Category: Main Dish
ROAST TURKEY WITH BROWN SAUCE AND A TURKEY PRIMER
Roast Turkey Is it really worth the effort to have a turkey that looks like a Norman Rockwell illustration? Or could you be happy with one that cooks quickly and doesn’t need a lot of attention but is dependably juicy, tender, flavorful, and crispy-skinned? It might not win a beauty contest, but it will never be dry or chewy either. “Those picture-perfect birds gracing the holiday table of that food catalogue are most often an illusion. As a food stylist, I know that often those…
POT-AU-FEU
Pot-au-feu, generally considered to be the national dish of France, means “pot on the fire.” It is a family-style, one-pot meal, beloved by rich and poor alike. The ingredients may vary, but a typical, traditional pot-au-feu contains the following (notice the absence of potatoes): – An economical cut of beef, such as chuck or brisket; – One or more cartilage-rich meats, such as oxtail, shank, or beef ribs; – Marrow bones; – Root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, and celery root; – Onions, cabbage, and leeks; – Herbs and…
SOOKA KEEMA (DRY-COOKED SPICY GROUND MEAT)
Grass-fed ground beef is available at most of my local stores now, but the other cuts are harder to find, probably because they are more expensive and don’t sell as well. As a result, I use a lot of ground beef and am always looking for new ways to cook it. This classic Indian recipe makes a nice change from hamburgers, spaghetti, chili, and meatloaf. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons cooking fat (such as clarified butter, light olive oil, avocado oil, or tallow) 2/3 cup chopped onion 4…
BACON WRAPPED ONION RINGS
I guarantee that you will have no left-overs. No matter how many I make, it is never enough! Ingredients: 2 large white onions, 3 and 1/2- to 4-inches in diameter 1 and 1/2 pounds sugar-free bacon (24 slices), regular, not thick sliced Freshly-ground black pepper to taste Directions: Peel onions down far enough to remove all the tough, thin, outer layers. You will need just the largest slices. Reserve the rest for another purpose. Cut onions in half around the equator. Cut 2 slices, each…
SALSA CHILI
This is about as streamlined as a recipe can get. Nothing to peel or chop. A pound of ground beef, a few items from the pantry, and you’ve got a tasty, homemade meal in just minutes. SALSA CHILI The warehouse stores, like Costco, sell two-packs of salsa in big glass jars at a very good price. You’ll go though it quickly with this super-easy recipe! 1 teaspoon cooking fat 1 pound grass-fed ground beef ½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 cup prepared salsa, hot,…
TENDER JUICY PORK CHOPS EVERY TIME
Modern pork is another casualty of fat phobia. Breeding pigs to be as lean as possible has made the meat pale, bland, and dry and to make matters worse, the layer of fat on the outside is trimmed to a meager quarter of an inch or less before it ever reaches the store. (When I complained to a rep from one of the major pork producers at a conference, she told me, “We are just giving people what they want.”) Brining the pork helps, but…
BABY BACK RIBS WITH MUSTARD VINEGAR BARBECUE SAUCE
One of my local stores had a fantastic Fourth of July special on Niman Ranch premium, pastured, baby back ribs ($4.00 off per pound!). I am (temporarily, I hope) allergic to tomatoes and peppers and a lot of other foods, so I was seeking a way to make a good barbecue sauce with lots of flavor and kick when I came up with this one. My husband loves this even better than my old version. I may never go back, even if I can. BABY BACK RIBS…
SPICED PORK BELLY
If you had to eat just one food every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? That’s not a hard choice for me. This is it. Ingredients: 1 (1 and 1/2 pound) pork belly, about half lean, with a thick layer of fat on top Dry Rub: 1 tablespoon coarse salt 1 tablespoon ground fennel seed 1 tablespoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon ground black pepper Braising Liquid: 1 medium onion (7 oz), chopped 1 large carrot (3 ½ oz), chopped 3…
OVEN FRIED CHICKEN
The oven-fried chicken in Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, always brought raves. People told me it was the best fried chicken they had ever eaten; juicy and tender on the inside with a crisp, brown crust that stayed on the chicken, not in the skillet. The addition of a little Parmesan makes this version from Nourished even better! OVEN FRIED CHICKEN Flour or bread crumbs can’t produce a crisp, brown crust that compares to this. 3 pounds chicken parts (2 breast halves, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks,…
BACON AND LEEK SOUFFLE
It is very rare to find a recipe in a major magazine that is almost perfect as it is. I made only a few small changes in the gorgeous soufflé pictured in the June/July issue of Fine Cooking. The recipe says it makes 6 servings, but the two of us ate half of it for supper with just a green salad and finished off the rest for breakfast the next morning. Although the recipe warns that it will deflate if not served at once, mine was still…