Hearty

Basic Red Sauce, Part I (Marinara)

12/01/2016
1 Review (5.00 out of 5)
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!

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Homemade Mac & Cheese

11/29/2016
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.

Lentil Salad

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

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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
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.