Ground Beef Ragu

Ragu Calzone
A ragu is an Italian sauce or stew, made with tomatoes, ground meat, vegetables, and wine, and cooked for a very long time.  Blognese sauce is a variation on a ragu that most of us are familiar with – though, in that case, a specific regional variation that is a bit heavier on tomato than most.

Ragus are frequently used with pasta, especially spaghetti.  But they can go on just about anything.  Or, in the case of this week’s Pie of the Week, in anything, or at least a calzone.  They are rich, hearty, and full of flavor!
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Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto with hakurei turnips and Nebuka Scalions

Garlic Scapes are one of my absolute favorite foods, yet available so fleetingly. They are the flower stalk from hardneck garlic, and must be harvested to allow the garlic heads to size up. But their delicious garlic x leek flavor is an absolute delight. The biggest scape regret is that their season lasts but about two weeks a year.

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Zucchini Carbonara

Zucchini Carbonara

Classic Pasta Carbonara, with a Zucchini twist

I was flipping through The Flavor Bible, looking for ways to use my excessive zucchini harvest, and I noticed several flavors I love being highly recommended, including thyme, parmesan, cream, and black pepper.  Wait a minute!  Those plus bacon (which makes everything better) are all the flavors that make the classic pasta carbonara sauce!

Surely I could make something of that!  So I did.

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Blueberry Basil Salad Dressing

Blueberry Bail Salad Dressing

Blueberry Basil Salad Dressing

I awoke from my post-farmers’-market nap Saturday with a start.  I had been pondering what to feed some farm volunteers (and us) who were planning to come by Sunday morning, as well as how best to emphasize the produce we’re harvesting now.  And it came to me in a flash.  Or a dream.  I can almost never remember my dreams…

It’s getting into mid-July, and we’re starting to get some good variety in the harvest, but not really high summer.  Some exciting stuff is coming in – we’re harvesting lots of blueberries, cucumbers and zucchini are coming in strong buy we’re not sick of them yet, and the basil is really getting going.  Wait a minute!  Blueberries and basil might go together!

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Crockpot Chicken Tika Masala

Chicken Tika Masala with Jasmine Rice

Crockpot Chicken Tika Masala

Who doesn’t love Indian food?  And, among Indian food lovers, Chicken Tika Masala must be one of the absolute favorites.

I was sure it would work well in the crockpot, but it took me several tries to get a result that had the flavor I liked.  In the end, I actually found the answer in a cookbook I already owned, Neela Paniz’ The New Indian Slow Cooker.   Continue reading

Pizza Sauce

Pizza crust with sauce

Saucing a pizza

This is the sauce I used when I made homemade frozen pizza last week.  Yes, I’ll probably post the parts and pieces to make a frozen pizza recipe, but mostly, I’m experimenting with a new recipe format/features for this blog.  I’m hoping for feedback, either as comments here, or via email, Facebook, in person, whatever. Continue reading

Pesto Schmear

A schmear is a bit of cultural appropriation, and probably shouldn’t be used.  But it’s also a yummy topping for bagels.  Schmears are simple and perfect for improvisation, so you can use this same process for different ingredients.  They can be very seasonal: basil-sun dried tomato-seranno pepper is a favorite summer schmear.  They can be savory: oregano-sundried tomato.  They can be sweet: toasted walnut-honey.  You get the idea.

My most frequent schmear, especially in winter when I need a reminder that summer will be back someday, is pesto schmear.

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