52 new recipes in 52 weeks. Starting off with pasta bolognese

[Mog]

After watching Julie and Julia a few days ago, I felt inspired to try making a new recipe every week for the next year. I might make a new entree, I might make a side dish... it doesn't matter. I just want to try something new every week. And I figured I may as well post things here and liven up the board a little.

First up? Pasta bolognese. I wanted to make it after trying it at The Dancing Fig a few weeks ago.

Here's the recipe I used.


Ingredients:

Browning the veggie puree... This probably would have worked better with a stainless steel pan. It took longer to brown things than the recipe specified.

And this is after browning the hamburger and adding the tomato paste. It smelled ridiculously good at this point.

Added the red wine next. I've never tasted a red wine I actually like drinking, but it works in this recipe. This is the start of the long reducing process. Add water, let it boil down. Repeat

Several hours later, everything's finished reducing. It has a really nice, dark color. I'm nearly starving after spending over 4 hours making this. Time to add the pasta and parm.

And the finished product. Some sprinkles of parsley or basil probably would've made for a prettier presentation. Regardless, it was fairly delicious. The sauce was a little thicker than the one I had at the restaurant, and I think they used a few more herbs.

This post was edited on 7/7 9:12 PM by Mog

 

[WVUBRU]

Re: outstanding

I will enjoy your series of recipes.

 

[COOL MAN]

I'm a HUGE fan of Bolognese sauces......

.....especially over my favorite pasta shape, Pappardelle.

 

[backcountry mounty]

One of my favorites and looks perfectly executed. I have a friend that makes fabulous bolognese. They absolutely pulverize the meat with a whisk to give it a very light and fine consistency.

Jmo mog and not trying to be a know it all but I would steer clear of those nubs in place of carrots. To me at least, the flavor is much more bitter..

 

[pacs life]

The Cheesecake Factory bolognese recipe is very good.

 

[Mike WVU]

It looks delicious. I am looking forward to your next dish. BTW, it would be nice if you invited a Blue Lot member to join you for one of you dinners.

 

[Sapphireer]

Tried the recipe yesterday.....

I liked it, but I think I saw some other recipes while I was researching Bolognese that I may have liked better.

If I were doing this recipe again I would add some crushed tomatoes, an item I saw in many other Bolognese recipes, in addition to the tomato paste, not much though.

I used a cheap Cabernet and it was a sweeter version than I prefer. A different wine could possibly help.

Also, I saw other recipes calling for a mix of beef, veal and pork, so I tried this. I could not tell that there was anything than beef, or whatever in it, after all that time in the pot I think all the meat took on the same flavor. having said all that, I plowed into my huge bowl and devoured it and did the same thing to a smaller bowl a little while ago.

Just a rank amateur's take.

 

[pacs life]

You might try this one

Cheesecake Factory Pasta Bolognese (Meat Sauce)



1 lb/450g ground chuck

1 lb/450g ground pork

1 28-oz can ground tomatoes

1 glass/6 oz/175mL red wine

6 oz/175mL milk

1 large carrot, peeled and minced

2 ribs celery, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

basil, oregano, and thyme to taste

bay leaf

olive oil salt





Saute the carrot, celery & onion in a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet, until transluscent.



Add garlic and meats, and cook until meat is cooked

through; drain fat if necessary.



Add wine and cook briefly until it begins to reduce and permeate the meat, then add milk and do the same.



Add tomatoes and herbs, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover, allowing

it to simmer for at least an hour (like chili or stew, the longer the

better).

 

[Mog]

Week 2: Blueberry pie

I picked about ten pounds of blueberry's at McConnell's berry farm this past weekend, so obviously I had to make a pie. Oddly enough, I had Bob McConnell as an engineering professor back in the day.

Here's the recipe I used.

Here's a panoramic picture from the farm. Apparently this year's blueberry crop hasn't been that good thanks to the May freeze. They have blackberries as well, and hopefully they'll be ready to pick in a few weeks.

What ten pounds of blueberries looks like:

And I had a picture or two of making the crust, but it seems my camera died. At least it had the decency to do it now and not in the middle of football season.

This is as round as I can get a crust apparently:

And I'm not sure this fancy top crust was worth the effort:

Ingredients for the filling:

The filling is basically berries and a lemon sugar mix:

Ready to bake:

And the end result:

Slightly shocked the first piece came out this easily:

This post was edited on 7/17 8:39 AM by Mog

 

[Mike WVU]

Re: Week 2: Blueberry pie

OMG, I am really impressed. The pie looks delicious and beautiful. Would you come to my house and cook for me?

 

[Mog]

#3: Zucchini Gratin

I was looking for something to do with all the zucchini coming from my garden, and this looked like a good side dish. I really liked it, though the gruyere cheese wasn't my favorite (it's a bit strong/pungent). Next time I try it, I'll probably switch up the cheese.

Recipe here.

The ingredients:

Almost ready to go in the baking dish:

The final product:

Went well with the cheesesteak I had for dinner...

 

[Mog]

#4: Blueberry buckle

I still have way too many blueberries. This is basically a blueberry coffee cake. Really simple to make.

Recipe here.

The ingredients:

The finished batter. Just need to add the crumble:

And the result:

This probably would have come out neater if I'd let it cool a while longer, but... yeah.

 

[Mog]

Re: Week 2: Blueberry pie

Haha, I'm not for hire. But I still have enough blueberries to feed half of Mon County I think.

 

[Sapphireer]

Re: You might try this one

I noticed a few recipies with milk in them. Interesting.

 

[MoTownWV]

Re: Week 2: Blueberry pie

Have you ever tried eating frozen blueberries? They make a nice snack and give you a little crunch if you are dieting and missing that texture.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Mog]

Re: Week 2: Blueberry pie

Originally posted by MoTownWV:
Have you ever tried eating frozen blueberries? They make a nice snack and give you a little crunch if you are dieting and missing that texture.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

Never tried them frozen, but I did end up storing most of the ones I picked in the freezer. I guess it's a good thing they freeze really well. I'm not the biggest fan of eating raw blueberries, but I swear something magical happens to them once you cook them.

 

[El~Scronko]

Re: #4: Blueberry buckle

Originally posted by Mog:
I still have way too many blueberries. This is basically a blueberry coffee cake. Really simple to make.

Recipe here.

The ingredients:

The finished batter. Just need to add the crumble:

And the result:

This probably would have come out neater if I'd let it cool a while longer, but... yeah.

I know someone who would like to sample this.

 

[Mog]

#5: Cucumber salad

Cucumber salad. It was good but a little bland. Probably the type of thing that tastes better the longer it sits.

Recipe here

The ingredients:

Basically you just throw everything in a bowl and mix.

 

[Mog]

#6: Green bean casserole

#6 - Green bean casserole. I made this once before, but it was several years ago. It turned out better this time since I didn't burn the onions, and I had a cast iron pan to cook it in. Fresh green beans from the garden probably helped, too.

Recipe here.

Ingredients:

Sliced onions. I'm glad I had a mandolin.

Sauteeing the mushrooms. A lot of water came out of them.

Toasted onions. Managed to only burn a few.

Thickening the sauce.

And the finished product.

 

[Mike WVU]

Re: #6: Green bean casserole

So far, I like everything you have made. It would be nice if I could sample some of your dishes.

 

[Mog]

#7: Broiled Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

This was both ridiculously good and easy to make.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#8 Borscht

#8: Borscht. I thought this was hearty but bland. Which basically describes every other Russian dish I've tasted.

Recipe

 

[Muskets]

Re: #6: Green bean casserole

Nice Pan. Lodge? I'd like to get one of those. I have some cast iron skillets, pots and dutch ovens. That one looks like you could make a nice paella.

 

[Mog]

Re: #6: Green bean casserole

Yep, it's a Lodge. Bought it at WalMart on my way home before I made the dish. I had a little cast iron pan, but it's definitely nice to have a big one now. Used it on the steaks I made this evening.

 

[Mog]

#9: T-Bone Tom's Choice Steak Marinade

I had some sirloin steaks I wanted to make for dinner, but they've been sitting in the freezer for an age or two. I figured they could use a marinade, and I found this pretty simple one. I substituted orange juice for pineapple juice since I had that on hand, and I figured acidity was the key anyhow. It added some flavor to the steak, but it wasn't too overpowering. I overcooked the steak a touch, but no biggie.

Recipe

This post was edited on 8/25 11:08 PM by Mog

 

[Mog]

#10: Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs

I really liked these. The cheese makes for a really creamy mashed potato, and the topping adds a nice crunch. Next time I make it I'll cut the recipe in half, though. It makes a ton.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#11 Roasted pepper soup with beef and sausage

I totally winged this recipe, basically trying to use up some stuff I had around the house, and I'm amazed how well it turned out. I used several different types of peppers from the garden (red, orange and green bell, mexibell, pepperoncinis, and a few green Caribbean Thai chiles) and roasted most of them in the oven along with a few carrots and beets from the garden. While that was going I browned some hamburger and andouille sausage in the soup pot with onion, garlic, and some green bell. Once it was browned, I added in some flour to thicken things up. I then put it in a bowl on the side.

In the pot now I put some beef broth and diced tomatoes. I took the veggies out of the oven and put the peppers in a plastic bag for a few minutes. Took them out, and they were easy to peel / destem. All the roasted veggies went in the pot. I added some seasoning, and let everything boil for 10-15 minutes or so. Took everything off the heat and pureed it with a hand-held blender.

Once that was done, I put the meat back in the pot and let it simmer for a while longer. It was a little thicker than I hoped, so I poured in a half bottle of Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. All together, it turned out pretty freaking awesome. I just wish my Caribbean Thai peppers were ripe, since it could've used a bit more kick.

 

[Mog]

#12: Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

#12: Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies.

This is one of the few times I've managed to bake a full batch of cookies without burning any of them.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#13: Kheema

This is the first Indian dish I can ever remember making. Never would have dreamed up a spice combination like this, but it turned out great. I ended up using Chinese five spice instead of garam masala, though.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#14: Roasted beets

I was worried that the glaze would be overpowering, but it wasn't at all.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#15: Stuffed banana and mexibell peppers

Had to find some use for all the peppers I picked. I put the peperoncini and one of the Caribbean red hots in the stuffing. Actually, I just stuffed the mexibell peppers. I was too lazy to do all the banana peppers, so I just sliced them on the bottom of the dish and layered it like a casserole.

I used this recipe for the base idea.

From the garden:

Melted mozzarella on the top seemed like a good idea.

I was too hungry to bother plating everything up nicely for a pic.

 

[pacs life]

That looks delicious, how did you like it?**

nm

 

[Mog]

Re: That looks delicious, how did you like it?**

Good stuff. It was a lot easier than attempting to stuff every pepper individually.

 

[Mog]

#16: Scalloped potatoes and ham

Potatoes, ham, and cheese. Hard to beat that combination. I added some bell pepper as well.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#17 Glazed carrots

I wasn't the biggest fan of these. Probably because I didn't like the ginger ale I bought much.

Recipe

Harvest from the garden:

Dish:

 

[Mog]

#18: Sausage and peppers casserole

I'm pretty sure the person who came up with this recipe had a bunch of stuff sitting around the kitchen and decided to throw it all in the pot. The Caribbean red hot chiles I used made it pretty freaking hot.

Recipe

Last pepper harvest of the season:

Dish:

 

[Mog]

#19: Stuffed pepper soup

Very easy to make and better than I thought it'd be. The brown sugar seems strange, but it works.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#20: Enchilada lasagna

Tasty, but mushy. Some tortilla chips would go well with this.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#21: Honey roasted sweet potatoes

Easy to make, and not incredibly sweet like a lot of sweet potato recipes.

Recipe

 

[Mog]

#22: Cranberry sauce

I'd like to apologize to my grandma for demanding the can-molded sauce instead of her homemade variety while growing up. I like the orange in this.

Recipe