Bolognese Sauce

This excellent recipe yields four servings.

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 clove chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped celery

2 tbsp chopped carrots

1 tsp chopped red or green pepper

1 large ripe tomato, peeled and diced

2 oz dry white wine

1 pound lean ground beef or veal

12 oz seasoned tomato sauce

2 tbsp good olive oil

Black or red pepper to taste

1 pound of your favorite pasta, I like to make my Bolognese with Tagliatelle.

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet.

Add onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.

Add remaining vegetables and tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add white wine and reduce until all the liquid is almost evaporated.

With a wooden spoon, move the vegetables to one side of the skillet and add the ground meat to the empty area of the skillet.

Using the wooden spoon, break up the meat and continue to saute until all the meat is lightly browned.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer another ten minutes.

Serve with your favorite pasta.

After draining your cooked pasta, I add one ladle of Bolognese sauce to the cooked pasta and stir in evenly.

Then plate the pasta and serve one ladle of sauce on top of the pasta.

For added flavor and plate presentation, I sometimes drizzle a small amount of alfredo sauce around the rim of the plate just before service.

BBQ Side Dishes

Coleslaw

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp ground white pepper or 2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp celery salt

1 medium head cabbage, cored, then shredded finely

2 stalks of celery, cut across the grain in thin slices

In a large bowl mix all of the seasonings together.

Fold in the cabbage and celery, mix well, then cover and chill.

Potato and Egg Salad

Serves 8

4 lb potatoes, Red Bliss or Yukon Gold

3 stalks celery, washed, peeled and diced

4 whole scallions with greens, cleaned, and diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

3/4 cup regular or light mayonnaise

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

3 tbsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp pickle relish

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1 tsp Kosher salt

2 tsp paprika, Hungarian preferably

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced

Black pepper to taste

Bring potatoes to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and cool immediately. This recipe works better when potatoes are cold, so if time permits I cook potatoes a day in advance and refrigerate.

Slice the potatoes and place in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and the remaining ingredients.

Spoon the mixture over the sliced potatoes and fold gently until all the potatoes are coated.

Cover and chill until service.

Pickled Watermelon Rind

This is a great side dish with summer BBQ.

2 pounds peeled watermelon rind, cut into 1x2 inch strips

4 cups sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

5 whole cloves

1 stick cinnamon

2 bay leaves

Bring a large pot of water with two bay leaves to a boil.

Add the watermelon rind and simmer for 15 minutes.

Divide rinds into Mason jars. (Either four small or two large jars)

In a 4 quart pot, bring the vinegar, sugar and remaining items to a boil. Stir until it’s all is dissolved.

Remove the stick of cinnamon and cloves and carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the cooked rind.

Cover and let cool before refrigerating.

Lip Smacking BBQ

All across America, BBQ season has arrived. Here are a few ideas worth trying this season. If you would like a healthy version of any of the listed sauces or side dishes, just reply and I will send you my recipe.

Dry Rubs and BBQ Sauces:

Memphis Style Dry Rub

Texas Style Dry Rub

St. Louis Country Style BBQ Sauce

Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce

Carolina Golden BBQ Sauce

Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce

Memphis Style Wet BBQ Sauce

Coffee BBQ Sauce

Dr. Pepper or Cola BBQ Sauce

Georgia BBQ Sauce

Texas Mopping Sauce

Park Lane BBQ Sauce

Sweet and Sticky Sauce

Popular Side dishes:

BBQ Baked Beans

Potato and Egg Salad

Classic Mayonnaise Coleslaw

North Carolina Red Slaw

Hush Puppies

Creamy or Vinaigrette Cucumber Salad

Corn and Cheese Casserole

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Carolina Style Banana Pudding

Traditional Cuts of Meat for BBQ:

Pork Spare Ribs: Taken from the pork belly, they are called “spare” because they are butchered in a manner to spare the bacon.

St. Louis Ribs: These are spare ribs that have been trimmed of the skirt meat, rib tips and pointed end, so the shape is a neat rectangle, yielding slender ribs with a good amount of meat.

Baby Back Ribs: Small curved ribs cut from the prized top-loin of the hog. Less meat than spare ribs, but leaner and more tender.

Country Style Ribs: Approximately one inch thick strips of pork cut from the shoulder end of the pork loin. Sometimes resembles a slim pork chop. They cook much faster than bone-in ribs.

Pork Butt: Sometimes boneless, but frequently this cut consists of the upper half of the shoulder, with the blade bone, and sometimes part of the leg bone still attached. A hefty cut weighing 5-10 pounds. Requires a few hours of slow cooking, great for pulled pork or slicing for Cuban sandwiches. (And that crispy skin, yum) To speed the cooking process, I sometimes slow-boil for two hours, then finish with a seasoned slow roast.

Beef Spare Ribs: These are the bones attached to prime ribs. Many catering halls, who serve boneless prime ribs, will start with bone-in prime ribs, then remove the bones after roasting. This yields a tender rib bone easy to season and finish in the oven or grill.

Beef Short Ribs: Slightly squared ribs, with good marbling come from the short plate-front belly of the steer, cut between the bone. Another style called Flanken, is thinner and cut across the bone.

Beef Brisket: A 1.5 to 2 inch cut of meat from the chest or lower breast of the steer. The brisket consists of two parts, the flat cut is leaner than the point cut which requires much more cooking time. The point cut is normally cooked for a few hours then slow smoked.

Chicken Wings, Thighs and Drum Sticks: Very popular cuts for BBQ, rich in flavor and easy to BBQ, yielding good crispy skin.

Spatchcocked Chicken: Whole chicken with the backbone, and breast plate removed. This allows the bird to lay flat during roasting or grilling, which produces even heat throughout the bird during cooking.

Helpful Ideas for Grilling Season

Toppings, Accompaniments and Flavorings for Grilled Food

Compound Butters are quick methods of adding a finishing flavor to grilled meats. I like to consider them time savers. During the warmer weather I spend more time outside, but still want an upscale dinner presentation - compound butters offer this.

Compound butters season your grilled foods from start to finish. They can be made by folding flavors into softened, room temperature butter. For one stick of butter, add one tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs, like parsley, basil or rosemary and one tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. Blend with a fork and spread mix on cellophane or parchment paper and roll into a cylinder. Tightly twist the ends, then freeze or refrigerate until you are ready to serve. When grilling a steak or chop, take a thick coin sized slice of your butter and place on top of grilled meat just before serving.

Just a few of the endless ingredients that can be added to a stick of butter are: chopped garlic, smashed avocado, tomato puree, soy or teriyaki sauce, orange, lemon, or lime juice, fruited liquors, umami pastes or dry umami blends, or a mixture of fresh and dry herbs and spice blends.

Marinades are seasoned liquids that are used before and during grilling to flavor, moisten, and sometimes tenderize foods. They are usually an acid and oil based mixture, with the addition of your favorite herbs and spices. Approximately 15 minutes before grilling I baste the item I am going to grill, making sure I cover the item fully.

During the summer I always have fresh herbs and spices growing in my garden. Many times I will cut 2-3 ten inch stems of a herb like rosemary or basil and use these stems as a brush to spread my marinade over the food I am grilling. The aroma from the herb stems add an additional flavor to the item you are grilling. You can use a single herb or mix different herbs to combine flavors.

Rubs are a combination of dry ground spices and finely chopped herbs that are sometimes moistened with a little oil or flavored vinegar, wine, soy sauce or juice. The rub is patted into the meat and refrigerated until cooking. If your rub contains an acid (vinegar or lemon juice), be careful not to use it too far in advance, as this can over-tenderize your item.

Here are a few additional accompaniments to your grilled foods:

Salsas are a chunky mixture of fruits and/or vegetables, herbs and spices.

Chutneys are flavorings from India that are made of fruits, vegetables and herbs that also go great with your grilled items.

Compotes are a mix of fresh or dried fruit that are cooked in a syrup and flavored with spices and liqueurs. These may also be served with dessert.

Coulis is a chilled sauce made from a puree of fruits and vegetables that can be served as a dip for your grilled meats.

Mojo is a spicy South American or Caribbean sauce, served on the side, although it may also be used as a marinade.

Reductions may be used as a demi-glace to finish the cooking process, spread over your meat before serving. These are made by simmering a liquid down to a smaller volume, which will intensify the flavor. You then paint your grilled item with the glaze before service.

Stuffed Artichokes

Stuffed Artichokes

Serves four

You will need:

4 large artichokes, trimmed

For the filling:

12 tbsp seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated Romano cheese

1/2 tsp black or red pepper

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white wine

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 fresh lemon

With a knife, cut 1/2 an inch off the tops of each artichoke. Then take a scissor and trim each leaf. This will remove the spiny thorns off the tip of the leaves.

Cut the bottom stem to flatten the artichoke bottom, so the artichoke can stand alone.

Place the artichokes in a large pot with 4-5 inches of lightly salted water and the 1/2 lemon, cut into half again.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 60-75 minutes.

Artichokes can be pre-cooked 1-2 days in advance and stuffed when needed.

If you decide to cook in advance, cool and save the artichokes in the cooking liquid.

For the filling, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. With a small teaspoon, evenly spoon the bread mixture between each artichoke leaf, making sure to evenly distribute the mixture between all four artichokes.

After stuffing, place the artichokes in a baking dish.

Add one cup of the cooking liquid to the bottom of the baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake in a 365 degree oven for one hour.

Remove the foil during the last five minutes of baking.

The artichoke leaves should pull from the artichoke easily.

Serve one artichoke per person.

Short Ribs of Beef

Short Ribs of Beef

(4 portions)

8 pieces of short ribs, about 6 oz each

1 oz of olive oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

1 carrot, chopped fine

1/4 stalk of celery, chopped fine

1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped fine

1/2 cup of red wine

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

16 oz of sodium-free beef stock

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs of fresh marjoram

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Black pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet, or as I prefer to use, a large cast iron pot with lid, on medium high heat. Add oil and brown short ribs on all sides until nice and brown.

Remove ribs and hold on the side.

Add garlic and shallots. Saute for about 4 minutes.

Add the remaining carrots, celery, tomatoes and herbs. Saute for another 4 minutes.

Add red wine and vinegar and stir well. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release any caramelization.

Add beef stock and place ribs back in pot, evenly separated.

Simmer on low heat for about 2 hours, until fork tender.

During the simmering you want to maintain a 1/2 inch of liquid on the bottom of your pot.

If the liquid should become lower, add a little water, stock or red wine - depending on your preferences.

When complete, serve with one of the potato recipes posted earlier.

I like tender short ribs that hold their shape. Some have asked for a more tender/fall apart texture.

If you prefer the fall apart type, just add about 45 minutes to the cooking time, but be sure to maintain the liquid on the bottom of the pot.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes

Stuffed, Roasted Tomatoes

Serves 6

6 medium sized tomatoes

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tbsp grated cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh chopped parsley and oregano

Black or red pepper to taste

Remove the core and a little additional tomato flesh from each tomato, creating an opening that is 1 1/2 inches wide and an inch deep.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, oil and herbs, and add the seasoned bread mixture, filling each tomato evenly.

Rub tomato skins with oil and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve on a white platter sprinkled with fresh basil for a beautiful presentation.