Extra Schmaltz!

For various reasons, Melanie likes ground turkey more than ground beef, and so I've been making turkey meatballs a lot. Obviously the problem with turkey is that it can be really dry since it's so lean, but one day we made a random hippy turkey burger recipe and it taught us the he secret to making ground turkey not be gross: ground mushrooms!  If you grind up the mushrooms and mix them in, they kind of cook away but keep whatever you're cooking moist and give that umami flavor that's also missing from turkey. People who don't like mushrooms won't notice their presence at all unless they're specifically looking for them. This recipe is also designed to cook up really really quickly - you can have these done in the time it takes you to boil the water for the noodles. The spices are loosely based on Lillian's meatball recipe but only use dry spices for convenience. They still come out a little dry, but especially with a wetter sauce (marinara, vodka, etc....

For Christmas, I got Melanie a copy of a cookbook by her favorite author, Martha Rose Shulman, entitled Ready When You Are: A compendium of one-dish meals since I tend to prefer one dish meals anyway. We've been in a bit of a cooking rut, and so it's nice to have some new inspiration. This dish is originally written for dried beans, and I've simplified it a bit too, so I don't feel too bad reposting it. It's super delicious - we had some leftover ziti that it went perfectly on, but I also think it could be awesome with garlic bread.  It's also nice because it's a good way to use sage - we have an extremely robust sage plant in our garden, so I even had some fresh(ish) sage as the recipe called for. It doesn't taste too sage-tacular though, it's really subtle and just part of the deliciousness. The sausage will make difference in the flavor here, we use Hillshire Farm Turkish kielbasa because Melanie really likes it, but a good porky Italian sausage ...

This dish (sometimes called lagman) is part of Sogd cuisine, food from what we call "the 'stans", in the general region of The Silk Road. The recipe is from one of my most prized possessions: a self-published cookbook from our tour guides in Tajikistan. Characteristics of this cuisine are various noodles and dumplings, rice dishes, lamb and beef, and lots and lots of herbs. This dish is traditionally made with hand-pulled noodles, but a reasonable substitution is dried bucatini. I recommend cooking the meat in a pressure cooker or insta-pot for tenderness & time saving. This makes enough for two people. Double for more. Noodles: 1/2 lb. bucatini, cooked in well salted water Sauce: 2 Tbsp. oil 1/2 lb. ground lamb or beef 1 clove garlic, minced 1 onion, sliced thin 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 turnip, peeled and cubed 1-2 Roma tomatoes, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 2-4 c. water or broth salt and pepper to taste Garnish: 2 Tbsp. parsley, minced 2 Tbsp...

This is an adaptation of the recipe for Ternera con Guisantes  from the amazing tome " A Mediterranean Feast " by Clifford Wright. Given that veal is all but impossible to find, I switched it to beef. We used a sirloin roast that was part of the quarter beef we bought, but I think it would also be good with a chuck roast. I made this version crockpot or Instapot friendly, which is more convenient for most. It yields a wonderfully spiced roast with not a ton of effort. We used a sirloin roast of some kind from the quarter of beef we bought, but I don't know specifically which cut. I don't think it matters much for a slow-cooked dish like this. We served it with risotto, which was a great combo. We devoured it too quickly to take a photo, though! Ingredients One 3 lb. beef roast, tied One bag of frozen baby peas Parsley to garnish Sofrito 3 Tbsp. olive oil 2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped fine 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp. dried thyme...

We make this really easy recipe often enough that it's worth posting. It's chicken in a simple sauce, often served on a tostada with refried beans and whatever tasty toppings you want (esp. avocado and cotija cheese). A local restaurant near us has this style of chicken as one of their standard meat options, and it's supposedly their specialty. I personally think this recipe produces something very, very close to the same. The adobo peppers tend to be a bit spicy for some eaters - one way to moderate this is to alter how much of the sauce you mix with the shredded chicken. I also suggest making a double version of this recipe and reserving some sauce - that way, next time you want to make it, you just throw sauce on chicken and you're done. You can use raw chicken, or you can use the sauce to cleverly use leftover poultry from other meals (this actually might make turkey edible). The recipe below is adapted from the recipe here , in turn adapted from the Minimali...

I can't believe I didn't post this after we had it at an amazing real Oktoberfest event that we were fortunate to be invited to in Bavaria. It is very simple, and based on this recipe . Unlike American coleslaw, this one is blanched, so it has a softer texture and is more easily digested. It is very simple, and I have had it requested several times for potlucks. It is a lot easier to make if you have some kind of mandoline. Vegetables 1 head of green cabbage 3 qts. boiling water + 2 Tbsp. salt 1 small white onion Dressing 6 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 3 Tbsp. sunflower oil 1 Tbsp. caraway seeds 2 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. salt, to taste 1 tsp. white pepper Instructions Boil the water in a large stockpot and add the 2 Tbsp. salt. Remove several of the outer layers of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into 4 wedges, and cut out the cores. Shred the entire head of cabbage very fine. I recommend using a mandoline or shredder--I have one like this , and I actually use it se...