Sunday Sauce

I made this the other night for dinner. It's a simple satisfying dish that will stick with and warm you for the coming cold day's ahead.

I take a simple chuck roast and divide it up, removing some of the fat and bones (the sharper the knife the better). After you carve up the meat into large chunks, sear in  a cast iron pan until browned on all sides. Dice up a large sweet onion, a few carrots, and a little celery (with the leaves) keep the pieces all pretty uniform in size.   Get down the heavy cast iron dutch oven and melt some butter in the bottom along with a little olive oil, toss in the veggies and cook them until slightly soft. Add a 28 oz. can of tomatoes, chopped or diced works best, alarge can of tomato paste, fill the empty can of paste with red wine, half dozen cloves of fresh garlic, pepper, salt, basil, pepper flakes...maybe some rosemary. Add the meat, put the lid on it and slide it into the oven at 250-275 until the meat is tender, roughly 4-5 hours. I serve this up over pasta (whatever you have on hand) along with some bread and a salad.

This is a great time saving meal. It makes a ton, and it freezes beautifully.

I know I have been away for a very long time, but life happens. Hope I have a few followers left out there.

Thanks
Kari.

p.s.
I have gotten a new camera so as soon as I figure it all out there will be pictures.

Lamb Ragu

So I had a little dinner party last night. We had another couple over (Mr & Mrs M) for some delicious lamb ragu (new recipe). I love braising meat. Braising takes what could be a tough piece of meat and turns it into tender mouthwatering deliciousness.

It is helpful if you have all your ingredients together before you start any recipe. You will need 2 lbs of chunked up lamb meat (lamb shoulder works well), 2 medium onions cut into large pieces,3-4 peeled and large cut carrots, 8 cloves of peeled and smashed garlic, 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 3 tlbs of fresh sage, 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of red wine (something hearty), salt, pepper, fat for frying, dutch oven with lid and a large skillet for frying.

Start by browning your lamb in your very hot pan. I used two pounds of lamb shoulder that I cut up in big chunks and removed most of the fat. Salt and pepper your meat. You will also have to cook the meat in batches (no overcrowding) you want the meat to brown, not simmer. I used bacon grease for the frying, but you could easily use anything you have on hand.

Get it really brown. When it is really brown remove the meat from the pan, turn the pan down some and add the 2 medium chopped onions.

Caramelize those onions until they are soft and golden in color. Then add the carrots, 3 Tlbs. of chopped fresh sage, 8 cloves of peeled and slightly smashed garlic and some more salt and pepper.

Cook for roughly ten minutes. Don't burn your sage.

Next add two cups of red wine and deglaze the pan getting up all those yummy bit of goodness.

Then add one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. I used crushed because I think in the end the sauce is thicker and will stand up well to pasta.

Simmer for about 7-10 minutes to let the flavors start to develop.

Combine your browned lamb, 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary and sauce together in your dutch oven. Put the lid on and slid into a preheated 275 degree oven for roughly 4 hours. Let the magic happen.

Tada! I served it up over pasta but I can see this over mashed potatoes or polenta the choice is yours. I also had made some bread earlier in the day and the fresh asparagus called out to me in the store, so I sauteed up a pound of that for dinner as well.

I made my favorite cocktail Aperol Spritz which is as follows...take a champange flute pour half a shot of Aperol into it, then fill 3/4 of the way with prosecco, and top with a little club soda. Garnish with a bit of lemon or orange rind and there you have it. light, refreshing and sparkly.

Everything was perfect, the food was delicious, the company fantastic and the conversation lively. I even got out of making dessert this time...Mr & Mrs M brought a luscious Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake from a local spot they know that was super delicious.

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and it was like most typical weekend days for me. I cooked, cleaned and spent time with my bf. I enjoy the simplicity. For my birthday we did take Katsu to the dog park...his second visit ever. Now that he is neutered, chipped and feeling tons better, I feel only slightly better about his off leash play...you see Katsu doesn't have the greatest recall skill. We are working on it. I look at it this way at least at the dog park he can run and play in relative safety.

So last nights dinner was a new recipe that I spied online a few weeks back and I have wanted to try. I love meals that cook up in the crock pot. I consider it a form of torture to have the aroma of fantastic food wafting through the house all day long. Not to mention the simplicity of not having a ton of pots and pans to clean up before, during and after the dinner.

You start with a crock pot...then after you take the photo you wash the crock pot again because someone didn't get it clean the last time they used it...me.

Into the crockpot you add one 14oz can of diced tomatoes with the juice.

Then you add some fresh Thyme (about 1 or 2 teaspoons), one medium diced onion, two cloves minced garlic and roughly one small can of tomato paste (if you use the whole can of tomato paste I would add a little red wine). Give it a good stir to combine with the tomatoes.

You can used a chuck roast, but I happened to have an arm roast on hand. I cut the bone out (fed the marrow to the chupacabra who was watching me intently) placed the roast on the top of the tomato mixture in the crock pot. Liberally salt and pepper the meat

Put on the lid and set it to cook for 8 hours on low. That's it. Done. When the dish is done cooking go in with a couple of forks and pull apart any large chunks of meat that remain.

Doesn't that look amazing? To finish this dish you take a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil, zest from one small lemon and a drizzle one or two tablespoons of olive oil and toss together in a small bowl.

Place the meat and sauce on top of hot pasta and the basil topping on top of the meat followed with some fresh grated cheese. See doesn't that look amazing? Don't forget the crusty bread...Yum. Perfect dinner. I used trottolle pasta. It is fun and interesting.

What's a birthday without a birthday cake? So I did not make my own birthday cake...everyone was surprised about that, but I did get a really nice tiramisu cake from a local bakery...It was really quite good...seriously who bakes there own birthday cake?

My kids were here for dinner last night which was nice...thanks D.H. and D.C. for washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen for me. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We are off to a family gathering today, and I was smart enough to take a day off tomorrow to spend some time with me.