cheesy pizza tortellini

 We didn't make this Cooking in the Midwest recipe on the griddle, but boiled the tortellini as normal assembled in a large skillet. Everyone was happy with this one!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp each of onion powder and Italian seasoning
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
• 19 oz frozen tortellini (Taste Republic)
• Pepperoni
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Brown 1 lb of ground beef on a griddle over medium heat and season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.
2. Add some pepperoni (I used half of a pack - 2.5 oz). Let that cook until pepperoni are getting browned. Drain any grease from the ground beef or pepperoni. Add the minced garlic and stir everything together well.
3. Lower the heat on the griddle to low and add one bag of frozen tortellini to the griddle and pour some water over the tortellini. Cover with a griddle dome and let cook for about 5 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
4. Stir together the tortellini and ground beef. Top with one jar of marinara sauce and stir well. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with a griddle dome for just a minute to melt the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

tortellini with sausage and marscapone

 A simple yet delicious recipe from What's Gaby Cooking that the entire family enjoyed-- no leftovers! The only requested change is that I dice the shallot versus slicing. 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups of your favorite red sauce (I used Rao's)
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 9-ounce package refrigerated tortellini (I used Taste Republic GF)
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

1. Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it's browned. Drain most of the fat and leave the sausage in the pan.
2. Add the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes to the same pan and saute for 60 seconds. Add the red sauce, cream, and mascarpone. Cook for 5-7 minutes until saucy.
3. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Save ¼ cup of the pasta water and add it to the sauce along with the drained pasta. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve with fresh parmesan sprinkled over top.

sheetpan lasagna

Using Jovial lasagna noodles, this sheetpan lasagna recipe from Abby Thome was easily adapted to gluten free, made a TON of food, and was an overall hit. 

Ingredients

-Ricotta Dollops -

• 5 ounces organic spinach, sautéed
• 2 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• good pinch of salt + pepper

- Meat Sauce -

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb sweet or mild italian ground sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 Tbsp onion powder, garlic powder + italian seasoning
• Good pinch salt + pepper
• 2 (28 ounce) jars Rao's marinara

• 1 box Lasagna noodles, par boiled (5 minutes of boiling in salted water) + cut into 3rds
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

-Extra Toppings-

• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• few tablespoons grated parmesan
• Chopped Parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Drizzle 10x17 baking sheet with olive oil
3. Par boil your lasagna noodles, then cut into thirds - set aside
4. In a large add the spinach, with a drizzle of olive oil + pinch of salt + pepper. Allow it to wilt completely and then remove from the pan + set aside
5. To the same pan, add the chopped onion with a drizzle Olive Oil, pinch of Salt + pepper and sauce until tender
6. Add in the ground sausage, beef, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning + good pinch of salt and pepper and cook all the way through 
Stir in the two jars of marinara, lasagna noodles, 1 cup shredded mozzarella + parmesan cheese and stir to combine everything
7. Pour lasagna noodle/meat sauce onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer
8. Add more mozzarella cheese + parmesan
9. In a separate bowl mix all ingredients for the ricotta mixture
10. Top lasagna with dollops of the ricotta cheese
11. Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes until bubbly

huevos rotos

 A delicious dinner from Milk Street Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces spanish chorizo, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (or ground chorizo if that is what you can find
• 1 large poblano or cubano chili, stemmed, seeded, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into thin strips
• 6 -8 large eggs
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced on the diagnol
• hot sauce, to serve

Instructions

1.  Place the potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool slightly and, using a potato masher, gently crush them until slightly flattened but still in large chunks. If the potatoes are too firm to flatten, cover and microwave on high until tender, then crush. 
2. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the potatoes in an even layer and cook without stirring until crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Stir, redistribute in an even layer and cook until crisp on the bottom, another 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the onion, vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. If using ground, raw chorizo, add it here as well. Cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the garlic, chorizo (if using cooked links) and chili, then cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
5. Distribute the mixture in an even layer and reduce to medium-low. Using the back of a large spoon, make 6 evenly spaced indentations in the potatoes, each about 2 inches in diameter. Crack 1 egg into each, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 6 minutes. 
6. Sprinkle the scallion over the top. Using a paring knife, cut a small X in the top of each egg and allow the yolk to flow out. Serve with hot sauce.

Chicago style deep dish pizza

This No Gluten, No Problem recipe has been our absolute favorite gluten free homemade pizza since Cael's celiac diagnosis. I think there is no telling that it's GF and, while it requires a lot of ingredients and some time, it's been worth it. We do one 1/2 cheese, 1/2 pepperoni and one full sausage, pepperoni.

As written below, this makes two 9" pizzas. We do one 1/2 cheese, 1/2 pepperoni and one full sausage, pepperoni.

Crust

• 310 grams warm water
• 1 TBS sugar
• 2 tsp active dry yeast 
• 100 g brown rice flour
• 100 g cornstarch
• 100 g potato starch 
• 24 g cornmeal
• 24 g millet flour
• 2 tsp ground psyllium husk
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 6 TBS melted butter

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, sugar, and yeast. Set aside to allow the yeast to activate, about 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, potato starch, cornmeal, millet flour, psyllium husk, salt, and xanthan gum.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the butter into each of two 9-inch (23 cm) round nonstick cake pan. Use your fingers or a pastry brush to spread the butter over the bottom of the pan.
4. When the yeast mixture is foamy on top, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and stir to combine.
5. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir vigorously with a spoon until it is smooth, there are no lumps, and it forms a wet dough.
6. Use a spatula to scrape the dough into the prepared pans. Using a piece of plastic wrap, press the dough into a uniform layer on the bottom and 1½ inches up the sides of the pan. Set aside and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Sauce

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes, pureed
• 1 TBS tomato pasted
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until fragrant, about 2 min. Add the garlic and saute 1 additional minute. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and saute over medium-low heat for about 10 minutees, stirring occasionally until sauce is no longer watery.

Pizza

• 8 slices mozzerella
• 16 ounces shredded mozzerella
• 1/2 pound cooked italian sausage crumbles
• pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. After the dough has risen, layer sliced mozzerella (4 slices per pizza) over the dough, tearing slices to be sure dough is fully covered.
3. Cover sliced cheese with shredded mozzerella.
4. Add toppings of choice to each pizza.
5. Divide sauce on top of each pizza's toppings and spread to fully cover. 
6. Bake pizzas side by side on the center rack for 30-35 minutes.
7. Use a spatula to lift pizzas out of their pans onto a wooden cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing with a large chef's knife. 

sorta pasta alla norma

 Another Caro Chambers hit recipe--Sorta Pasta alla Norma. My eggplant-hating children didn't complain much and didn't even realize the hidden veggie was eggplant until I told them, so I think this is a keeper! We used Rao's marinara and Jovial GF fusilli. Below are the instructions of how I adapted from Caro's original recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 1/2 to 2 pound) globe eggplant
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt 
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage
• 4 garlic cloves
• 12 ounces gluten free pasta
• 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves (slice thinly right before adding to pasta)
• Optional: red pepper flakes 

Instructions:

1. Peel 1 eggplant like a zebra then cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Warm 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a wide skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the eggplant and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and toss to coat. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until very tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl. 
2. While eggplant is cooking, prepare your pasta in a separate pan according to package instructions.
3. Return the eggplant skillet to medium-high heat and warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1 pound mild Italian sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it into small crumbles, until almost cooked through. Meanwhile, mince 4 garlic cloves. Add the garlic to the sausage, then continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through. 
4. Add the cooked eggplant back to the pan with the sausage. Stir in 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce, cooked pasta, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. 
5. Stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (make sure it has no anti-caking ingredients) and most of the basil (leave some out for garnish).
6. Serve the pasta with a sprinkle of Parm, basil, and red pepper flakes i. 

Al pastor enchiladas

 Another hit from Caro Chambers (one of her free recipes).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (from a can of crushed pineapple — save the rest for smoothies)
• 1 (16-ounce) jar of salsa verde
• 1 (8-ounce) bag of spinach
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 5 to 6 (10-inch) GF flour tortillas 
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar, Mexican, or pepper jack cheese
• Optional toppings: pickled red onions, thinly sliced red onion, avocado slices, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Warm 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sliced scallions and 4 minced garlic cloves until softened, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 pound ground pork, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt and turn the heat up to high. Break the pork into tiny crumbles with a spatula, stirring frequently until cooked through and all excess moisture has evaporated.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup crushed pineapple and 1/4 cup salsa verde. Stir until the meat has absorbed the liquid. Stir in 8 ounces spinach until totally wilted. Turn off the heat and stir in 1/4 cup sour cream.
4. Roll the enchiladas up by spooning 1/4 to 1/3 cup (depending on how large your tortilla is) of the pork mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with several tablespoons of shredded cheese. Roll tightly and line the tortillas up, seam-side down, on a cutting board.
5. Once all of the meat has been rolled into tortillas, pour in enough salsa verde to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the enchiladas into the skillet, again seam-side down. I can usually fit 5 across, then wedge 1 more in along the top.
6. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining salsa verde followed by the remaining shredded cheese (about 1 cup).
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is totally melted.
8. Garnish with picked onion, avocado, cilantro, scallions, etc., if desired. Dig in!

Quiche

 A recipe I compiled for a quick breakfast for dinner that is a crowd pleaser and reheats well the next day if made ahead. 

Ingredients

• 1 GF pie shell (I like wholly GF)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• ~8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 3 slices of ham, diced
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (or 1 TB melted butter, brought up to 1/3 cup total volume with whole milk)

Instructions

1. Brown breakfast sausage in a hot skillet. When nearly cooked through, add diced ham to get a little color on it. 
2. In the bottom of the prepared pie shell, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese
3. Add ham, bacon, and sausage to cheesy pie shell and add the remaining shredded cheese on top. 
4. Whisk eggs and cheese together with salt and pepper and pour over meats and cheese into pie shell
5. Bake 30 minutes at 350 Degrees until center is cooked through. 
6. Slice into wedges and serve with a green salad. 

build your own mac and cheese bowls

 This was another recipe borrowed from A Life from Scratch on Instagram that was a hit with our family-- we love Courtney's flexible, deconstructed, bowl-style dinners. 

SIX INGREDIENT STOVE TOP MAC & CHEESE:

• 1 lbs elbow pasta, we use Jovial to stay gluten free
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 3 TBS flour, used gluten free
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese, we used a blend of Colby, cheddar and Monterey Jack
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Cook and drain pasta. 
2. In the same pot, add butter and let melt over medium heat. Whisk in dry mustard. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together, cooking a minute or so. Whisk in milk, increase heat, and let thicken for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper. 
3. Turn off heat and stir in cheeses. 
4. Stir in pasta.

We served with:

• Sliced scallions
• Sliced jalapeños
• Prepped broccoli
• Defrosted peas
• Chopped up cooked bacon
• Grilled chicken
• Buffalo and BBQ sauce

Quarantine pasta

We are late to the party on this early-covid Instagram recipe from A Life from Scratch, but our family loves it and we regularly make it when C has a pasta dinner for track or XC so he can take it along as his gluten free meal and we can enjoy it at home. The recipe is way too simple for how delicious it is!

QUARANTINE PASTA

Ingredients

• 1 lbs pasta (we use Jovial GF fusilli)
• 1 lbs Italian sausage
• Olive oil
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cups freshly chopped spinach
• 1 cup frozen peas (we use if we have some in the freezer, but the kids prefer it without...)

Instructions

1. Cook your pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large deep sided pan brown up your sausage with a little olive oil. Set aside.
3. In the same pan combine the cream, stock, Parmesan, and seasonings. Let bubble away until thickened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add in spinach, peas, and cooked sausage. Stir together and let spinach wilt. Mix sauce with cooked pasta. Top with more parmesan and fresh basil

baked ziti

 Kory, Elle, and I all really liked this giant pan of comfort food from Ree Drummond. Neither of the boys love Italian food, so it was no real surprise that they were less excited. Next time I would divide the recipe into to 9x9" pans and cook one and freeze the other for a future meal. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 1 pound Italian sausage 
• Two 14.5-ounce cans tomato sauce or marinara sauce 
• One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice 
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ziti
• 1 1/2 pounds mozzarella, grated 
• One 15-ounce tub whole-milk ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 eggs 

Instructions 

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Drain off almost all of the fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove 3 to 4 cups of the cooked sauce to a bowl to cool down.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add some salt. Cook the ziti until not quite al dente.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. In a bowl, mix 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and some salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
5. Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps). Add the cooled reserved meat sauce and toss to combine.
6. Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta and the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
7. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before sprinkling with chopped parsley to serve.

pork stir fry with green beans

 Another successful stir fry meal from Recipe Tin Eats to counteract the holiday flavors a bit. I increased the sauce volume in the recipe below. Kory and I agreed we'd make this again with either ground beef or sliced chicken breast too. 

Ingredients

• 12 oz green beans
• 1 lb. ground pork 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tbsp veggie oil
• Sauce
• 1/3 cup gluten free dark soy sauce
• 1/3 cup mirin
• 1/6 cup Trader Joe's sweet chili sauce

Instructions

1. Mix Sauce ingredients in a bowl.
2. Trim the tough end of the beans, then chop into 1" pieces.
3. Charred Beans: Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat (I use cast iron) until smoking. Add beans, spread out to cover base. Leave for 1 minute. Quick stir, spread out, cook for 30 seconds. Stir, then leave for 30 seconds, then repeat once more (so 2 1/2 minutes in total cook time) until beans are charred but tender crisp (not withered and floppy). Remove into bowl.
4. Turn heat down to medium high, add 1 tbsp oil. Add onion, then garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute until edges of onion are golden.
5. Turn heat back up to high. Add pork and cook, breaking it up as you go. Cook for 2 minutes until the pork is cooked through, then add Sauce. Cook for 30 seconds, then add beans and stir for another 30 seconds.
6. Serve over rice.

carne adovada

 I found this recipe from America's Test Kitchen and Kory thought it looked worth a try. I halved the recipe and made it a day ahead, reheating on the stovetop. A lot of fat rendered out of the pork, so we definitely had to serve it with a slotted spoon and let the fat drain before dishing it out onto tortillas with cilantro, onion, and cheese. All five of us had seconds and finished the entire pan. 

Ingredients

• 1 (3½- to 4-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces 
• Kosher salt 
• 4 ounces dried New Mexican chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces 
• 4 cups boiling water 
• 2 tablespoons honey 
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 5 garlic cloves, peeled 
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano 2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

Instructions

1. Toss pork and 1 tablespoon salt together in bowl; refrigerate for 1 hour. 
2. Place chiles in medium bowl. Pour boiling water over chiles, making sure they are completely submerged, and let stand until softened, 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. 
3. Drain chiles and reserve 2 cups soaking liquid (discard remaining liquid). Process chiles, honey, vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, cayenne, cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt in blender until chiles are finely ground and thick paste forms, about 30 seconds. With blender running, add 1 cup reserved liquid and process until smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes, adding up to ¼ cup additional reserved liquid to maintain vortex. Add remaining reserved liquid and continue to blend sauce at high speed, 1 minute longer. 
4. Combine pork and chile sauce in Dutch oven, stirring to make sure pork is evenly coated. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until pork is tender and fork inserted into pork meets little to no resistance, 2 to 2½ hours. 
5. Using wooden spoon, scrape any browned bits from sides of pot and stir until pork and sauce are recombined and sauce is smooth and homogeneous. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve with lime wedges. (Leftover pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) 

ragu

 After binging Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix, Kory and I wanted to try Samin's ragu recipe. We only made a half recipe and used TJ's Moon X pinot noir. I'd consider making a full recipe next time and freezing half. 

Ingredients

• Approximately 1 cup (200 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound (450 grams) coarsely ground beef chuck
• 1 pound (450 grams) coarsely ground pork shoulder 
• 2 medium yellow onions, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 2 large celery stalks, minced
• 1 1⁄2 cups (340 grams) dry red wine
• 2 cups (450 grams) Chicken or Beef Stock or water
• 2 cups (450 grams) whole milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1- by 3-inch (3- by- 7 centimeter) strip of lemon zest
• 1 1- by 3-inch (3- by- 7 centimeter) strip of orange zest
• 1⁄2-inch (1 1/2 centimeter)  piece cinnamon stick
• 5 tablespoons (80 grams) tomato paste
• Parmesan rind
• Whole nutmeg
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Crumble the beef into the pot in walnut-size pieces. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a slotted spoon until it sizzles and turns golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Do not season the meat yet—salt will draw out water and delay browning. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a large bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot. Brown the pork in the same way.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery—the soffritto—to the same pot and cook over medium-high heat. The amount of fat should be sufficient to nearly cover the soffritto, so add more olive oil as needed, at least another 3⁄4 cup (150 grams). Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are tender and the soffritto is a deep brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (You can cook the soffritto in olive oil a day or two in advance, if you like, to break up the time-intensive steps in the recipe. Soffritto also freezes well for up to 2 months!)
3. Return the meat to the pot, increase the heat to high, and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits into the sauce.
4. Add stock or water, milk, the bay leaves, zests, cinnamon, tomato paste, and Parmesan rind, if using. Add 10 zips of fresh nutmeg by grating it on a nutmeg grinder or other fine grater. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
5. Let the sauce continue to simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the milk breaks down and the sauce starts to look appetizing, between 30 to 40 minutes, start tasting the mixture and adjusting salt, acid, sweetness, richness, and body. If it needs some acid, add a secret splash of wine. If it seems bland, add tomato paste to bring it to life and lend sweetness. If it needs to be richer, add a little milk. If the ragù seems thin, add a gener- ous splash of stock. It’ll reduce as it simmers, leaving behind its gelatin to help thicken the sauce.
6. Simmer over the lowest possible heat, skimming off the fat from time to time and stirring often, until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded, about 11⁄2 to 2 hours. When you are satisfied that the ragù is done, use a spoon or ladle to skim off the fat that has risen to the surface and remove the Parmesan rinds, bay leaves, citrus peels, and cinnamon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper again.
7. To serve: Bring a large pot filled with at least 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Don’t worry too much about how much salt it takes to season the water properly: Most of it will go down the drain. You just need to create a salty cooking environment that will season the pasta in the few minutes it spends in the pot.
8. Add 4 portions fresh pasta or 1 pound dried pasta to water and cook until al dente. While pasta cooks, bring 2 cups ragù to a boil in a large skillet. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss to coat along with butter and a little pasta cooking water. Serve with ample freshly grated Parmesan.

carnitas

 This carnitas recipe from Recipe Tin Eats was an easy weeknight crockpot dinner. I cut the recipe in half and we still had a bit of leftovers. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt)
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

• RUB

  • ▢ 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ▢ 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
4. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
5. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
6. Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. 
7. If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
• Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
• Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).

sweet caramelized pork with rice

Because I'm tired of cooking all the same recipes during the Covid-19 pandemic, we tried this new recipe from berrymaple.com and it was an overall success. I did keep the vent fan running after the fish sauce was added to help keep the house from smelling completely like anchovies. Gage wasn't a huge fan, but everyone else had seconds.

Ingredients

• 2 lb pork butt or boneless ribs
• 1/2 onion
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1-2 cups water )start with 1 cup and than add more if needed)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp gluten free sauce
• 1 tspn olive oil
• cooked white rice
• green onions for garnish

Instructions

• Chop the onion and cut pork in small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large WIDE skillet and cook onions and pork for about 5 minutes until the meat is well browned.
• To the same skillet add water, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, bring to a light boil and simmer for the next 30 minutes to 1 hour ( or until almost all the water will become a thick, brown caramel like sauce)
• Stir it and serve your caramel pork over rice with some green onions for garnish.

Creamy French onion soup pasta

A savory, comfort food meal I love for winter lunches from https://myincrediblerecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. spicy or sweet ground sausage
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/ ground black pepper
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can condensed french onion soup
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups egg noodles
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and add in the onions, sausage, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. brown the sausage and mix well.
2. Pour condensed french onion soup,cream cheese, beef broth, and egg noodles into the pot and stir. Boil until noodles are fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add sour cream and grated parmesan cheese and stir. 

Meatloaf

We like this America's Test Kitchen recipe with a few modifications. We don't use the glaze or the bacon and do use 1 lb. ground beef, 1 lb. ground pork. Kory and the kids all eat this old-school meal without complaint.

ramen noodle soup

Another lunch brought to my desk by ATK.

antipasto squares

From plainchicken.com, a comfort food lunch. The kids think they'd eat it with other cheese and no peppers. Maybe I'll try...

ANTIPASTO SQUARES

PREP TIME: 5 MINSCOOK TIME: 50 MINSTOTAL TIME: 55 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls or crescent sheet
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced deli ham
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced salami
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni
• 1/4 pound provolone slices
• 1/4 pound swiss cheese slices
• 1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp basil pesto

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Unroll one package of refrigerated crescent roll and press into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Layer ham, swiss cheese, salami, provolone cheese, pepperoni, and red peppers, on top of the dough.
4. Unroll second can of refrigerated crescent rolls, and place on top of peppers. Press seams to seal.
5. Whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese and pesto. Pour over crescent rolls. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
6. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares.