated

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk until well combined. Mix in beaten eggs and 1/2 cup cheese and mix well. Add turkey and gently combine (be careful not to over mix the meat). Season with salt and pepper. Shape into golf sized balls. When sauce is bubbling , drop each ball in, don’t futz with them, just leave them for about 20 minutes, lower heat to a simmer. I did cover them but not necessary. After 20 minutes you can gently nudge them and move them around, to make sure they are cooked. Some of the cheese seeps through to the sauce adding to the flavor and thickness of the sauce. These were really really good. Boiled up some pasta and there was dinner, with plenty of meatballs left over for at least another dinner. Joel will be on his own for a few days, so he’ll be able to defrost and reheat on his own!

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Red Chili with Turkey or Beef

Posted on February 1, 2012 | 1 comment

Superbowl time and the food that always comes to mind is chili. I have already posted my white bean chili, which I love but this is a more common version. Chili is not an exact science and you can feel free to make substitutions where you like. Obviously the toppings are optional and at your own discretion. Chili is just so easy to make. It sits on the stove or your slow cooker and when you’re ready to eat it, it’s all done. I like chips or taco shells with this. I love fresh jalapeno on the side chopped up, guacamole, refried beans, etc. If you don’t want beef, make it with turkey instead. I usually make it with turkey but this time out I made it with ground beef because I couldn’t get the turkey. We just landed in Aspen and the small market by the airport only had ground beef so it will have to do. I usually make this one day ahead for a special event. This allows the flavors to all meld together and then I just reheat–couldn’t be easier.

A little trick I learned a while back was to add a little Masa flour. It is usually available in the section with Mexican foods. I stumbled upon it quite by accident, and sneak it in with this recipe. I use about 1/8 a cup of Masa flour to about 1/2 cup very hot water. I add it during the first 1/2 hour and see how it thickens up. I probably use about 2/3 of the flour in the end, and it adds a corn flavor and thickens up the chili. (Directions are below.)

Have a fun Superbowl, and let’s go Giants!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (12 – 14 oz) tomato sauce, and then about 1 –  2 cans of water

1 can (Ro-tel) diced tomatoes and chilies

1 can (15 oz.)red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/8  cup masa harina (corn flour) found in the Mexican food section of the supermarket (Mix flour with about 1/2 cup very hot water. It will be quite thick. Drop in by spoonfuls and mix well to incorporate. I probably used 2/3 of the flour mixture. This is optional but ever since I discovered it, I’ve been using it.)

1 can yellow corn (optional, but I always like to add it in. I use a small 8 oz. can)

1 small can (4 oz.) poblano green chilis, cut up or diced (also in Mexican aisle)

1 teaspoon ground oregano (I use Mexican oregano. Use it if you can get it. If not, regular is fine.)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I like the heat. This is optional. You can also take down to 1/4 teaspoon.)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (then you will taste for additional salt. I added 1/4 teaspoon more at the end.)

Grated shredded cheddar or jack cheese for serving

diced red onion and diced fresh jalapeno for serving

Tortilla chips, guacamole, sour cream and salsa for serving

*cilantro for topping (I love cilantro so I chop it up and leave it out for individual garnish.)

Directions:

Place the ground beef or turkey in a large stock pot (Le Creuset) and put in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, and reduce heat to low. I use the 15 oz. can of tomato sauce as a measuring cup and add 1 -2 cups of water (this time out I used 1 1/2 cans of water.) Let simmer for an hour or so, covered, occasionally stirring, and adding water, if necessary.

Place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Add masa mixture to the chili and stir together and taste for seasonings. Add more water if needed. Add the beans, corn, and chilis. I usually add salt at this point. Simmer for another 1/2 hour or so covered. It can simmer for a long while, if you so desire. Or, turn off heat, and just heat up 1/2 hour before serving.  You should check for thickness. During the last 1/2 hour, I added a bit more water .

Serve with assorted toppings I’ve listed. Cheese, jalapenos, chips, guacamole, salsa, chopped onions, sour cream  and cilantro.

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Short Ribs in the Slow Cooker – Cooking in your Pajamas

Posted on January 29, 2012 | 2 comments

Short Ribs being seasoned

I like to think of slow cooking as backwards cooking or pajama cooking. I wake up , am having my coffee in my pajamas and chopping vegetables and searing meat first thing in the morning. The good news is that it’s all pretty much done at the end of the day at the time that you’re usually making a mess and just beginning to prepare dinner. The aroma that fills your house is so amazingly delicious. It’s an awesome way to return from your day to dinner cooking and all the prep out of the way. Although, I have to say looking a short rib in the eye first thing in the morning is not always fun.   I  purchased the short ribs, and wanted to cook them Sunday for dinner. I love this recipe,  the ribs literally fall off the bone, they cook for 8 full hours. I put everything in to the slow cooker by 9 a.m. and by 5 p.m they were ready. I do de-fat the gravy so if I am eating the ribs that night, I do this. Sometimes you can make a day ahead and skim the fat the next day. When you sear the ribs, a lot of the fat comes out (  rendered). However after sitting in this sauce for 8 hours a lot more fat is rendered out of the ribs. I use this very easy to use gravy seperator that can be purchased in any home goods store. It makes it so simple to do. I recommend cooking ribs, then letting them cool off a bit, I remove insert from slow cooker and let sit for about an hour or so. I know it’s a drag to use another pot, but it’s the only way to really do this. I take out ribs, and with a slotted spoon remove most of the vegetables and solids. I throw away bones that have come away from meat at this point. I then put the remaing gravy in the gravy seperator and pour back the gravy without the fat on ribs . Heat it up when we’re ready to eat, and that’s it. . The meat falls off the bone, and is so delicious and soft. I served alongside Orzo . A nice green salad is perfect with this.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil ( to cook short ribs in)

app. 8 short ribs ( bought 2 packages in Supermarket) app. 2 1/2 lbs. uncooked

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground black Pepper

6 long carrots peeled and cut into large chunks

2 stalks of celery thickly sliced

1 large white onion, thickly sliced ( Spanish Onion)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup red wine

1 small can Tomato Sauce

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon dry thyme

1/2 box ( 2 cups) Beef Stock

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan ( I actually use my Le Creuset and work in batches, I like to sear in a large cast iron pot)  I pat ribs dry, lay them out on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, I am generous with the salt and pepper here, cover all sides. When oil is very hot, with tongs I place short ribs in pot, and sear on all sides until a crust forms, don’t play around with the meat let it sear before turning, it’s at least a few minutes on every side, they will get browned and caramelized. I then remove to a plate , I use tongs and let fat and oil drip off a bit.

In the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker, place the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I then add the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and thyme. Pour in wine and beef stock, and tomato sauce, and worchestershire sauce. Place short ribs, meat side up on top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 hours.

As I said , when slow cooker was over , I turned it off, mine goes right into keep warm mode, but I wanted to strain and de-fat the cooking liquid (gravy). I removed insert and let it sit to cool off for easier handling. I then took out my Le Creuset and placed ribs in there, using slotted spoon removed vegetables and placed on top of ribs. I then used the gravy seperator to skim fat. You may want to taste for salt and pepper, but I didn’t need feel it needed anymore.  Poured gravy back over meat and heated it up . We ate it with the orzo and a green salad. So heartwarming, and delicious.

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Kitchen Sink White Bean Chili (also my Super Bowl Chili)

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 1 comment

dirty sink from kitchen sink chili

We just got back from two beautiful days in Moab, Utah. We hiked most of the time and the glory and splendor that is there has no words. If you ever have the opportunity to go you should do so. It is an amazing area–Arches National Park, the Canyonlands, the whole area is just breathtaking. We hadn’t had snow here so we went on the road. Now we’re back and today was spectacular! It snowed in Aspen last night and we skied today. So nice to be back skiing. It was Sunday, and the Giants were in the playoffs. Joel set the DVR and we were gone all day. I had taken out a package of chopped turkey and figured that I would pick up a few things and make this chili that I love. I use a lot of stuff from my pantry and substitute ingredients where necessary (it’s a think-on-your-feet kind of recipe!) I served with shredded cheese and chips, and it was heartwarming and delicious.

I also have to add a little note: I cook a lot and usually make a big mess. Joel always cleans up and he is such a good cleaner upper! Our deal is that I do the cooking and he does the cleaning. I might add that this is a very good deal because I am not so fond of cleaning up the mess I make cooking. Obviously, I try to clean as I go, so as to not be a complete pig about it, but he’s really a good sport about it, in general. Anyway, he asked me to post a picture of some of the mess I left him in the sink.

I also make this as one of my dishes for Super Bowl but usually for Super Bowl I do it in the slow cooker so it stays warm for a long time. I just throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and simmer away. Tonite I cooked it in my trusty Le Creuset. I often mess around with these ingredients and you can too. For instance, I only had 1 can of White Northern Beans but I had 2 of Pinto so as long as they are white beans it’s okay to use them. I didn’t have Picante sauce in the house, but I had some great salsa, so I used that instead. I made it with turkey but you can use chicken, or eliminate meat altogether and make it vegetarian with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. It’s chili, which is not a perfect science by any means; so be flexible with ingredients, but make sure to use proportionate amounts.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 large white onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (I use green for color but be my guest and switch to whatever you have handy or prefer to use)

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

3 15 oz. cans of White Northern Beans (or any white bean, such as Pinto), drained

7 oz. salsa or Picante sauce (Newman’s own was in pantry but I found a fresh salsa in fridge so I substitured the fresh salsa) they are both fine, use whatever

1 8 oz. can of diced green chiles (I used 2 cans of 4 oz. hot green chiles)

1 8 oz. can of whole kernel corn

1 lb. can diced tomatoes (drained)

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. Mexican oregano (this is available here in Colorado but may not be everywhere. You can try to find it but if you can’t, regular oregano will have to do…and yes, I know that it looks like pot in my picture.)

Kosher salt to taste (you’ll need a fair amount but salt along the way to your liking, I used a fair amount of salt, but use your own discretion, it’s a big pot of chili

Freshly ground black pepper to taste (if you have white pepper that works as well in this, because it is White Chili)

3 – 4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock (I start out with 3 and if it is too thick I usually add up to another cup.) I did use 4 at the end, if you’re eating it that night use 3 then before you freeze or refrigerate add another cup to the pot.

12 oz. sour cream (Lite is good. Non-fat is okay, but I don’t love it. Strain first to get rid of that little bit of liquid. You can also use yogurt. Add this ingredient last and blend in well.) Sometimes, I take it out of container and mix it up a bit so it will blend in better.

Shredded cheese (Mexican Style, Jalapeno or Cheddar), for topping. (I let people add this themselves, since some people don’t want the cheese.)

* jalapeno pepper (I love the heat so I dice up a fresh jalapeno, add it to mine, and then leave it in a little bowl for anyone else who may want it.)

Tortilla chips on the side

Directions:

In a large stockpot (my trusty Le Creuset) melt the butter on a medium heat.  Add onion, peppers and garlic and cook until soft. I add the garlic at this point and a little kosher salt.

Puree 1 1/2 cans of the drained beans (Cuisinart food processor is best) until beans are smooth and add to the pot.

Add the rest of the beans, along with the salsa, chiles, corn, tomatoes, and spices (plus anything else you may want to add). Cook for a few more minutes on a low heat,  until the ingredients are blended.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. I then lower the heat and simmer for about an hour on the stove top.

Before you’re ready to serve it, add the sour cream and blend well while simmering.

I place the shredded cheese, extra sour cream, chips, fresh-cut up jalapenos, salsa (and sometimes guacamole) in bowls on the side so everyone can make their chili their way.

Enjoy!

This is so easy, you can make in the morning, and let it sit all day in fridge. You may want to add liquid at some point when you serve. We ate it that night, and then I put in containers for fridge and freezer. I added the rest of the stock before I froze it. Just add back to pot and stir, and then ladle into containers.  Keeps in fridge for at least 3 days. Perfect for freezing, I just take it out of freezer in the morning and by evening it should be defrosted , heat it up and you may need to add some liquid if it is too thick. Those little boxes ( 1 cup size) of broth come in handy here.

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Two Jewish Girls Cook Up Some Real Italian

Posted on January 5, 2012 | 1 comment

finished product

Two Jewish Girls Cook Italian

 

 
I have a few lasagnas that I like but the one that I recently made with my BFF, Susan, was truly wonderful.  The original recipe came from Saveur and we mostly followed it as is except for a few small tweaks. It is not for the meek–it has a lot of moving parts and is an effort but worth every step of the way. First, you have to make the Bolognese (meat) sauce, and then a Bechamel and then assemble the lasagne itself. The recipe calls for spinach noodles but that option was out because we couldn’t find spinach noodles in the valley and there was no way we were making them from scratch. We used Barilla noodles, which worked out perfectly.  I have already posted my other Bolognese but this one is also  wonderful and includes prosciutto, chopped chicken livers, and milk. This recipe drums up a pretty nice shopping list. Susan and I shopped on Wednesday, cooked the Bolognese on Thursday, and assembled the lasagne on Friday. Our plan is to  cook it partially and refrigerate. We’ll then take it out of the fridge before going to a movie, and heat it back up when we get back to the house. Susan and I get along quite well in the kitchen–we don’t get in each other’s way and it is a totally fun way to spend time together doing something we both love. We served this lasagne with an appetizer of shrimp cocktail (complements of Joel) and a green salad.

I will start this recipe with the Ragu a la Bolognese sauce. By the way, the movie was wonderful, as was the entire evening.

Happy, healthy new year to all.

Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced (we sliced first and then used food processor)

1 rib celery, minced (we sliced first and then used food processor)

1/2 medium carrot, peeled and  minced (we sliced first and then used food processor)

2 – 3 slices (3 oz.) prosciutto, chopped (we bought it pre-chopped)

2 – 3 chicken livers, finely chopped (available in the chicken section of most supermarkets in a container)

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck meat

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine (I recently found out you can buy small, inexpensive bottles, which are good to cook with)

1 cup milk (use whole milk)

1 cup beef or chicken broth

1 28 oz. can pureed italian plum tomatoes (if you can’t find pureed, just put whole ones in food processor)

Directions: 

Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy pot (Le Creuset is perfect) over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent, but not browned (5 minutes or so.) Add celery and carrot and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add prosciutto and chicken livers and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until meat is just cooked and still a little pink. Crumble ground chuck into pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. Break up chuck, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, until meat is just cooked and still a little pink, about 5 – 8 more minutes.

Stir in wine and cook until the liquid more or less evaporates. (This took us a while. The recipe says 3 minutes, but it took us more like 10 (maybe because of the altitude?) Next, heat up milk in a small saucepan (do not boil , just heat until it’s hot.) Reduce heat  on sauce to medium and add hot milk, stirring occasionally, until the milk reduces. (We ended up cooking it for about 15  minutes.) In a separate saucepan, heat the tomatoes and broth until hot and then add to the meat mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about 2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bechamel Sauce: (called “Balsamella” in Italy)

Ingredients (yields 2 cups Bechamel, which is exactly what you’ll need):

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups hot milk

4 tablespoons sifted flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes (do not allow the mixture to brown.) Gradually add in the 2 cups of hot milk, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir constantly until sauce is as thick as heavy cream, about 15 minutes.

Lasagne:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil (to grease pan)

1 box of Lasagne noodles (we didn’t use the pre cooked ones, I wouldn’t in this recipe)

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 recipe for Bolognese (above)

1 recipe for Bechamel sauce (above)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 12 baking pan and set aside.

Cook Lasagne noodles according to directions on box (don’t overcook.) We laid the noodles out to dry. You don’t want them moist in pan. (Here in Colorado, they dried in about 2 minutes.)

Line the bottom of prepared baking pan with a layer of pasta (we used 3 sheets on the bottom, which was perfect.) Spread evenly with 1 cup of meat sauce, and sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese. Add another layer of noodles,  evenly spread 1 cup of bechamel sauce on noodles, then sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese. Repeat these layers (with the sprinkle of cheese on top of each layer) until you have 3 layers of meat sauce and 2 of bechamel, ending with the meat sauce on top. Reserve any extra meat sauce to put on top or for another time. There should be no remaining Bechamel sauce.

Bake in the top third of oven for 10 minutes. Then, turn oven up to 500 degrees and cook until lasagne is bubbling around the edges and browned on top, 5 – 7 minutes longer. Do not overcook. Allow lasagne to rest for 8 – 10 minutes before serving.

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