Step One: Measure the flour as precisely as you can. Scrape off the excess from the top of the measuring cup. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dough ingredients and mix until shaggy. Knead the dough until it’s smooth, bouncy, and slightly tacky
Step Two: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled, about 50 to 60 minutes
Step Three: Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Shape each into a ball, cover, and let rest for 20 minutes
Step Four: While the dough is resting, preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat, or an electric griddle to medium-high
Step Five: On a lightly floured surface, hand stretch or use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a 6” round or 7″ oblong, for thicker naan; or an 8″ round or 10” oblong, for thinner naan. Keep the other pieces covered while working
Step Six: Once the pan or griddle is hot, cook the naan for 30 to 40 seconds, until bubbles form on the top side and the underside browns. Flip it over to brown the other side for 40 to 50 seconds, checking regularly to ensure doneness
Step Seven: Remove the bread from the pan, and brush with melted ghee or butter. Sprinkle with seeds and cilantro, if desired. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Keep the finished naan in a warm oven (200°F), or wrap in foil until ready to serve
Step Eight: Add optional ingredients. My favorite is garlic, parmesan and cilantro
Step Nine: Store naan, well wrapped, at room temperature for two days; freeze for longer storage.
5 lbs bone-in short ribs, at least 1 1/2 inches thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large heads of garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 medium onion, yellow or white, chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine, about half a bottle
2 cups beef stock or bone broth
4 sprigs of thyme
1 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Instructions:
Step one: Heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sear short ribs on all sides until deeply and evenly browned, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer browned short ribs to a large plate and continue with remaining ribs
Step two: Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of remaining fat, leaving the good browned bits behind. Reduce heat to medium, and add garlic, cut side down and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and continue to cook until vegetables are softened but not yet browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste has started to caramelize a bit on the bottom and up the edges of the pot, about 2 to 3 minutes
Step three: Add red wine and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned or caramelized bits. Let this simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just to take the edge off and reduce a bit. Stir in beef stock along with thyme. Using tongs, return short ribs to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated, nestling them in there so that they are submerged (if they are just barely covered, nestle them bone side up so that all the meat is submerged, adding more beef stock or water as necessary to cover). Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven
Step four: Cook, undisturbed, until short ribs are meltingly tender and falling off the bone (you should be able to shred the meat with a fork), 3½ to 4 hours
Step five: Using tongs, remove the ribs from the pot, taking care (for presentation purposes, really) not to let the bone slip out and transfer them to a large plate. (While you could serve the short ribs right out of this pot, the vegetables have all given up their flavor and texture and aren’t worth much now, so feel free to strain the sauce for easier eating.) Scatter parsley, chives and lemon zest over the top of the short ribs. Separate the fat from the sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve alongside
Notes: Serve with mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables. If there are leftovers, shed up the meat and serve as a sandwich.
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed tight. If you don’t have this much basil, supplement spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
1/4 to 1/2 jalapeno
Bunch of cilantro
Squeeze of lemon or lime
Water to thin out the consistency
Instructions:
Step one: Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Add more water to the mixture if it is too thick. If it is too thin, add more cheese or vegetables
Notes: This sauce is great on cabbage salad, as a dip for vegetables, or a topping for caprese chicken.
Step 1: Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, garlic and green pepper in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Add red wine. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally
Step 2: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Step 4: To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Rest lasagna for 15 minutes before serving
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast)
1 pound all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (105 degrees)
2 large eggs, divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/4 salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions:
Step 1: Place yeast into a bowl of a large stand mixer; whisk in 1/2 cup flour and warm water until smooth. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 10 to 15 minutes
Step 2: Whisk 1 egg, melted butter, sugar, and salt thoroughly into the yeast mixture. Add remaining flour (about 3 cups)
Step 3: Fit a dough hook onto stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape sides if needed. Poke and prod the dough with a silicone spatula; if large amounts of dough stick to the spatula, add a little more flour
Step 4: Transfer dough onto a floured work surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but should not stick to your fingers. Gently form dough into a smooth, round shape, tucking loose ends underneath
Step 5: Wipe out the stand mixer bowl and drizzle in olive oil. Place dough in the bowl and turn it several times until the surface is thinly coated with oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours
Step 6: Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
Step 7: Transfer dough to a floured work surface and pat to flatten any bubbles; form into a slightly rounded, 5×10-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Dust dough lightly with flour if needed and cut into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round shape, gently tucking ends underneath as before
Step 8: Use your hands to gently pat and stretch the dough rounds into flat, 1/2-inch-thick discs. Arrange buns about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Dust buns very lightly with flour. Drape a piece of plastic wrap over the baking sheet (do not seal tightly). Let buns rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour
Step 9: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Step 10: Beat remaining egg with milk in a small bowl, using a fork, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Very gently and lightly brush tops of buns with egg wash without deflating the risen dough. Sprinkle each bun with sesame seeds
Step 11: Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 15 to 17 minutes. Buns will stick together slightly where they touch. Let cool completely. Tear the buns apart and slice in half crosswise to serve
Notes: These freeze great. Keep in a gallon size freezer bag. When ready to use, take the amount you need out of the freezer bag and allow to thaw on a paper towel for 30 min to an hour. Buns can be microwaved for 30 seconds for a quicker thaw method.
Step 1: Put the bowl for mixing the batter in the fridge. This is the key to a crisper batter
Step 2: Heat oven to temperature for frozen french fries. Put french fries on an oven tray, and mix with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put in the oven
Step 3: Cut the fish into the preferred size. Pat dry with a paper towel
Step 4: In a medium-sized bowl, add 1/4 cup of rice flour
Step 5: Heat a large pot with 4 cups of peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once the heat has reached 375, it’s ready for frying
Step 6: Salt the fish, then coat each piece in the bowl of rice flour completely
Step 7: Take the mixing bowl out of the fridge and whisk together the flour, rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Now add the beer from the fridge and mix all ingredients together for 5 seconds. Do not mix longer than that. If the mixture is lumpy, that is fine
Step 8: Coat each piece of fish in the batter fully. Let the excess drip off. Immediately add the battered fish to the oil and fry for 3 minutes, flipping after 2 minutes, until golden brown
Step 9: Carefully remove the fish from the oil. Place on a paper towel and salt right away
Notes: If you have leftover fish, freeze it the night you cook it. When you’re ready to use it, put it in the oven until hot and crispy. Serve on a hamburger bun with leftover tartar sauce
Step 1: Heat a large pot to medium-high heat. Once the pot it warmed up, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Step 2: Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes (bite-size pieces). Season with salt
Step 3: Working in batches, add chicken to the pot without overcrowding the pot. Each piece of chicken should touch the bottom of the pot to create a crust. You may need to work in batches. Once a crust has developed, flip the chicken. You will not be cooking the chicken fully on this step. Once both sides have been flipped, remove the chicken to a separate plate for later
Step 4: Reduce the heat of the pot to medium. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook these ingredients until soft and fragrant, and translucent, about 7 minutes
Step 5: Add curry powder, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and one tablespoon of water. Stir frequently
Step 6: Add tomatoes and yogurt, mix together and allow to heat up for a few minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro and salt, and stir together
Step 7: Add the chicken and all its juices from the plate into the pot. Pour in 1/2 cup of water. Stir everything together. Turn the heat up to medium-high and put a lid on. Cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked
Step 8: Add a squeeze of lemon juice and sriracha to taste.
Notes: This dish is best served with naan and rice.
