Category: Recipe

Bolognese Sauce

I had my doubts when making this sauce for the first time.  The milk really seamed out of place but it turned out great & has become one of our cold weather favorites.  This is a hearty sauce that begs for a loaf of crusty bread and a nice glass of wine.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced carrot
2 tablespoons minced celery
3/4 pound meatloaf mix or 1/4 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork Continue reading “Bolognese Sauce”

This soup is a favorite in the winter time and a great way to use the leftovers from our Bourbon Glazed Ham recipe.  We like to use the quick-soak method but you can soak the beans overnight if you prefer.  Don’t forget the corn bread, it goes perfectly with this soup!

Ham and Bean Soup

1 pound dry Great Northern beans
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ham hock
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped ham
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions
Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans and remove from heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for at least 60 minutes.

After the 60 minutes of soaking, return the pot to high heat and place the ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 more minutes.

Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season with ground white pepper to taste.

Definitely a family favorite in our house.  Saw this recipe on Good Eats with Alton Brown years ago.  This is one the kids can get involved with when it comes time to spread on the mustard, brown sugar and crushed ginger snaps.

We paired this up with Chorizo Corn Bread Stuffing and had a hit on our hands this year!  Make sure to line your pan with foil as the sugar has a tendency to burn and cleanup can be a chore.

Bourbon Glazed Ham

1 city style (brined) ham, hock end
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 cups dark brown sugar
1-ounce bourbon (poured into a spritz bottle)
2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

Heat oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you’re using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you’ve made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham. (Don’t worry too much about precision here.)

Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.

Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint). Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.

Insert the thermometer (don’t use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.

Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.

I found this in the 2008 Thanksgiving issue of Food and Wine and decided to try it out this year.  It was a huge hit!  You can use a store-bought corn bread to simplify the recipe (you’ll need three pounds), but opt for one that’s not too sweet (i.e. not Jiffy).

We made our cornbread from scratch following the recipie below and were pleasantly surprised with it’s texture and flavor.  One word of advise though, make sure you toast the cornbread cubes in the oven or they will fall apart when you go to mix all of the ingredients.

CORN BREAD
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

STUFFING
1/2 pound Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped sage
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
2 cups chicken stock
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Make the Corn Bread: Preheat the oven to 425°. Warm a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, sift the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cornmeal. Add the milk and eggs and stir lightly. Add the melted butter and stir just until blended.

3. Scrape the batter into the hot skillet; the oil should sizzle. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the corn bread for about 25 minutes, or until the center springs back when gently pressed. Turn the corn bread out onto a rack to cool. (This will yield 3 pounds of corn bread.)

4. Meanwhile, Prepare the Stuffing: Reduce the oven temperature to 375°. In a large saucepan, cook the chorizo over moderate heat until the edges are crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the onions, celery and carrot and cook until the onions are translucent, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the chorizo mixture to a large bowl.

5. Cut the corn bread into 1-inch pieces. Spread it on a rimmed baking dish and toast for about 20 minutes, stirring once, until golden in spots. Add the corn bread to the chorizo. Add the chicken stock, eggs, salt and pepper and toss gently until evenly coated. Transfer the stuffing to a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 40 minutes, until golden on top. Serve warm.

Make Ahead
The baked stuffing can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before reheating.

This dish is perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon and should yield enough leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. It also makes the house smell wonderful.  Don’t skip putting the garlic into the roast as it adds the flavor to this dish that sets it apart from other roasts.  I’ve modified the recipe to replace button mushrooms with dried (much better flavor) and added tomato paste to give the sauce a little more richness.  

Pot Roast (updated January 2022)

1 (4 pounds) Chuck Pot Roast (tied)
5 cloves of fresh garlic (sliced in half)
Drizzle of oil (canola or avocado)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups beef stock
1 pound small red skin potatoes, halved
2 medium onions, chopped rough
1 pound carrots chopped rough (You can substitute/mix parsnips if you want)
Large handful of dried/mixed mushrooms
2 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup flour (opt)
1/2 cup water (opt)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Make 10 slits throughout the roast. Stuff a piece of garlic in each slit. Rub the entire roast with the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large Dutch Oven, over medium heat

When the pan is hot, sear the roast on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Add the stock, mushrooms and tomato paste and cover.  Place in the oven and cook for 4 hours.

Place the vegetables around the roast, season with salt and pepper and cover.

Cook for additional hour.

Remove the roast from the oven and arrange on a serving platter, reserving the liquid.

(Optional)
Whisk the flour and water together. Pour the reserved liquid and grime into a fat separator, then into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Whisk the flour mixture into the reserved liquid. Bring the liquid back to a simmer and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pot roast.

This soup really hits the spot on a cold winter day.  Try substituting some of the chicken stock with your favorite stout beer.  Make sure you have a fresh loaf of crusty bread for dipping!

Cheddar Cheese Soup

1 stick of butter
3 small leeks, white part only, split in half, diced small
3 celery stalks, diced small
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound Cheddar, grated, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup chopped crispy bacon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Loaf of crusty bread

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Saute the vegetables for about 3 minutes, or until wilted. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Dust the vegetables with the flour and stir for 3 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan. Bring the soup up to a simmer. Whisk in the cream, cheese, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into a shallow bowl. Garnish the soup with bacon, grated cheese and chives.

You know that sweet/tart dressing all of the Japanese restaurants use on their salads?  This is it & it’s VERY tasty!  I was surprised to learn it had ketchup in it but that’s actually one of the thickeners.  This will keep for about a week in the fridge.  It has a tendency to separate but a vigorous shake will mix everything back up again.

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ginger is well-pureed.  Makes 1 3/4 cups.