lunch

Basic Red Sauce, Part I (Marinara)

12/01/2016
1 Review (5.00 out of 5)
Cuisine
Course
Serves 12 spaghetti benders
Equipment
large, heavy-bottomed pot
Prep time
25m
Cook Time
1h 30m

Ok, friends.  Here it is: simple, yet soul-satisfying like nothing else.  I like to make a lot (11 or 12 quarts) of this sauce at one time, give some away and freeze a few quarts, you know, for sauce emergencies.  If you have less of an appetite for the Life Force than we do (remember, my stepson prefers to drink his red sauce right from the bowl/pitcher/thermos, and no time of day or night is a bad time for red sauce), just reduce the quantities in proportion.  The flavor will be the same.  There will be many more variations of this recipe to follow, so stay tuned, and keep your questions and comments coming!

img_0750

 

Homemade Mac & Cheese

11/29/2016
Cuisine
Course
Serves 12 People
Equipment
food processor or box grater
Prep time
30m
Cook Time
45m

I think you’re going to like this.

post-bacon, pre-baking
Here we are, post-bacon, pre-baking (I crack myself up.)  And yeah, maybe this feeds a little more than 12… I like to give my “extra” to a neighbor or friend or my parents or, you know, whomever needs it.

Italian Wedding Soup

01/04/2017
Cuisine
Course
Serves 20 bowls
Equipment
patience (for those little meatballs)
oven safe baking dish
large heavy-bottomed sauce pot
Prep time
45m
Cook Time
45m

It’s hard to imagine why/when you would prefer regular chicken soup to the complexity of this “special occasion” soup… and frankly, if you aren’t already adding some type of bitter greens to every one of your soups now, you will after you try this.  Escarole is the key here (pronounced, “shka-dole”), but a dear chef-friend of mine recently suggested swiss chard in its place!  To me, that sounds like a fantastic idea (thank you, Lucie!) and one upon which I will play in another post.

Lentil Salad

11/07/2016
Cuisine
Course
Serves 8 quarts
Prep time
40m
Cook Time
20m

img_2780

I like to make as much of this salad as I can at one time (this recipe fills my biggest mixing bowl and is just about all the chopping/dicing I can handle in one day) and store it in quart sized containers in my second fridge… then I bring up one quart at a time, and we eat it every day… for lunch, under grilled chicken or steak for dinner, or as a side dish when you are tired of leafy greens. Of course, volume is always up to you. You could do one pound of lentils and scale down the veggies to taste. I’ve found that if I’m going to do all that chopping, I might as well scale up and be stocked up for a long time— this salad will keep for weeks in the fridge! And if you have a household or two to feed, you can’t beat this dish for a fast, nutrient-rich, guilt free go-to snack or meal. It is so fresh tasting and crunchy with all of the raw veggies, the parsley and the lemon juice, and is densely packed with protein and vitamins, fiber and all things good. The crumbled goat cheese should not be overlooked. Its tang and creaminess adds the magic to this salad. Once you top with goat cheese, you can’t go without.

 

Mushroom Beef Barley Soup

01/05/2017
Cuisine
Course
Serves 20 bowls
Equipment
large, heavy-bottomed pot
Prep time
30m
Cook Time
45m

This is one of my favorite soups.  My mom usually makes it as an appetizer at Thanksgiving, without the beef… in that case, it’s Mushroom Barley Soup.  It pairs so beautifully with my sausage stuffed mushrooms, you could forget all about the turkey.  This year, we skipped the soup, and I made it following Christmas instead.  I added the leftover rib roast from Christmas and called it “dinner.”  Soup represents, to me, the magic of cooking.  It’s as close as you can come to making something fantastic out of next to nothing (water, salt, seasoning, a few humble vegetables, leftover meat, and dried grain), and that something will fill your kitchen with warmth and aroma and happiness like you wouldn’t believe.  I challenge you to try it and tell me it’s not magic.

 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

01/08/2017
Cuisine
Course
Serves 16 servings
Equipment
Slow Cooker
Prep time
15m
Cook Time
7m

    

So you have a five pound pork loin (or butt or shoulder) in your fridge and you’re feeling less than inspired?  Open up that well-stocked pantry of yours and pull together a spice rub, line your slow cooker with onions and garlic, splash on a little chicken stock, and in six or seven hours– maybe when you get home from work, maybe when you get home from skiing– you will be glad you did.

Tuesday Night Risotto

12/06/2016
Cuisine
Course
Serves 8 servings
Prep time
5m
Cook Time
25m

This is Tuesday night comfort food.  Put on the Skynrd, loosen up your stirring elbow and pour yourself a nice deep glass of whatever white wine you’re using… we like to raise a glass to “Tuesday’s Gone” before we dig into this brightly flavored, creamy, tangy, heartfelt dish.

img_0020

Vidalia Onion Soup with Blistered Cheddar Cheese

12/26/2016
Cuisine
Course
Serves 24 bowls
Equipment
oven-safe soup tureens or crocks
Prep time
1h 30m
Cook Time
30m

 

img_6928

This recipe comes straight outta Bobby Flay’s Bar American cookbook, which my mom had signed for me by the master himself, at Dave’s Market in my hometown. From the moment that he told her that his mother’s name is Dotty, she’s been a little smitten.  I’ve been smitten since I had this dish at his NYC restaurant: it’s awesome. This recipe tastes exactly like the real thing, it’s deceptively simple to make, but will wow your guests with the fancy appearance and special flavor twists on the old stand-by french onion.  This soup is aces for the holidays.  I’ve adapted Bobby’s proportions to suit my large crowd’s appetite… you should either consult his recipe or halve this one if you aren’t feeding more than ten people, with leftovers desired.  I should say, though, that this soup keeps really well and is an awesome, filling hot lunch or dinner during that week of vacation between Christmas and New Year’s.

img_6926

The only downside of this dish is that it’s pretty prep-heavy.  But every single bit of work can be done ahead of time!  Grate your cheese and put it in a big tupperware in the fridge.  Slice your bread and put in a gallon sized ziplock bag in the fridge.  Make the pesto up to a week ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. (This pesto is excellent on everything you already like pesto on: egg sandwiches, pizza, pasta, you name it.  Make extra-extra pesto.  You will not regret it.)  You can even make your soup a few nights before, if you want, and reheat on the big day.  So, if you’re going to go to the trouble, you might as well make enough to enjoy all week.  This soup is also noteworthy for being a huge hit with the under ten, tween and teenage crowds.  It’s shocking, that they would love an onion based soup so much, but the kids actually do eat it up, quite literally.  Must be the sweetness of the vidalias and the “grilled cheese” on top.