Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Red Cabbage, shredded (1 head)
Onions, sliced or diced (1 large)
Vinegar (1/2 cup)
Sugar (1/2 cup)
Water (1 cup)
Salt (2 tsp)
Cloves, ground (1/4 tsp or more to taste)
Cornstarch (2 tsp)

Add onions to large pot (Dutch oven) with the butter. Cook for a few minutes then add the shredded cabbage. Toss so the onions and cabbage are distributed evenly. Add vinegar, sugar, water, salt and cloves. Simmer for an hour or more on low heat until the cabbage is very tender. Add the cornstarch to some cold water and then add the mixture to the juices to thicken slightly.

Pear, Brie and Carmelized Onion Sandwiches

This is a classic combo and sooooo delicious when done right. This recipe makes about two sandwiches.

Crusty buns, good quality loaf, or panini (not regular sandwich bread)
Onion, Yellow (sliced)
Pear, ripened
Brie (other cheese also works well, as long as it doesn’t overpower the pear flavor, like provolone)
Butter

Get those onions started caramelizing. This process, done right, takes up most of the preparation time for these sandwiches. Add sliced onions to a large pot (shiny metal works best) along with a tablespoon or so of butter. Watch as the butter melts, stir to evenly coat all the onions and the bottom of the pot, then cover and turn to low heat. The onions will gradually glaze the bottom of the pot and begin to brown. Stir, but only infrequently. If the onions look like they’re frying the heat is too high. Turn it down to the minimum heat setting. This process could take as long as one hour, but with one onion, probably only 20 minutes.

Give your bread/buns a preliminary toast in a toaster oven or under the broiler. Then add slices of brie. Slice up the pear into thin slices. Do this right before you’re ready to prepare the sandwiches, otherwise the pear will oxidize and turn brown. Lay down pear slices in an even layer over the brie. Toast until brie is completely melted.

Take the sandwiches out of the oven and add your carmelized onions over the top. Top with another slice of toasted bread and they’re ready for delicious consumption!

Slow Cooked Cherry Barbeque Brisket

Beef Brisket (1.5-2 lbs)
Onion (1 medium, chopped)
Butter (2 tbsps)
Garlic (1 head, minced)
Cherries (2 cups, pitted and chopped)
Ketchup (1 cup)
Brown Sugar (2/3 cup)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/4 cup)
Worcestershire Sauce (1 tbsp)
Mustard (2 tsps, ground or prepared)
Pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for at least 10 hours until meat is completely falling apart. Delicious. Super easy too, once you’ve got all those cherries pitted.
Salt (to taste)

Our Wedding Butternut Sage Lasagna

FILLING (11×15 pan):
Onions (2 large)
Garlic (8 cloves)
Butternut Squash (1 large, peeled and cut into ¾ in. cubes)
Mushrooms (sliced)
Sage (large bunch, chopped fine)
Nutmeg (1 tsp or more)
Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Parsley (Optional)
Chili flakes (Optional)
Lasagna noodles (oven-ready)
Parmesan/Hard Cheese (2 cups grated)
Mozzarella/Cheddar/Soft Cheese (4 cups grated)

SAUCE:
Butter (½ cup)
Flour (1/3 cup)
Milk (5 cups)
Chili Powder (Optional)
Nutmeg (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

FILLING: First caramelize the onions in butter or olive oil, then add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Add salt, pepper, parsley, sage, nutmeg, chili flakes, garlic cloves and squash. Sauté until squash is tender and edible.

SAUCE: Melt butter in a saucepan, then add flour and whisk until a wet paste forms and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add milk and whisk; simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper, chili powder and nutmeg. If the sauce hasn’t thickened enough, add a tablespoon or two of flour and make a paste of it with a small amount of cold milk, working out all lumps, and gradually add a little more milk to dissolve it and then add it to the sauce. Take care not to burn the milk. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

ASSEMBLY: Lay down a base layer of sauce into your lasagna dish. Then stack up the layers as follows: noodles +filling + cheese+ sauce + noodles + filling + cheese+ sauce+ noodles, etc. Cover the top layer with your final sheet of noodles, and add a generous helping of sauce and cheese to the top. Garnish with paprika. Bake at 400 F for 30-45 minutes, until the noodles are cooked and the top is browned.

Slow Cooker Curry

This is a mild curry on the sweet side, kind of a combination korma/butter chicken. This is a very flexible recipe–and very easy if you have the ingredients. No marinating necessary, because it cooks so long. I haven’t included amounts because I usually add to taste, depending on how much I’m making.

Chicken (chopped)
Onion (1 medium, chopped)
Tomato Paste OR Diced Canned Tomatoes
Greek Yogurt OR Cream OR Coconut Milk
Lemon Juice OR Lime Juice
Honey
Cashews (optional)
Green Onions (optional)
Butter
Spices to Taste: Pick and choose!
Curry Powder
Chili Powder or Paste
Ginger Powder or Fresh Grated
Garlic (1 head, chopped)
Turmeric
Paprika
Cloves, ground (1/8 tsp)
Cinnamon
Cumin
Cardamom

Add butter and chopped onions to slow cooker first. Then add chopped chicken, lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, green onions and cashews (if using). Add spices to taste. When mixture is completely cooked, add yogurt, cream or coconut milk–do not add it earlier or it will curdle slightly (but even if it does, it’s still delicious!).

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

Apple (1 chopped)
Onion (1 medium, chopped)
Carrots (2 cups, chopped)
Celery (1 stalk)
Ginger (powdered or freshly grated, to taste)
Chicken Broth (1 liter)
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Saute the onion, carrot and celery in butter until softened in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the chicken broth, apple and ginger. Cook until vegetables are completely tender. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Shepherd’s Pie

Ground Beef AND/OR Lamb (1.5-2 lbs)
Onion (1 medium, minced)
Carrots (2 medium, minced in food processor)
Garlic (4 large cloves, minced or pressed)
Ketchup (2 tbsps)
Flour (1/4 cup)
Worcestershire Sauce (2 tsps)
Frozen Peas (1/2 cup or more)
Canned Corn (1 can) OR Frozen Corn
Russet Potatoes (4 medium, cubed)
Heavy Cream (1/2 cup)
Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
Butter (2 tbsps)
Green Onions
Chives
Paprika
Parsley
Thyme
Rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Brown the ground beef in a skillet, breaking up the meat, until the meat is cooked. Set the meat aside. Keep some of the fat in the pan.

Meanwhile, get the water boiling for the potatoes. Add salt to the water. Bring to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Saute the onions, carrots, and salt in the rendered fat until soft. Add in the garlic, ketchup, and flour. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, your choice of herbs, and green onions and cook until the mixture has thickened and the flour has absorbed, about 2 minutes. Turn of the heat and add the frozen peas and season with salt and pepper. Pat the meat in a layer of a casserole or baking dish. If you like a thick layer of meat, use a casserole; if you like a thinner layer, use a baking dish or roasting pan.

Now you need to mash the potatoes. Drain them and mash them, with or without skins–your preference. I used a potato ricer, because that produces the best result. Stir in butter, cream, salt, pepper, and chives until the potatoes are the desired consistency.

Over the layer of meat in the dish, add a layer of corn one kernel thick. Then carefully dollop mashed potatoes onto the dish and spread with a spatula. Sprinkle top with cheddar and paprika.

Bake at 450 until the edges are bubbling and browning for about 30 minutes.

Thai Celeriac Soup

This is a very basic soup that I really enjoy, but if you find it bland, it can also be used as a soup starter for a Thai Chicken and Rice Soup–see alteration at bottom.

Celeriac/Celery Root (1 large, chopped into small cubes)
Onion (1 large, chopped)
Broth (1 liter, Chicken or Vegetable)
Lemongrass Paste
Thai Red Curry Paste (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
Butter
Paprika
Salt

Saute the onion and celeriac in butter in a large pot or dutch oven until softened. Add broth and cook until completely tender. Take off the heat and use an immersion blender to blend to the desired consistency. Make sure no fibrous chunks of the celeriac remain. Season to taste with lemongrass paste, red curry paste, paprika and salt.

THAI CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP

Thai Celeriac Soup Starter
Cooked Rice
Red Pepper
Green Onion
Cooked or Canned Chicken Bits (or Tofu!)

Combine and cook until pepper is tender and soup is hot. Serve!

Glazed Meatloaf

This recipe is totally delicious and man-approved (mine voted it his favourite food ever).

Meatloaf
Oil (2 tsps)
Onion, chopped (1 medium)
Garlic, minced or pressed (4 cloves)
Eggs (2 large)
Mustard (2 tsps)
Worcestershire Sauce (2 tsps)
Salt (1 tsp)
Pepper (1/2 tsp)
Buttermilk OR Yogurt (1/2 cup)
Beef AND/OR Pork AND/OR Veal (2 lbs) — I used only beef
Bread Crumbs OR Crushed Crackers (2/3 cup)
Parsley, minced fresh or dried (1/3 cup)
Bacon (8-12 slices)

Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze
Ketchup (1/2 cup)
Brown Sugar (1/4 cup)
Vinegar, cider or white (4 tsps)

EQUIPMENT
Don’t make this in a loaf pan! Instead fold a few layers of foil to form a large rectangle. Place foil on wire cooling rack and place the rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Poke holes in the foil with a skewer about half an inch apart. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

First quickly mix up the glaze by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan and heating until thickened slightly. Set aside.

Saute onion and garlic with oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Mix eggs with salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, and buttermilk/yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in a large bowl along with the bread/cracker crumbs, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic. Mix with fork until evenly blended and the meat mixture doesn’t stick to the bowl. If it does stick, add more buttermilk/yogurt until it no longer sticks.

Turn the meat mixture onto a work surface. With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9×5 in. loaf shape. Place the formed loaf onto your foil rack setup. Brush with half of the glaze and then arrange the bacon slices, crosswise, over load, overlapping slightly and tucking the tip ends under the loaf.

Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer–about 1 hour. Cool for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with leftover glaze.

Inspired by: Cook’s Illustrated Glazed Meatloaf

Yummy Yummy Beef Stew

Most stews are pretty blah and bland. This one you can’t get enough of! Pretty simple too, if you have the ingredients on hand.

Dried Porcini Mushrooms, rinsed well (3/4 oz.)
Beef for stew (chuck), cut into 2-inch chunks (2.5 lbs)
Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
Carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch thick rounds (4 large)
Onions, cut into 1/8-inch slices (2 medium)
Potato, cut into 1-inch thick chunks OR Butternut Squash, cut into 1-inch thick chunks (1 potato or squash)
Garlic, sliced thin (8 cloves)
Tomato Paste (2 tbsps)
Flour (1/3 cup)
Red Wine (1 bottle)
Chicken Broth (1 cup)
Salt (1.5 tsps)
Pepper (1 tsp)

EQUIPMENT
Large cast iron pot/dutch oven
(This recipe is not suitable for a slow cooker)

Cover mushrooms with 1 cup hot tap water in small microwaveable bowl; cover with plastic wrap, cut a few steam vents, and microwave for 30 seconds. Let stand until mushrooms soften, at least five minutes (just leave them soaking until you’re ready for them). When it’s time to put them into the stew, you’ll need to take the mushrooms out of the liquid with a fork and chop them into pieces–you should have about a quarter cup. Then strain the liquid though a paper towel into a bowl–you’ll be adding this along with the mushrooms to the stew.

Adjust your oven rack to the lower middle position and pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil on med-high heat in the large heavy pot you’re going to use for the stew. When the oil is shimmering, add beef so it covers the bottom in one layer without crowding. Cook without moving the pieces until its well browned on both sides–this will take about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned beef to a holding bowl and repeat with the rest of the beef and oil until it has all been browned. Leave the remaining oil in the pot.

Reduce heat to medium and add carrots, onions, garlic, potato/squash, and tomato paste to the pot you used for browning the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown (about 2 minutes). Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Slowly add wine, gently scraping pot bottom to loosen browned bits. Add the broth, beef, and juices in bowl. Increase heat to med-high and bring to full simmer. Add mushrooms and their liquid.

Cover pot with lid and place in oven. Cook until beef is very soft, 2.5 to 3 hours. Let sit for 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven.

Inspired by: Cook’s Illustrated Daube Provencal