Weeknight Bolognese

*Serves 4-6 generously

Ingredients:

• 1 med onion- diced
• 1 lage carrot- diced
• 1 ½ rib celery- diced
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 strips bacon- diced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3/4 lb ground sirloin
• 1/4 lb italian sausage
• 1/2 Tbs dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, plus 1 15-oz can
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 3/4 lb dried pasta
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Thyme bundle (optional)
• Butter to taste (optional)
• Sugar to taste (optional)

Directions:
In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, garlic into a paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat the pan w/ oil. Add pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to medium high heat, add the diced bacon, and cook until water is evaporated and veggies become nice and caramelized/brown. The browning step is very important because this will serve as the base/flavor profile to your sauce, but be careful not to burn the veggies.

Add the beef and sausage to the veggies. Cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, 5-7 minutes, until the meat has started to brown and is no longer pink. Be sure to brown the meat to develop the flavor. Add red pepper flakes, oregano, and tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, or until fragrant.

Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomato sauce, salt/pepper to tasted, and stir until combined. Add the bay leaves and bundle of thyme. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes.  I
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and pour into a large serving bowl.

As the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining 1/4 cup wine. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Add salt/pepper as needed.  If acidic, add butter and/or sugar. You can either add the sauce to the pasta, along with the parmesan cheese, and toss, OR you can plate the plain pasta and top with the bolognese and parmesan.  I prefer the latter, so I can freeze leftover sauce. Garnish with additional parmesan when serving.

Malai Kofta

Recipe adapted from Tarla Dala, Curries & Kadhais

INGREDIENTS:

Koftas (Cheese Dumplings):
- 1 1/2 cups paneer
- 1 small yukon gold potato, boiled to fork tender and peeled (optional) **
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Gravy:
- 3 cups chopped tomatoes ***
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp ground red pepper powder
- 4 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
- Brown Sugar (optional)

Ground the following to a thick paste in a Food Processor:
- 3/4 cup onions, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp green chillies, chopped
- 2 whole dry red chillies
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp piyal seeds
- 2 tsp white poppy seeds (khus-khus)
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 tsp cilantro, chopped

* Ingredients/spices can be find in an Indian market.
**  I added potato to the original kofta recipe just because I like them.
*** I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh.  I didn't like the tomatoes I had on hand.  If you have, nice, juicy tomatoes, proceed w/ original recipe.  To be safe, go for the canned.

DIRECTIONS:

For the Koftas:
- Grate the paneer and mix in the flour, baking powder, chillies, cilantro, and salt.  Knead until combined
- If using, add the potato by passing through a ricer.  If you don't have a ricer, try grating the potato in, but be gentle.  Gently knead in the potato.  Combine well but do not overmix, or you the starch can make the mixture gummy.
- Taste for seasonings, and add salt as needed.  If the sauce is acidic, add a little bit of brown sugar at a time and taste.
- Shape into small balls and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown in color.  Fry only two koftas at a time so they don't separate.  Set fried koftas aside until ready to use. 

For the Gravy:
- Add 3 cups of water to the tomatoes to cook them in a saucepan.  When soft, puree them in a blender or food processor.  Note, if your tomatoes don't look good that day, use 3-4 cups of canned tomatoes instead (pureed).  Set aside.
- Heat oil in skillet and fry the paste well to develop flavors.
- Add the ground red pepper powder and fry again for a minute.
- Add the tomato puree and salt.  Boil the gravy for at least 10-15 minutes. 
- Add the cream, and mix.  Taste for seasonings and add as needed.  Turn off the heat.

To Serve:
- Just before serving, heat the gravy and add the koftas.  Just heat enough to warm up the koftas.  These should be added to the gravy last so they retain their shape/consistency and do not break.  Do not overheat.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

Corn & Black Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS:
- Black Beans- 2 cans or 1 lb fresh
- 1 1/2 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (cut from about 3 ears of corn) or thawed frozen
- 1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomato
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
- 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Yuca/Cassava root
- 1 jalapeno minced (optional)
- 1 avocado diced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder (or more to taste)
- Cayenne Pepper (optional, to taste)
- Kosher Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
- In a large saucepan combine the black beans and enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the beans for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are just tender but not mushy.  You can optionally use canned black beans.  Drain the beans well.
- Steam the Cassava in a steamer until fork tender.  You can also alternately boil the cassava.  If you are going to boil the cassava, boil water in a pot with a pinch of salt.  When the water is boiling, drop in your cassava.  The cassava is done when it's soft/fork tender.  Let cool.
- Peel the cassava and dice in 1/2 inch cubes. 
- Combine the beans and diced cassava with the corn, tomato, scallion, and minced cilantro.
- If you are using avocado, and serving the salad within the hour, you can fold in at this point.
- In a small bowl whisk together the oil, the lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, and let the salad cool, stirring occasionally.  Taste for seasonings and add as necessary.
- The salad may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.  Note, if using avocado, fold it in right before serving to prevent darkening.
- Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled slightly.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

*Bread recipe from pinkparsleycatering.blogspot.com.
makes one 9-inch loaf

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups (18 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 Tablespoons honey
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
2-3 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper, the better)

*For sandwiches, I roasted red/yellow bell peppers and added monterey jack cheese, sliced plum tomatoes, and sliced avocados.  To top it off, I spread a homeade jalapeno pesto in between (roasted jalapenos, pine nuts, cilantro, oil, salt/pepper)!

Directions:
Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position, and another to the middle position. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. When it is preheated, maintain the tempeature for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.

Toss the jalapeno and cheddar with 1 Tablespoon of flour in a small bowl.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add the cold buttermilk and stir to combine.

Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour andthe salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the buttermilk/water mixture, butter, honey, and yeast to a liquid measuring cup. Turn the mixer on low, and add the liquid in a slow stream, increasing the speed of the mixer as you go to medium. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping to scrape the dough from the hook as needed. After about 2-3 minutes add the jalapeno-cheese mixture, and continue to knead about 10 minutes total, adding flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball, about 15 seconds.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the oven until the dough doubles in size, 50-60 minutes.

Turn out onto the floured surface and gently press the dough into a rectangle that is 1 inch thick and 9 inches long. With the long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers as you roll to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed.

Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, and press it gently to make sure it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty baking pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and pour into the empty pan. Set the loaf onto the middle rack, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40-50 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

adapted from allrecipes.com
*makes at least 40 cookies!

Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, stir together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla, stirring to combine. Add in flour mixture and stir until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir just to disperse throughout batter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours, or up to overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Put sugar into a small bowl. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or rounded tablespoons, roll dough into balls with your hands, then roll in confectioners’ sugar to coat. Place on prepared cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chili

*This recipe should just be used as a guide. Don’t be overwhelmed by the enormous ingredient list below. You can omit any of these ingredients and use a spice variation to suit your taste. This chili as posted takes on an earthy profile due to the use of dark chocolate and orange. I like a lot of veggies in my chili too. You don’t even need , and It will still taste just as hearty.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- ½ lb Mushrooms, chopped
- 2 small Zucchinis, chopped
- 5-6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Jalapenos, chopped fine
- 1 small Habanera pepper, chopped fine
- 2- 28 oz cans Chopped Tomatoes, plus 1- 14 oz can
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 can Kidney Beans, drained
- 1 can Black Beans, drained
- 1-2 Oranges, cut in quarters
- 1 lb ground meat or soy crumbles
- Dark Chocolate (70%-80% cocoa), to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons Chipotle in Adobo, chopped fine with sauce
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- Ground Cumin, to taste
- Ground Coriander, to taste
- Chili Powder, to taste
- 2-3 whole Cloves
- 2-3 dried Bay Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- ½ cup Beer
- Chicken Stock or water (if needed)
- Brown Sugar (if needed)
- Green Onions, chopped for garnish
- Cilantro, chopped for garnish
- Shredded Cheddar, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

- Heat a large, heavy pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium heat with a couple tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the chopped onions and all peppers. While sautéing, season with salt/pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder to taste. Sauté until soft. Towards the end, the minced garlic and cook through. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

- At this point you can add in the chopped mushrooms and zucchini to sauté, adding additional oil as needed. If there isn’t enough room in the pot, sauté them both in a separate pan heated with oil, and then add to the pot. Be sure to season them in the same manner as the onions and peppers. I prefer to sauté them separately so that I can get a nice caramelization and browning of the mushrooms and zucchini, which can’t be achieved in an overcrowded pot.

- Once all the vegetables have been cooked, and are all in the main chili pot, add about ½ cup of beer over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a couple minutes.

- Add the tomato paste and work into the veggies over medium heat.

- Add the chopped tomatoes, drained beans, chipotle in adobo, bay leaves, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and half of the quartered oranges. Add salt/pepper/cumin/chili powder to taste. Don’t add too much at this point because you can always add more later. Let simmer over low heat with the lid slightly covering the pot. Don’t completely cover the pot.

- While the chili is simmering, add some dark chocolate. Add a few small pieces to start with and let simmer. You can add more later as needed to suit your taste.

- Periodically taste the chili as it simmers, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Squeeze some of the juice of the remaining orange quarters if needed. Add more chocolate if needed. If the chili is too thick, you can add some chicken stock or water. There is really no time for how long it should simmer. Simmer the chili until it has reached your desired flavor profile. For this particular recipe, the taste should be deep and earthy with hints of “mole” due to the chocolate. I usually simmer for about 2 hours.

- Towards the end of simmering, add the cooked meat or soy crumbles if you are using. I brown the meat in a separate skillet with the same set of spices and then add it to my chili. Again, I do this because browning enhances the flavor.

- Add some brown sugar if needed at the end to cut any acidity you might taste. Go easy on it though.

- Before serving the chili, remove the orange quarters, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.

- I like to serve this chili with steamed rice, corn bread, Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, chopped scallions, and cilantro.

Plum Frangipane Tart

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 lb Unsalted Butter- room temperature
- 1/2 lb Sugar
- 1/2 lb Almond Flour
- 5 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest (optional)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Meyers Rum
- 1 1/2 oz All Purpose Flour

- 1 Sweet Pie Crust (Pate Sablee Sucree Crust Recipe)
- 3 Plums, ripened and sliced
- Apricot Preserves for glazing fruit

*You can use apples or pears too.  Also, you can top this with fresh, unbaked fruit (strawberries, kiwis, etc) after the almond cream and crust have baked.

DIRECTIONS:
- Cream butter with sugar in mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add almond flour and incorporate.
- Add eggs, 1 at a time and incorporate before adding more.
- Add lemon zest, vanilla, and rum, and incorporate.
- Add all purpose flour and incorporate at low speed just until mixed.  Do not overmix at this point.
- The mixture can be used to fill your tart crust.  Note that the tart crust should be cold and unbaked when filling.  Fill the unbaked crust with the almond cream mixture just a little over half way.  Do not fill to the top or it will overflow when baking.
- Arranged sliced plums decoratively on top of almond cream.
- Bake in a 375 degrees oven for about 25 minutes, until the crust and almond cream are golden.  Oven times vary, so keep an eye on it.
- Meanwhile, make the apricot glaze.  Warm up a few tablespoons of apricot preserves with a little bit of water in a saucepan on the stove. The glaze should not be thick.
- Once the tart is baked and cooled, glaze the fruit with apricot glaze using a pastry brush.
- Serve tart at room temperature.  If serving the next day, refrigerate the tart, but bring to room temperature before serving.