A good Bolognese sauce should be thick and smooth with rich, complex flavor. The meat should be first and foremost, but there should be sweet, salty, and acidic flavors in the background. To get this complexity, we built our Bolognese in layers, starting with just onion, carrot, and celery sautéed in butter. Then we added meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork). For dairy, we used milk, which complemented the meat flavor without adding too much richness. Once the milk was reduced, we added white wine to the pot for a more robust sauce, followed by chopped…
Author: Chef M
Tender, flavorful meatballs served over pasta with a long-simmered marinara sauce make a great dinner for company or for family. To build a sauce with a long-simmered flavor, we started by sautéing onions and then added a healthy dose of garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Reserving half of this mixture to season the meatballs streamlined our recipe. With tomato paste for richness and red wine to deglaze the pan, we had a strong flavor foundation for our sauce. Next, we decided to use canned crushed tomatoes for their ease and for their packing liquid, which prevented the sauce from…
The flavor of this tomato-based sauce is incredibly complex: It has heat, the tiniest bit of sweetness from the orange, lots of deep spice flavor, and a nice balance of acidity. Use it in place of ketchup on a burger or with fries, toss with roasted vegetables, or braise with Harissa Braised Chicken Legs. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for one month.
This very light and airy cheesecake is paired with a rich dark chocolate and pumpkin seed crust. The sour cream topping not only adds an amazing tangy flavor, it helps cover up any cracks that may form when the cheesecake is baking and cooling. Releasing the spring on the pan before the cheesecake has had much time to cool allows the crust to shrink along with the cheesecake and helps prevent large cracks. Store loosely wrapped, in the refrigerator, for up to five days.
Although it has become a year-round item in the supermarket, nothing beats the fresh taste of local asparagus each spring. Pair the spears with new potatoes and pan-seared trout for a fresh spring treat.
For a dinner you can toss together in less than 20 minutes, nothing beats this summery tuna salad. It needs only a jug of wine and a loaf of bread to complete it. If you can also provide a summer breeze, a lovely view from a shaded porch and the scent of flowers in the air, so much the better. Sweet vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil are a must to properly complement the briny tuna and earthy beans.
The vegetarian version of the chabisbünteli, or stuffed cabbage rolls, has always been around, earlier because of frugality and today as an example of modern vegetarian fare. If you want, you can add an egg or some ground beef the exact measurement does not really matter because the cabbage leaves will hold the filling together.