So what are you cooking

[LadyGeek]

For Thanksgiving dinner, a classic favorite: Campbell's Green Bean Casserole Recipe

The prep time may be misleading, as you need 8 cups of cooked green beans. Add that to the prep time.

The original recipe is here: Green Bean Casserole | Campbell's® Recipes, but it only serves 6 and doesn't have any pictures. The above is the same recipe doubled and has pictures on how to do this.

[jebmke]

Spatchcocking a chicken and roasting on the grill. Weather is gloomy but should be warm enough.

[Dunningedangkruger]

Smoking turkey thighs after a nice buttermilk and kosher salt Brine Plus/himalayan pink salt bath!

[InMyDreams]

For Thanksgiving dinner, a classic favorite: Campbell's Green Bean Casserole Recipe

The prep time may be misleading, as you need 8 cups of cooked green beans. Add that to the prep time.

The original recipe is here: Green Bean Casserole | Campbell's® Recipes, but it only serves 6 and doesn't have any pictures. The above is the same recipe doubled and has pictures on how to do this.

I'm trying out ATK's updated, from-scratch recipe (meaning, make your own mushroom sauce binder):
https://www.food.com/recipe/americas-te ... ole-421411
Totally evil - cream, butter, etc

Also trying "Andrea Gentl's Brown Sugarr Buttermilk Porcini Pumpkin Pie". - Just the filling, not the crust, so it's really a pudding not the pie. If I make it again, it would be with a little less Porcini powder.

[turtlebug]

Best deviled eggs from my mother's '50s Betty Crocker cookbook. Everyone loves them!

[InMyDreams]

"Turkey Confidential" with Francis Lam and friends in on air of my local radio station right now.

[Mudpuppy]

For Thanksgiving dinner, a classic favorite: Campbell's Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Despite how iconic this dish is, it's never been a part of my family's Thanksgiving traditions. We go with basic green beans instead. Although, if I'm to be honest, most of my family goes for the cornbread stuffing and mashed potatoes instead of the green beans.

[Mudpuppy]

And for some additional Thanksgiving humor, check out Alton Brown's "Hazardous Turkey Cookery for Thrill Seekers and Adrenaline Junkies" aka "Danger Birds" series that was posted earlier this month on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AltonBrown/videos

On the serious side, he's also got some other good recipes posted there over the years, including his version of the green bean casserole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNkz1wXRd0

[Chv396]

Prepared a full breakfast today:: fried eggs, hash browns, breakfast sausages, fresh fruits, toast with jams, coffee and several juices.

[LadyGeek]

Popcorn cooked in coconut oil. Yes, coconut oil. Add salt when done. Use 1 -3 tablepoons of coconut oil with 1/2 cup kernels.

The oil has a high melting point, so it's somewhat solid at room temperature. Very interesting flavor. I liked it.

You can get coconut oil at Costco.

Update: Added ingredients

[Chv396]

For breakfast this morning:: blueberry hotcakes, coffee, fresh fruits and chicken breakfast sausages.

[AllMostThere]

I make an egg bake for DW and myself several times a week. It's adapted from a recipe I saw on Pioneer Woman several years ago.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
Lightly oil spray a 8x8 baking dish
Line bottom of baking dish with tater tots (fried hash browns or diced fried potatoes)
Add a layer of fresh spinach (more is better as it really cooks down)
Add additional layers of veggies you like - asparagus, red pepper, onion, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. Usually, leftovers from prior night dinner. Your imagination is your limit.
Add 3 eggs, 1/4 cup egg whites and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt to blender
Add dash of pepper and blend eggs/cottage cheese/yogurt up really good
Pour egg mixture over the veggies and tots
Cheese slices and diced meat can be added on top (bacon bits, ham, or cooked breakfast sausage)
When we want to stay meat-free, I add crumbled feta and sliced cherry tomatoes to top
Bake in heated oven for 60 minutes. May need a little longer to bake out moisture if lots of veggies were added.

Cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy.

Usually this is enough for me and DW for breakfast an then myself for lunch or snack later in the day. This is very easy and versatile based upon what you have in the frig and is very filling for breakfast or lunch.

[WanderDad]

Hokkaido-style salmon hotpot. Includes onion, green onion, potatoes, carrots, green cabbage, and smoked tofu.

[mrmass]

Made tiramisu for the first time. I haven’t eaten it yet as it’s in the fridge to set. Can’t wait to try it.

Used this recipe https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/h ... _tiramisu/

[Chv396]

Prepared breakfast waffles this morning. Served them with strawberries, butter & syrup along with ham slices and coffee.

[snic]

For dinner tonight: Pasta with garlic, sundried tomatoes, olives, spinach and pine nuts. So trivial to make: open a jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil (preferably Trader Joe's) and drain them. Use the oil to saute a big handful of sliced garlic and a sprinkling of crushed red chili pepper for a few minutes. Cook and drain the pasta, reserving some cooking water. Toss with a handful of chopped briny olives, the sliced sundried tomatoes, garlic/oil, some grated parmesan, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and several big handfuls of baby spinach. Stir until the spinach is mostly wilted, adding back some pasta cooking water to moisten the dish. Top with pine nuts and devour.

[FeralCat]

I had radish sandwiches for breakfast this morning. It's important to have good quality bread - I used thinly sliced sourdough. Then spread one slice of bread with a fair amount of butter. Slice very thinly 2 to 3 radishes, and pile them onto the buttered bread. Finally sprinkle the radishes with salt. This is simple food - but good. Also a nice break from the heavy foods that tend to be around this time of the year.

[AllMostThere]

Dinner tonight for Christmas Eve. I just put a 7 lb beef tenderloin in my Anova Sous Vide water bath. I trimmed tenderloin of excess fat and silver skin. Liberally seasoned with what I consider excellent - Penzeys Coarse Ground Indian Black Tellicherry Pepper & Saltverk Flaky Pure Hand Harvested Sea Salt. Vacuum packed whole tenderloin and put in 134F water bath for 6 hours. Will removed from water path, pat tenderloin down dry and lightly reapply salt & pepper with a coating of olive oil. Place tenderloin under over broiler to develop a nice crust being careful not to exceed 138F in thickest part of the tenderloin (using an electronic temp probe). Remove from heat and let rest 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy. There will be Medium Well beef at the thin section and Medium Rare beef at the thickest section so everyone in family will be happy. Sliced beef will be the most tender and flavorful you have ever eaten and all at home. We will be eating tenderloin for several days.

[Chv396]

Preparing beef stew in our slow cooker for dinner this evening.

[mkc]

Shrimp, andouille, and okra gumbo. Recipe from Kevin Belton's "New Orleans Celebrations" book. I love that he gives the gumbo base recipe separately - it makes 3 quarts of base, which is about 12 fairly large servings once you add the "mix ins" and serve it with rice. I use 1 quart to make the evening's meal plus enough leftover for a second night, and freeze 2 quart containers of the remaining base.

[CascadiaSoonish]

Starting prep for tomorrow's Christmas Day dinner. Rack of lamb, roasted veg, crème brûlée. Glad we don't make rack of lamb often, was over $130 at the butcher for two racks. Great tradition though.

[LilyFleur]

Today I seasoned the prime rib and cleaned out my frig to make room for it. I need to write out the schedule for tomorrow for getting it out of the frig and making sure it's ready when the guests arrive. (Guests are young adult kids, so it's a bit like herding cats, and I'd like to serve the prime rib hot, fresh from the oven.) Getting ready to bake my homemade white bread. Then we will pre-cook the mac and cheese which will be a side for the meat-eaters and the main dish tomorrow for the vegetarian. We'll make extra pasta and have it for dinner tonight.

Right now I'm taking a break with my feet up. This aspect of aging for me is a challenge. I remember when I could cook and bake for most of the day without taking a break!

[PoundCake]

Tonight is the NYT vegan "bolognese" and a cardamon cake. The bolognese is surprisingly good and may go into a regular rotation. It's just a really good sauce.

Tomorrow we'll be starting with a vegetarian charcuterie board, and that will be followed by miso-roasted pork (also from the NYT), pear and cranberry compote, whole roasted cauliflower with a gremolata, and farro -- and a gingerbread buche de noel.

Happy and merry!

[mkc]

and a gingerbread buche de noel.

The one from Smitten Kitchen?

[PoundCake]

and a gingerbread buche de noel.

The one from Smitten Kitchen?

Yup -- it's so good. I love SK!

[mkc]

The one from Smitten Kitchen?

Yup -- it's so good. I love SK!

Me too! There are quite a few of her recipes or her "adapted from" recipes that are in our favorites list.

[AlwaysLearningMore]

For dinner tonight: Pasta with garlic, sundried tomatoes, olives, spinach and pine nuts. So trivial to make: open a jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil (preferably Trader Joe's) and drain them. Use the oil to saute a big handful of sliced garlic and a sprinkling of crushed red chili pepper for a few minutes. Cook and drain the pasta, reserving some cooking water. Toss with a handful of chopped briny olives, the sliced sundried tomatoes, garlic/oil, some grated parmesan, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and several big handfuls of baby spinach. Stir until the spinach is mostly wilted, adding back some pasta cooking water to moisten the dish. Top with pine nuts and devour.

Thank you for this recipe idea.

[Chv396]

Merry Christmas!

Seasoning a whole chicken now, for roasting this evening for dinner.

[doobiedoo]

Prime rib eye steak with roasted potatoes and grilled zuchinni for Xmas dinner.

[3hrs]

Christmas Eve dinner was our traditional fare -homemade cheese pierogis and both fresh and smoked kielbasa. We had to locate a new source of fresh kielbasa since we moved this year from NH to PA. We did not like the drive to the new store in Wilmington DE but their fresh kielbasa was excellent. Dessert was assorted Lebkuchen.

[jebmke]

Belgian yeast waffles for breakfast.

Sausage and Arugula Risotto for dinner.

[3hrs]

Forgot to add that part of the meat market purchase included enough casings for DH to try making up to 20 pounds of fresh kielbasa.

[mfswatz9]

A few days ago I made German stollen for the first time. It was very time consuming, mainly waiting for it to rise several times.

I can understand why it is so expensive to buy, $24 at my local German bakery, because you need to buy so many ingredients: candied fruit, candied citrus peel, almonds, dried apricots, almond paste, plus all the butter. It made a mess because I used my mixmaster with the dough hooks to knead it. The dough kept rising up on the hooks and I had to stop and pull it back down. It made 3 loaves and I will have to say, it was worth it. It was delicious! I'm not sure I will do it next year. If I do, I might buy a bread machine to do the kneading.

[chefann]

Well, since there aren't enough carb-heavy foods available this time of year (ha), I got a bee in my bonnet to find and make the best chocolate cake recipe I could google. I ended up making Sally's Baking Recipes Triple Chocolate Cake (because I had buttermilk leftover from homemade ranch dressing). Sry, I don't know how to imbed a link, but if you Google for the name, it'll come up. It turned out to be super simple AND the best chocolate cake (9x13) I've ever made (that's not many though - more than five, less than 20). It was super moist, not overly chocolatey or sweet. I ate three pieces - that's right, THREE! Don't bake cakes when you're home alone, kids! (spouse working, essential, our holiday begins today!)

[InvisibleAerobar]

A few days ago I made German stollen for the first time. It was very time consuming, mainly waiting for it to rise several times.

I can understand why it is so expensive to buy, $24 at my local German bakery, because you need to buy so many ingredients: candied fruit, candied citrus peel, almonds, dried apricots, almond paste, plus all the butter. It made a mess because I used my mixmaster with the dough hooks to knead it. The dough kept rising up on the hooks and I had to stop and pull it back down. It made 3 loaves and I will have to say, it was worth it. It was delicious! I'm not sure I will do it next year. If I do, I might buy a bread machine to do the kneading.

Said with sincerity and admiration, this is truly bonkers, yet this is also totally rad. Full marks for giving it a go.

My wife and I went to Berlin in 2019 for our honeymoonweek during the lead-up to Christmas, and we made sure to bring back a few loaves of Dresdener Stollen with us. Having previously made panettone successfully, I thought, how hard can this be and was promptly daunted by the whole process. I'd say it's an order of magnitude more difficult, and I think a traditional one has to sit for 2-3 weeks?

So instead, we pony up at the local German bakerie for a proper loaf ($25 for 1 lb) and raid Aldi's for its stollen bites (usually marked down to half off after Christmas).

[mkc]

A few days ago I made German stollen for the first time. It was very time consuming, mainly waiting for it to rise several times.

I can understand why it is so expensive to buy, $24 at my local German bakery, because you need to buy so many ingredients: candied fruit, candied citrus peel, almonds, dried apricots, almond paste, plus all the butter. It made a mess because I used my mixmaster with the dough hooks to knead it. The dough kept rising up on the hooks and I had to stop and pull it back down. It made 3 loaves and I will have to say, it was worth it. It was delicious! I'm not sure I will do it next year. If I do, I might buy a bread machine to do the kneading.

I agree on the cost of the ingredients, but curious about the comment about it being time-consuming. I've made it the past couple of years and didn't notice it more involved than other yeasted breads. I posted in the "what have you baked" topic, but here is the recipe I used, candied peel from nuts.com:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-g ... mas-bread/

and I do make her almond paste https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-ma ... ond-paste/

Having previously made panettone successfully, I thought, how hard can this be and was promptly daunted by the whole process. I'd say it's an order of magnitude more difficult, and I think a traditional one has to sit for 2-3 weeks?

Now panettone is a huge challenge. I've tried and failed miserably several times. I don't have a pasta madre starter, though.

We mail order our panettone, usually Albertengo and some Flamigni depending on the flavor. It's one of our splurges where it's worth paying for.

[InvisibleAerobar]

A few days ago I made German stollen for the first time. It was very time consuming, mainly waiting for it to rise several times.

I can understand why it is so expensive to buy, $24 at my local German bakery, because you need to buy so many ingredients: candied fruit, candied citrus peel, almonds, dried apricots, almond paste, plus all the butter. It made a mess because I used my mixmaster with the dough hooks to knead it. The dough kept rising up on the hooks and I had to stop and pull it back down. It made 3 loaves and I will have to say, it was worth it. It was delicious! I'm not sure I will do it next year. If I do, I might buy a bread machine to do the kneading.

I agree on the cost of the ingredients, but curious about the comment about it being time-consuming. I've made it the past couple of years and didn't notice it more involved than other yeasted breads. I posted in the "what have you baked" topic, but here is the recipe I used, candied peel from nuts.com:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-g ... mas-bread/

and I do make her almond paste https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-ma ... ond-paste/

Having previously made panettone successfully, I thought, how hard can this be and was promptly daunted by the whole process. I'd say it's an order of magnitude more difficult, and I think a traditional one has to sit for 2-3 weeks?

Now panettone is a huge challenge. I've tried and failed miserably several times. I don't have a pasta madre starter, though.

We mail order our panettone, usually Albertengo and some Flamigni depending on the flavor. It's one of our splurges where it's worth paying for.

Ah, that is interesting. The ageing requirement alone for stollens is enough to dissuade me.

I probably should have clarified that what I made was a brioche-based panettone, not a traditional one with a proper starter. The recipe is from that lord of smugness Paul Hollywood, but I have generally gotten really good results from it. The recipe is here, and he once demonstrated it during a Master Class episode for Bake Off (an episode that I can no longer locate).

The one thing that always gave me trepidation is step #9, as I never noticed significant increase in volume, but things have turned out well when instructions were followed.

[johnegonpdx]

Christmas was rib roast (reverse sear method). New Years will be traditional Japanese fare; toshikoshi soba, chikuzeni, namasu, sashimi, unohana, etc.

[snic]

A few days ago I made German stollen for the first time. It was very time consuming, mainly waiting for it to rise several times.

I can understand why it is so expensive to buy, $24 at my local German bakery, because you need to buy so many ingredients: candied fruit, candied citrus peel, almonds, dried apricots, almond paste, plus all the butter. It made a mess because I used my mixmaster with the dough hooks to knead it. The dough kept rising up on the hooks and I had to stop and pull it back down. It made 3 loaves and I will have to say, it was worth it. It was delicious! I'm not sure I will do it next year. If I do, I might buy a bread machine to do the kneading.

I agree on the cost of the ingredients, but curious about the comment about it being time-consuming. I've made it the past couple of years and didn't notice it more involved than other yeasted breads. I posted in the "what have you baked" topic, but here is the recipe I used, candied peel from nuts.com:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-g ... mas-bread/

and I do make her almond paste https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-ma ... ond-paste/

Having previously made panettone successfully, I thought, how hard can this be and was promptly daunted by the whole process. I'd say it's an order of magnitude more difficult, and I think a traditional one has to sit for 2-3 weeks?

Now panettone is a huge challenge. I've tried and failed miserably several times. I don't have a pasta madre starter, though.

We mail order our panettone, usually Albertengo and some Flamigni depending on the flavor. It's one of our splurges where it's worth paying for.

I make Stollen every year from my mother's recipe, which she adapted from her mother's. It is really not more time consuming than any other yeast bread. The ingredients aren't cheap, but (a) our recipe doesn't call for marzipan, and (b) the dried fruit is readily available on Amazon, and if you buy enough for 2 or 3 years' worth of loaves, the fruit can be frozen and it's cheaper to buy in bulk. Here is the recipe - a bit late, but I'll try to remember to post it again next year!

1 c milk
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs rum
1 pkg yeast
1/4 c warm water
5 c sifted all-purpose flour
1 c candied citron, cut into small dice
1/2 c candied orange peel, cut into small dice [candied orange peel and citron are usually sold already cut into small dice; however, I've sometimes seen them sold in larger pieces. They are soft and easy to cut into smaller cubes. You want them roughly the size of raisins. Candied citron and orange peel each have a pleasant but not amazing flavor when eaten alone, but you will be surprised how well they blend with each other and the other flavors in the bread.]
1 c golden raisins
1 c slivered blanched almonds (can be toasted, but not necessary)
grated peel of 1 lemon
2 eggs
3/4 c soft butter, cut into cubes
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c (or more) melted butter for brushing

1. Scald the milk and add 1/2 c sugar and the salt, and let cool to lukewarm. [Usually I just microwave the milk to lukewarm and skip the scalding step.] Add rum to the raisins and let soak.
2. Activate the yeast in the warm water.
3. Mix the yeast into the lukewarm milk, then add 1 c flour, mix to remove lumps, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hr or until doubled in bulk. [I usually use 1/2 tsp yeast and let the milk/flour/yeast mixture sit overnight at a cool room temperature]
4. Stir in candied citron, orange peel, raisins, eggs, almonds, lemon peel, soft butter, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and 3 c flour
5. Knead 1 c flour into the dough until smooth and elastic [I use a Kitchenaid with a dough hook; the volume of dough is just about the maximum a standard Kitchenaid can take]
6. Divide the dough into two, and shape each half into a log about 8 to 10 inches long
7. Transfer the logs to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat and brush with melted butter.
8. Cover with wax paper and a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
9. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes. Should be golden brown and sound hollow when knocked. Transfer to a wire rack.
12. While still hot, brush with more melted butter and generously sift powdered sugar on top.
13. When cool, sift a final coat of powdered sugar. You can wrap the loaves in foil and place in a plastic bag to freeze. Thaw to room temperature before serving. Fresh Stollen will last 2 or 3 days at room temperature, but it will start to become stale towards the end of that.
14. To serve, slice thinly and enjoy with a cup of coffee. I find there's no need to toast it.

[InMyDreams]

ATK Stollen recipe
https://wskg.org/arts/2024-12-20/americ ... en-ep-2511

also
"There's a lot of terrible candied fruit out there, unfortunately ..." says cookbook author Camilla Wynne. "It's fair that they get a bad rap, but they aren't representative of candied fruit generally." In her book Nature's Candy, Wynne guides cooks through making not-terrible candied fruit, for cakes.."

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/23/nx-s1-51 ... y-cookbook

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nature%27s+c ... doa-p_3_10

[mkc]

I agree on the cost of the ingredients, but curious about the comment about it being time-consuming. I've made it the past couple of years and didn't notice it more involved than other yeasted breads. I posted in the "what have you baked" topic, but here is the recipe I used, candied peel from nuts.com:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-g ... mas-bread/

and I do make her almond paste https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-ma ... ond-paste/



Now panettone is a huge challenge. I've tried and failed miserably several times. I don't have a pasta madre starter, though.

We mail order our panettone, usually Albertengo and some Flamigni depending on the flavor. It's one of our splurges where it's worth paying for.

I make Stollen every year from my mother's recipe, which she adapted from her mother's. It is really not more time consuming than any other yeast bread. The ingredients aren't cheap, but (a) our recipe doesn't call for marzipan, and (b) the dried fruit is readily available on Amazon, and if you buy enough for 2 or 3 years' worth of loaves, the fruit can be frozen and it's cheaper to buy in bulk. Here is the recipe - a bit late, but I'll try to remember to post it again next year!

Thank you! I've copied that into RecipeKeeper for next season.

The dried fruit (I buy the candied rind strips) at Nuts.com is quite good and not expensive at all. I tend to worry about freshness and storage conditions from Amazon, especially if it might be from item pooling. I also use Sunmaid Zante currants and golden raisins instead of regular raisins.

For the almond paste/marzipan, if you want to make it, that Daring Gourmet recipe link I posted makes it easy and nowhere near as expensive as pre-made. It's basically almond flour (I use Bob's Red Mill), powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract (I use this instead of rose water), and egg white (I use the egg white leftover from the stollen recipe).

My M-I-L tells me the whole loaves freeze really well. I usually send her two, she freezes one.

ETA - the panettone recipe I've tried (three times) is Lahey's from Gourmet 2008. It doesn't use a pasta madre but a small amount of regular yeast and a long (12-15 hour) bulk ferment followed by a 3-5 hour second ferment. The first time it overflowed the mold during baking in a quite laughable way (think elementary school volcano), and the second 2 times it was a pane-puck. With all the sugar and honey, it probably needs SAF gold yeast so that it doesn't overproof.

[littlerfish]

I had some stale stollen left over from Christmas eve, so I made French toast with it this morning. Delicious. The powdered sugar or frosting will melt off into the frying pan and carmelize, so keep a bit of cream handy to make caramel with it after you take the bread out of the pan.

May have to find another stale stollen for bread pudding.

[littlerfish]

I had a pound of mushrooms to use up, so I made this Corsican pork roast recipe. Very good! I used frozen pearl onions instead of spring onions, and Italian Moscato d'Asti instead of Corsican Muscat wine.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/por ... s-and-wine

[tooluser]

I made my first Bolognese sauce. Somewhat of a disaster, but edible.

I used an "authentic" recipe from the New York Times (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101 ... nese-sauce). But as with most recipes there is apparently a lot more to it than is stated in the recipe. So I don't recommend that recipe; watch a Youtube video instead. I substituted/modified some ingredients, which I'm sure decreased the final product's goodness, but I came to the conclusion that this Bolognese sauce is not for me.

It tasted nothing like what I would consider Italian food, much more like American slumgullion, plain and unremarkable, something just good enough to eat and fill the stomach. I could have achieved the same effect in less than an hour instead of the 4+ hours it required. I ended up adding garlic and herbs to the remaining portion after one serving. Hopefully it will be more to my liking tomorrow.

[mkc]

While a bit more complicated (I'm also not a fan of that NYT bolognese recipe), here is the one I use that I got from a friend. I've replaced the ground chuck/beef stew meat/veal with all (1 1/4 lb) fine-diced duck breast. You could also do all rabbit meat (haven't make it myself but have had rabbit bolognese and it's delicious).

Stefan B's Bolognese Ragu

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz pancetta, diced
1 cup small diced carrots
3/4 cup small diced celery
1 cup small diced onions
1/4 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground veal
1/2 lb small diced beef stew meat
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tbs minced garlic
4 Tbs Italian tomato paste, diluted in 10 tablespoons meat stock
1 cup whole milk
Salt and black pepper

Directions

In a small sauce pot, bring the cream up to a simmer and reduce by 1/3.

About 6 tablespoons of cream should be remaining. In a sauce pot, render the pancetta over medium heat, about 8 minutes, or until almost all the fat is rendered.

Stir in the carrots, celery, and onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Saute the vegetables for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent. In a mixing bowl, combine the meats.

Season the meats with salt and pepper. Increase the heat and stir in the meat.

Brown the meat for 5 minutes, or until the meat is medium brown in color.

Stir in the wine, garlic and diluted tomato paste, and reduce the heat to very low.

Cook partially covered for 2 hours.

From time to time stir in a tablespoon or so of the milk, by the end of the two hours the milk should be incorporated.

Stir in the reduced cream.

Season with salt and black pepper

Stefan's Notes:
Hi mkc

Pappardelle is the best by far, in my opinion. Gotta have good old parm to shave too, of course. Let's eat!

Here it is.....it's traditional but I change some of the quantities and add a little stew meat for chunkiness


mkc's notes:

Double-concentrate tomato paste. Better than Bouillion beef/water for the beef stock.

I don't serve a lot of the ragu over pasta, not like a "spaghetti and meatballs" plate. My preferred pasta is homemade pappardelle or tagliatelle. I shave parm over it with a veggie peeler vs. using grated cheese.

This makes several meals worth of ragu for us. I freeze it in 1 1/2 cup portions, which is 3 servings - 1 for me and 2 for DH - for us.

[tooluser]

While a bit more complicated (I'm also not a fan of that NYT bolognese recipe), here is the one I use that I got from a friend.
...

Saved, thanks! This looks like it will have the deep, rich tomato flavor I am looking for.

[OMYx3]

For a unique, meat-free Bolognese, we enjoy this one (courtesy of https://eatrealamerica.com/):

Cook the Pasta:
8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Make the Mushroom and Walnut "Meat":
1 cup walnuts
1 cup mushrooms (of your choice)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
Add walnuts to a food processor or blender and pulse until they become a crumbly mixture. Add mushrooms and pulse several more times until finely chopped (be careful to not over-process…it should look like crumbly ground beef). Add flour, salt and pepper and pulse again. Add oil to a skillet over medium high heat, and then add the walnut mushroom mixture and brown about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the Vegetables:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 white onion (chopped)
3 celery stalks (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 cup carrots (chopped)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves (finely diced, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
Add oil to another skillet, and then add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are beginning to get tender.

Put it all together:
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
Add sautéed vegetables and marinara sauce to the skillet with the walnut and mushroom mixture. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!
Serve over cooked pasta.

[mkc]

While a bit more complicated (I'm also not a fan of that NYT bolognese recipe), here is the one I use that I got from a friend.
...

Saved, thanks! This looks like it will have the deep, rich tomato flavor I am looking for.

If it's not quite right the first time, increase the tomato paste (you could fix it at the end, in which case I'd brown the additional paste to deepen the flavor before adding (not a fan of bright tomato notes in a bolognese ragu).

[LifeIsGood]

I do that same buttermilk/salt brine with our Thanksgiving turkey every year to rave reviews. You'll never have a juicier turkey.

Smoking turkey thighs after a nice buttermilk and kosher salt Brine Plus/himalayan pink salt bath!

[SurferLife]

Our chickens are laying too many eggs so I learned how to use them up making Korean potato pancakes. They’re quite delicious.