Crunchy Spiced Pecans

 

These are dangerously good and have received favorable feedback from many distinguished guests. You can use any unroasted nut, but pecans are great. 
Tips:
Costco has 2lb-bags of pecans at a great price.
Precut parchment pieces are wonderful compared to rolls.
Crush any clumps of the spices. 

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound unsalted nuts (see note)

½ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Whisk egg white, water, and salt in large bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat. Drain in colander thoroughly, 4 to 5 minutes.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander in large bowl. Add drained nuts and toss to coat. Spread nuts evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking time. Cool completely. Break nuts apart and serve. (Nuts can be stored in airtight container for 3 weeks.)

Turf Club Cocktail

This is a wonderfully balanced cocktail. It's a Martinez with dry vermouth sub for rosso vermouth with a dash of absinth. I highly recommend trying this one if you have the ingredients on hand. It's worth the purchase if you are missing only one. Music accompaniment: Have You Seen It In The Snow by Magnetic Fields.

2 ounces gin / I'm using Beefeater

3/4 ounces dry vermouth

1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

10 drops (2 dashes) absinthe / I'm using Absinth ordinaire

10 drops (2 dashes) orange bitters / I'm using Angostura

Garnish: lemon twist

Mix all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. 

Garnish with lemon twist.

Green Chile Stew

Notes on preparation

• The amount of sodium in your chili powder varies. Taste a bit before adding any salt. I like Penzey's Medium Hot Chili Powder which has no added salt. 
• Use Mexican oregano if you have it on hand, regular is fine. 
• I've tried including the liquid from the green chiles and did not like the outcome personally. 
• Pork:You can purchase pork chops (already sliced) or you can purchase a huge pork loin package from Costco and slice them yourself. There is some savings in the latter. Cut it 1/2 inch slices and store in 2 lb (or close enough) portions and freeze. The original recipe called for pork shoulder or butt. It is definitely more flavorful. It also takes longer to cut and trim and contains more animal fat. 
• When I can get them I use Goya White Hominy and Westbrae Great Northern Beans (not pictured above). The beans break down well to become the "gravy" for the stew.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds pork chops, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, trimmed and cut in to 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 30 ounces hominy, canned, drained (Goya)
• 32 ounces great northern beans, canned, drained (Westbrae)
• 10 ounces tomatoes with green chilies, canned with juices (Rotel)
• 12 ounces green chiles, canned, drained or frozen thawed and drained (Bueno are great if you live in the southwest)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 10 oz lager or pilsner beer
• Salt, to taste
• chopped cilantro and radish slices, to garnish

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet with lid, brown pork cubes in a little oil. Remove liquid at end of browning to get a little crust on pork if you like.. Add onion and a little more oil to the pot. Cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients except salt and garnishes. Cover and simmer low for one hour. Add 8 oz beer or more as needed. . 
2. Taste and adjust seasonings for salt. Serve hot garnished with cilantro and sliced or julienned radishes. This stew reheats well; cover and refrigerate for up to three days; freeze for longer storage.

Rachael Ray has a terrific Posole recipe I've made a couple of times. I like it. I drain the cans of hominy when making it. 

Beef Stew

This is my favorite version. I prefer baking the bacon and using some of the reserved fat to sauté the onion.  I am leaning towards browning the meat in a skillet and then transferring to the Dutch oven.

 4  slices bacon
 2  cups onion -- chopped
 2 1/2  pounds stew meat -- or cut up your own into 1 inch chunks
 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon black pepper -- freshly ground
 3  cups beef stock -- Better than Bouillon works well
 12  ounces beer -- malty; Nut brown ale is nice
 2 tablespoons tomato paste
 2  teaspoons mustard -- brown or yellow
 2  teaspoons fresh savory -- or teaspoon dried savory or marjoram; more for dried
 1  pinch cayenne
 1 1/2  cups pearl onion -- blanched and peeled (frozen works too)
 6  medium carrot -- cut into chunks
 4  small red potatoes -- peeled and cut into chunks
 3  Medium parsnip -- cut into chunks

1. Fry bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp.
2. Remove bacon w/ slotted spoon, drain and reserve it.
3. Stir the onion into the bacon fat and sauté until soft and transluscent, about 5 minutes.
4. Toss the meat cubes with the flour , salt, and pepper. Add about half the cubes to the Dutch oven and brown. Add remaining cubes and brown.
5. Pour in the stock and beer, tomato paste, mustard, savory, and a pinch or two of cayenne.
6. Simmer for 1 hour, then add the pearl onions, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips.
7. Simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 additional hours, until the meat and vegetables are very tender and the liquid is thick.
8. Add Bacon back onto pot about 20 minutes before serving

Red Sauce Salsa

Yet another recipe from The Homesick Texan Cookbook. Super easy and super tasty. This recipe uses canned crushed tomatoes which are fine everyday salsa. Great in breakfast tacos, with chips, over eggs, or whatever. I buzz up some of this about every two weeks. It lasts around a week, but it does become more "garlic-y" over time. I've cut the original recipe from two cloves to one. I imagine one could use garlic powder in a pinch. The only fresh ingredients you need are an onion, lemon, garlic and cilantro. Keep the other ingredients on hand and you can make a batch anytime.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove of garlic peeled and halved
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup cilantro (some stems are okay, but mostly leaves)
1/4 to 1/2 or more pickled jalapeños (you can add a little of the pickling liquid if you want)
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (Hunt's are good)
Salt to taste

Directions

Add the ingredients in the order listed above to a blender. Blend until pretty smooth but not liquifed. Sample and salt to taste stirring in the salt. Transfer to containers and refrigerate. Stays good for a little over a week. Makes 3 1/2 to 4 cups. 

Shrimp With White Bean Stew

Not sure why I haven't added this before. Make it all the time for weekday dinner. Fast and easy. I like using Better than Bouillon for the clam juice/fish stock ingredient. Easy to keep on hand and relatively inexpensive. It can be hard to find. Thinking of trying Minor's fish stock base from Amazon.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed if canned
One 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups clam broth or fish stock (I use clam base from better than bouillon)
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Heat oil in a dutch oven.
Saute onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.
Add cannellini beans, tomatoes, salt, rosemary and pepper.
Add clam broth and bring everything to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add shrimp and simmer till just done, about 2 minutes.
Add chopped parsley when you serve in bowl.

Asparagus and Scallion Frittata

Just made this and loved it. Might add some pimento's or chopped roasted red peppers for some color. No need to peel the bottoms if you are using pencil thin asparagus,


1 lb asparagus bottoms cut, lower portion peeled, tops cut, the stalk cut into 1 to 3/4-inch pieces
1 bunch scallions white parts trimmed away and cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
3 tbsp butter
2 pinches crushed red pepper
6 eggs
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
fresh herb leaves for garnish: chives, parsley, (tarragon?)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F
In a medium (10") skillet, get some water boiling, add some salt. Prep asparagus while this is coming to a boil.
Add the asparagus and cook for about 2 minutes or until just getting tender. Drain and maybe rinse in cool water.
Clean skillet and melt butter over medium-low heat. Add scallions once melted and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes. Whisk eggs with a tbsp of water and a pinch of salt.
Add the asparagus in a single later and pinches of crushed red pepper.
Pour whisked eggs over asparagus and scallions. Give the skillet the ol' tapa-tapa to ensure eggs are distributed.
Grate the cheese onto the top of the egg mixture in the skillet and cook over heat for about 5 minutes or until edges are set.
Move skillet to the oven and bake for about 7 to 10 minutes until top is set.
Remove skillet from the oven, loosen fritatta from pan and slide onto a cutting board. If you like you can take another cutting board, lay it on top, and invert the fritatta. Looks nicer.
Garnish away.

Rustic No-Knead Bread

Huge thank you to my brother for introducing me to this bread making method and where it has taken me. It yields a thick crusted bread with a firm open crumb. The options for add-ins such as rosemary-thyme are endless. Big thank you to Flavors of Spain in the Southwest for their Rustic Bread video which is invaluable for learning the techniques to make this bread. One last nod to Ken Forkish for his book on bread baking. I've linked to an Amazon list for equipment below.

The directions below are the best I could do to describe the process. The video is probably a better way to convey the steps. Here's the link to the video.
Also, here is a link to an Amazon List that contains items I use (roughly) when baking bread. For tons of easier and less equipment intensive no-knead recipes, I highly recommend Artisan Bread With Steve. His no nonsense approach is awesome.


Ingredients for two loaves
1 kg flour (King Arthur AP 11.7% gluten)
20 g salt (table not kosher/ 1.1 tablespoons)
1 g  (1/4 teaspoon) yeast
780 ml water at about 85°F (+/- 5° degrees)

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large container (12 qt cambro) and add water. Mix by hand until all the flour is combined. Set timer for 20 minutes. Cover and set aside. 
2. Fold dough over four times at 20 minute intervals for a total of four foldings. 
3. Set the timer for 12 hours. 
4. After 12 hours, turn out dough onto a floured work surface. Divide in half and form each half into a ball as shown in the video. 
5. Place balls into floured proofing baskets or glass bowl with floured towel. Place baskets with dough into large plastic bags and twist opening to hold air and moisture. Start preheating oven with baking vessel(s) inside to 475°F. Set timer to 1 hour. 
6. Remove vessel from oven.  Turn out dough of one basket onto floured surface and transfer this to the baking vessel. Cover and return it to the oven. Set timer for 30 minutes. Place the 2nd proofing basked with dough into refrigerator to retard the proofing. If you have two vessels, put it in the 2nd one and bake alongside the first.
7. After 30 minutes, uncover the baking vessel(s) and bake for 10-15 more minutes. You can take loaf out of vessel(s) and place directly on oven rack if you want crisper crust and drier crumb. Loaf should make hollow sound when the bottom is "thumped".
8. Turn out baked loaf onto cooling rack. Cool for about 2 hours. 

Once you've made a basic white you can start adding other ingredients to enhance your loaves. Here are some I've done with success. 

Rosemary-Thyme: add one tablespoon Rosemary and about one teaspoon thyme to the just before adding the water to make the dough. 

Cheddar-jalapeño: 10 ounces of grated sharp cheddar and about 1/2 cup sliced jalapeños seeds and membranes removed. 

Savory Seeds: Add 1 teaspoon each caraway, fennel and anise seed. Toast in advance if you like. 

Olives: add a mix of coarsely sliced or chopped Kalamata and black olives. Include some rosemary if that suits your taste. 

Autumn in New England Cocktail

Great cocktail for fall when apple cider is available. Cider shows up here late October. Apple juice can be substituted. I tried adjusting the amounts and this is perfectly balanced. I think a little more bourbon helps it taste more like a real cocktail and less like something listed under Cocktails on a restaurant menu. Musical accompaniment while making and drinking: Moonlight in Vermont by Willie Nelson

Ingredients

3-4 fresh sage leaves, plus a small one for garnish

1/4 oz maple syrup

2 oz bourbon (maybe a splash more)

1 oz apple cider or apple juice

1/4 oz apple cider vinegar

Muddle the sage leaves with syrup in a shaker bottom.

Add the other ingredients and shake with ice. 

Double-strain into an old-fashioned glass with ice and garnish with small sage leaf. 

I also served this up in a Nick and Nora glass which looked great with a single sage leaf floating on top. 

Cassoulet

A completely worthwhile dish. This is great for gatherings or special events. Gathering the ingredients can be a chore, but subsequent preparations are much easier once sourced. I was able to get all the meats needed from St Paul Meat Shop. They have Tarbais beans there, but are less at Rancho Gordo.

Active time is not egregious, perhaps 2.5 hours total all in. I started this for Thanksgiving at 8:30 am (having soaked the beans overnight) and it was ready around 1:00 pm. 

Ingredients

For the Beans and Liquid

1 pound Tarbais beans
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
4 oz pancetta (SPMS) 1/4 inch dice
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme tied into a bundle
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence 
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
6 unpeeled garlic cloves cut in half
bones from duck confit

Meats

12 oz fatty pork chop (SPMS) cut into 1.5  inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1.5 pound Toulouse Sausage (Polish from SPMS)
2 duck leg confit

Vegetables

1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup white wine

Bread Crumb Topping

2 cups plain bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fat from the cooked meat pan 
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup bean cooking liquid 

Step 1

Rinse and soak beans overnight. I started mine about 9 or 10 pm. Drain them after soaking about 5 hours before you want the dish to be ready. So for 1 pm dine time, drain at 8 am. 

Step 2

To a large pot or Dutch oven add the broth, diced pancetta, bones from duck confit, and the drained beans. Tie garlic and peppercorns in cheese cloth for bouquet garni and add to pot. Add bay leaves and thyme bundle. Stir and bring to a simmer over high heat (watch not to boil) Skim the foam as it forms and reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer, 30-45 minutes. Taste beans for almost doneness. 

Step 3

While beans are cooking, sprinkle pork pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Brown the pork until fat is rendered, 3-5 minutes. Transfer pork to large bowl.

Add sausages to the pan and brown well on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Transfer sausages to same large bowl.

Step 4

Lower pan heat to medium. Remove fat and skin (cut into small pieces) from duck confit and add to pan. Cook till rendered and pieces are browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer all of rendered fat, crisped duck skin, and melted butter to a mixing bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs and chopped parsley till well combined. Mix in 1/4 to 1/2 of the bean cooking liquid until crumbs are moist but not wet. 

Step 5

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Step 6

Add onions, carrots, and celery to skillet used for browning meats. Add a pinch of salt. Cook and stir over medium heat till onions are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste starts to caramelize and stick to bottom of pan, 3-4 minutes. Pour in white wine and and stir until most of the wine evaporates, 5-6 min. 

Step 7

Drain beans over large bowl to reserve the cooking liquid. Remove bouquet garni, bay leaves, and thyme bundle. 

Step 8

Place drained beans in shallow baking dish or 12" cast iron skillet. Stir in cooked vegetables and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Add pork pieces and sausages pushing down into beans. Top with shredded duck confit. 

Step 9

Ladle reserved cooking liquid into beans until beans are nearly submerged. Spread crumbs over the top. Do not press down. Make indentations with your four fingers to aid in browning. 

Step 10

Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours (most of the liquid will have been absorbed). Remove from oven and make a small hole in the center through the crumbs. Use a funnel to direct about 1/2 cup of reserved cooking liquid into the beans.  Gently tilt the pan until you see some liquid approach the edge in four directions: N, S, E, W. 

Step 11

Return pan to oven and continue baking for 30-45 minutes. Test beans through hole made in crust. 

Step 12

Serve in bowls with a some of the cooking liquid and make sure to have the crumb pieces on top. Ensure one of the 1/2 sausages is in each serving. 

  

 

 

 

Tumbleweed Cocktail

"The Dude abides... I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that."

Musical Accompaniment: Tumbling Tumbleweeds by Sons of the Pioneers

*You will need to make (or purchase) at least the Ancho Chile Liqueur in advance. The rimming sugar is probably worth it. I liked it. You can certainly use blanco tequila. I tried making this with more lime juice and learned ancho does not like too much citrus. 

Ancho Chile Liqueur

This makes a goodly volume. Share or cut in half depending on your needs.

24 oz blanco tequila

1 or 1/2 oz dried ancho chile seeded and torn into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cinnamon stick

8 oz simple syrup

Combine ingredients in a glass jar. Seal and let sit for about a week shaking once or twice a day. 

Strain the jar's contents through a strainer lined with 3x cheese cloth into a large bowl.

Add the 8 oz of simple syrup and stir. 

Funnel into suitable bottles and stopper. 

Smokey Rimming Sugar

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Combine the ingredients into a shallow tupperware container, seal and shake. Gets better as it sits a while. 

El Presidente

This drink is well balanced, and it requires no fresh ingredients. For more on this drink, visit David Lebovitz' site. 

Musical accompaniment: Another Saturday Night by Sam Cooke or Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte.

Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens

Perfect for New Year's Day good luck and prosperity for the coming year. You can omit the bacon, substitute vegetable stock, and add some liquid smoke + brown sugar to make it fairly vegetarian. 

NOTE: If you cook a whole package of bacon in the oven, you can reserve the bacon grease and use 2 tbsp in this recipe with 6 of the cooked slices. Put remaining slices in ziplock bag in freezer and refrigerate the leftover bacon fat for cornbread.
Musical accompaniment: I'm Shakin by The Blasters or by Little Willie John

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, Farmland thick cut if you've got it
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper 
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned, with juice
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 pound collard greens, stemmed, rolled, cut into 3/4 inch ribbons
31 ounces blackeyed peas, canned, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined palte and set aside.
    
2. Remove all but 2 tbsp bacon fat from pot. Add onion and salt and cook stiring frequently until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
    
3. Add garlic, cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add tomatoes and their juice. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add greens, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until green are just tender, about 15 minutes
    
5. Add black-eyed peas to pot and cook covered stirring gently occasionally until greens are silky and tender, about 15 more minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-fourth, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Serve topping with reserved bacon.

Celery Gimlet

This was surprisingly delicious. If you like celery this will not disappoint. If doing several I'd suggest using a juicer or maybe a blender to get a batch of celery juice. 

Musical Accompaniment: Celery Stalks at Midnight - Doris Day with Les Brown

Sausage Rolls

This is another Chef John recipe and it was well received on New Year's Eve 2020. I will be making this again.

Tips: Don't remove the puff pastry from freezer till just about ready to use. I think overlapping a full inch might leave you a bit short to make a good seam when you are rolling it up around the sausage. I used a ruler to score before cutting the rolls. about 3 cm each. 

Musical Accompaniment: Roll With It by Steve Winwood (turn this one up to 11)

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1 clove crushed garlic (use a press or finely chop and press with flat side of blade till paste forms)

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage

1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs

1 sheet prepared puff pastry dough (Pepperidge Farm’s)

1 large egg beaten with a teaspoon of water

Everything but the Bagel to garnish

1. Place ground pork, onions, garlic, sage, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, coriander, thyme, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Mix with a fork until ingredients are evenly distributed, 2 to 3 minute. Divide mixture in half (scale comes in handy here) and place each half on a length of plastic wrap. Use your damp fingers to shape each half into a cylinder, approximately the same length as the puff pastry. Roll up in the plastic and form into a round roll. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    
2. Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water to make the egg wash.
    
3. Separate the semi-frozen puff pastry dough into thirds. Halve one of the thirds lengthwise. Bring pastry to room temperature. Brush a 2-inch strip of egg wash along 1 long edge of the 2 larger pastry pieces. Place the narrower pieces on the egg wash strip, overlapping about 1 inch, to make a wider piece of pastry dough. Press lightly to form 2 wide lengths of pastry dough.
    
4. Transfer 2 sheets of dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper; dust tops lightly with flour. Cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll gently to achieve an even thickness. Remove top sheet of parchment. Flatten the longs edges of the dough slightly about 1 inch wide so that when the roll-up is completed, the seam side won't be thicker than the rest of the dough. Place a sausage log at the end of a pastry sheet. Begin to roll the sausage log in the pastry, brushing the far edge with egg wash before sealing the edges together. Place seam side down on parchment and place on a dish. Repeat with 2nd sausage roll. Freeze until dough firms up, about 10 minutes.
    
5. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
    
6. Place rolls on a lightly floured surface. Lightly brush top and sides with egg wash. Cut each roll into 8 pieces. Sprinkle with Everything but the Bagel mix. Place on prepared baking sheet seam side down (standing up). Lightly press each roll to flatten it slightly so they don't fall over when baking. (This last flattening is very important.)
    
7. Place in preheated oven; bake until nicely browned, pastry is cooked through, and bottoms are browned, about 30 minutes. Cook till internal temp is about 160 or so. 

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

I made the of mistake thinking immersion blender-ing the veggies into the sauce would give it more body. Let's just say I'm not doing THAT again. 

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion

2 medium carrots

2 medium stalks celery

3 to 3 1/4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs

3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1 cup low-sodium beef broth (or reconstituted beef base)

2 bay leaves

4 fresh thyme sprigs (or some dried thyme)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups dry red wine

Instructions

1. Dice 1 large yellow onion, peel and cut 2 medium carrots into 1-inch pieces, and cut 2 celery stalks into 1-inch pieces.
    
2. Pat 3 to 3 1/4 pounds short ribs dry. Season all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and sear on 3 sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
    
3. Transfer to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. If needed, add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and repeat with the remaining short ribs. Transfer with tongs to the slow cooker. The short ribs will not be cooked through. Add 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, 4 fresh sprigs thyme, and 2 bay leaves to the slow cooker.
    
4. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, to the pot, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the all-purpose flour and tomato paste, stir to coat the vegetables and cook until darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Pour in 3 cups dry red wine and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
    
5. Pour the hot liquid and vegetables into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 8 to 10 hour or until meat is fork-tender and bone easily pulls away.
    
6. Transfer the short ribs to a large plate with tongs. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup or bowl and discard the cooked vegetables, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and any loose bones. Serve the short ribs with sauce spooned over top.

Tip: If you have a fat separator, strain into that and pour leaving the fat behind. If you want to richen things up even more (which I barely recommend), transfer separated sauce to a pan and finish with 1 or 2 tbsp. COLD butter.

Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta. 

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

Standard fare sausage stuffing. This can be prepared in advance and reheated. Just thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours, then reheat it covered at 325 until hot. 

Ingredients

400 g of unseasoned stuffing cubes (sorry, but that's 1 + 60 g from a 2nd package)

1 stick or ½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ cups diced yellow onion

1 cup diced celery

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

1 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage

2 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary (or ½ tbsp. dried)

1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage (or ½ tbsp dried)

¼ cup fresh chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsely

½ tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with unsalted butter.

Dump stuffing cubes into a large mixing bowl.

Sauté onions and celery in butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add vegetable mixture to stuffing cubes in bowl making sure to get all of it. 

In the same pan, brown the sausage till cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Break it up as you cook it. 

Add browned sausage to bowl with cubes and vegetables. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until bread is well moistened. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and bake for about an 65-70 minutes, uncovered. You should have a nice crispy top. 

Smoked Turkey Breast

Loved how this turned out. Perfect for smaller gathering or for those who prefer white meat. I got my boneless turkey breast from Whole Foods. I used this video but used a salting technique from Cooks Illustrated. Start the day before you need it since you'll be salting it overnight. I use an electric CookShack smoker, so if you are using something else plan accordingly to prepare your smoker. 

Ingredients

1 or 2 turkey breast halves (usually 2-3 pounders are available)

Kosher Salt

Coarse black pepper - I used Sam's Choice . Reasonably priced at Walmart. 

Dried thyme (optional)

Unsalted Butter

Instructions

1. Remove skin from the breast and salt all over with ¾ tsp per pound. 
2. Wrap with plastic wrap, put on something to catch any leaking liquid and refrigerate about 12 to  hours. 
3. Unwrap turkey breasts and sprinkle black pepper VERY LIBERALLY all over turkey. I used prepared coarse black pepper. You could grind fresh, but it's a lot of pepper. 
4. I added some thyme but that's up to you. You are after all 
5. Smoke the breast at about 250 to 275 for  2 hours.  Double wrap in foil, breast side down with the butter. I think I used about 1/2 stick per breast. 
6. You can return these to the smoker or to a 275 degree oven. Insert a meat probe and cook till internal temp is about 160-162 degrees F. I think this was about another hour. 
7. Remove from oven or smoker and let rest in foil for about 30 minutes. 
8. Remove from foil and slice. Reserve liquid for drizzling over turkey once sliced. 

Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

Finally made one of these and wowza! I looked at a bunch of recipes before synthesizing this one.  Really good. Give it a try. Adjust the amount of pepperoncini peppers and brine to suit your taste.

1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

1 (1-ounce) packet ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix

1 (1-ounce) packet au jus gravy mix

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (12-ounce) jar pepperoncini peppers

1. Add the chuck roast to a slow cooker. Place a 3- to 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
    
2. Add the seasoning packets. Sprinkle the chuck roast with 1 packet ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix and 1 packet au jus gravy mix.
    
3. Add the butter, pepperoncini, and brine. Cut 1 stick butter into cubes and place on top of the roast. Pour 1/2 cup brine from a jar of pepperoncini peppers and pour this over the roast. Add about 10 pepperoncini peppers.
    
4. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours until the beef is very tender.  About 8 hours on the LOW setting, or 5 to 6 hours on the HIGH setting. Mix and spoon liquid over roast after about 2 hours.
     
5. Use tongs to shred the roast and serve. Shred the roast into bite-sized pieces with tongs. 

Serving suggestions

Serve over or with mashed potatoes

Grilled cheese with some pot roast between two slices of provolone using Texas Toast bread. 

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

This has become one of my favorite soups. It is REALLY worth it. You can complete tasks while other parts are cooking. Currently I'm using wood-parched wild rice and like it. Pictures coming soon. 

Ingredients

¼ ounce dried shitake mushrooms
4 ¼ cups water
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 cup wild rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon tomato paste
⅔ cup dry sherry (Lustau Amontillado works well)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup minced fresh chives (optional)
¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder until finely ground (you should have about 3 tablespoons).

1. Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. (While rice is in oven, move on to the next step.) Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; remove thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.  
    
2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add dry sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.
    
3. Mix cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.