Meats

Pull a 4 pound chuck at the fat seam. Then trim as needed. Tie into two bundles, fat on inside. Season somewhat heavily with salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pressure cooker, on saute. Then add 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick all sliced thick. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of baking sodea. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of beef broth and bring to a boil. Then add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 2 bay leaves. Nestle roasts on top of vegetables, close cooker and set timer for 55 minutes at pressure.

Then wait 10 minutes for pressure to release naturally. Then, open the top, remove the meat, place on board, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

Emtpy cooker through a fine mesh strainer, into fat separator. Let liquid stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile remove bay leaves and empty remaining vegetables into blender. When liquid is ready, drain all but fat into blender. Blend for 1 minute.

Empty blender into sauce pan along with 1 sprig of thyme, 1 tablespoon of red wine and 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Bring to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds small potatoes, see notes above

1 medium onion, thinly sliced, to yield about a cup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup water

kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

a few tablespoons finely chopped herbs, such as tarragon, chives, or parsley

Instructions:

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 450ºF. Place the potatoes, onion, olive oil, and water in a large skillet. Season all over with salt. Crack pepper over top to taste. Toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and the mustard. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat on all sides. Season all over with salt and pepper. Nestle the thighs on top of/in between the potatoes. Crack more pepper over top if you wish.

Transfer pan to the oven uncovered and cook for 45 minutes or until evenly golden, checking after 30 minutes to ensure everything is browning evenly - if the onions are getting too dark, add a few more tablespoons of water to the pan.

Sprinkle tarragon or herb of choice all over the roasted chicken and potatoes. Transfer chicken to a platter. Toss potatoes with herbs and remaining juices in the pan. Taste. Adjust with more salt or pepper if necessary. Spoon potatoes around chicken on the platter. Serve.

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, tied with twine if there are any loose pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small pat butter

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice

1 cup red wine

5 sprigs fresh thyme

5 sprigs fresh oregano

Small handful of fennel seeds

1 tablespoon hot sauce, for smokiness (Andy used Trader Joe's Hot Chili Sauce, but Sriracha and Tabasco both work great, too)

Pappardelle

Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325° F. Liberally salt and pepper the pork roast. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts, but does not burn. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in all.

Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Cover, and put in oven.

Braise for 3 to 4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Put on a cutting board and pull it apart with two forks, then add back to pot and stir (or shred right in the pot).

Cook 1 to 2 pounds pasta according to package directions. When it’s is ready, put into individual bowls and top with ragu and lots of Parm. Alternately, toss the pasta with the ragu and a bit of pasta cooking water, as needed, and top with Parm.

Description: Pot Roast is a big favorite throughout northern Italy, just as it is in the United States: a cut of beef stewed in a hearty red wine and tomato sauce. The longer you cook it, the better it gets, as the meat begins to fall away from the bone and meld into the sauce. It's delicious served over polenta. This dish is traditionally cooked in an earthenware casserole, glazed on the inside.

Ingredients:

• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

• 4 whole cloves

• 3 allspice berries

• 6 black peppercorns

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 1/2 pounds beef pot roast, trimmed of excess fat

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 celery stalks, sliced (we used 4 stalks)

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced (also used 4 carrots)

• 1 cup hearty red wine

• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

• salt

• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:

Combine the cinnamon, cloves, allspice and peppercorns in a mortar or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium‐high heat and add the oil. Add the meat and cook, turning, for 10‐15 minutes, until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer meat to slow cooker.

Add the onion to the sauté pan and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the spice mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and cook for about 10 minutes, until reduced by about one‐third. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and salt to taste.

Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for (at least) 8hours, until the meat falls away from the bone. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes: Note: Make sure you buy a suitable cut of meat for pot roast. (Chuck, brisket, top round, bottom round or rump roasts) If you're not sure, check with your butcher.

Note: All slow cookers vary in temperature. Using a boneless rump roast, we started out on High for about an hour then lowered to Low for about 7 hours. After checking the meat we realized (with our time constraints) we needed to raise the temp again to finish in time. We served with rice and put some of the extra sauce from the pot roast in a bowl to spoon over the rice and meat.

Description: The shoulder roast is essence for this austere and simple braise - any other kind of meat would be too lean and lack the gelatinous fibers essential in creating the succulent and lip smacking flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Four pound boneless pork shoulder roast, rolled and tied

2 tsp. kosher salt

8 fresh sage leaves

2 1/2 oz. pancetta

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

2 cups dry red wine (chianti Classico)

3 cups basic tomato sauce

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

season the pork with salt, rubbing it into the meat. arrange the sage leaves around the meat, tucking them under the twine. let stand for 30 minutes.

mince together the pancetta, garlic, and parsley to form a smooth paste.

in a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until almost smoking. add the garlic paste, cook until it is melted into the oil. add the pork and brown on all sides, turning occasionally. add 1 cup of the wine, bring to a boil and reduce by three quarters. add the remaining 1 cup wine and the tomato sauce, and bring to the a boil.

cover the pot. lower the heat to a simmer and cook the meat until it is fork tender, about 2 hours. season with pepper, then transfer the meat to a carving board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

remove the string and sage leaves and cut the pork into 1/3 in. slices. arrange the pork on serving plate, spoon the sauce over and serve.

Ingredients:

6 beef short ribs, trimmed of fat

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 small fennel, fronds, stems, and core removed, large-diced

1 leek, cleaned and large-diced, white part only

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (2 onions)

4 cups large-diced celery (6 large stalks)

2 carrots, peeled and large-diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (750-ml) bottle Cotes du Rhone or other dry red wine

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Fresh thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon brown sugar

6 cups beef stock

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the short ribs on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add the fennel, leek, onion, celery and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and wine, bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot.

Place the roasted ribs on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven and add the brown sugar and beef stock. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Discard the herbs and skim the excess fat. Cook the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes, until reduced. Put the ribs back into the pot and heat through. Serve with the vegetables and sauce.

Ingredients:

Butter or olive oil

1 or more boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

Other spices or seasonings

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400°F and prepare the pan: Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position. Rub the pan and one side of the parchment paper with butter or olive oil; this prevents the chicken from sticking.

Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry and rub with a little butter or olive oil, if desired. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any other favorite seasonings.

Transfer to the baking dish: Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish, spaced slightly apart. You can also tuck herbs or lemon wedges around the chicken for extra flavor.

Cover with the parchment: Lay the parchment, butter-side down, over the chicken. Tuck the edges into the pan and press the parchment down so that it's snug around the chicken. The chicken breasts should be completely covered with the parchment.

Bake until the chicken is 165°F: Transfer the chicken to the oven until the chicken is completely opaque all the way through and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Start checking after 20 minutes; total cooking time is usually 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve: Serve the chicken immediately, or let it cool and refrigerate for up to a week.

[For the Chicken]

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (or make your own -- we used 1 1/2 teaspoons each of dried marjoram, oregano, thyme, and rosemary, plus 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)

2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3 1/2 teaspoons fine salt)

1 cup grapeseed oil

6 chicken leg/thigh quarters

1 1/2 cups Alabama White Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

[For the Alabama White Barbecue Sauce]

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 1/8 teaspoons fine salt)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 cup grapeseed oil

Instructions:

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, blend the egg yolks, vinegar, water, poultry seasoning, and salt until the yolks fluff a little, about 30 seconds. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil; the mixture will blend, emulsify, and resemble mayonnaise. You will hear the sound change to a whop, whop; it should take about 1 minute. Spoon the marinade into a large zip-top bag, add the chicken pieces, and massage until the chicken is completely covered with the marinade. Zip the top closed, pressing out any air as you seal the bag. Set the bag in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 24 hours.

Pour 3/4 cup of the Alabama White Barbecue Sauce into a bowl to use for basting. Heat a grill for indirect medium-high heat. On a gas grill, just leave one side of the grill unlit. On a wood or charcoal grill, rake the coals to one side. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat completely dry. Scrape the grill clean and coat with oil. Place the chicken, skin side down, over the unheated part of the grill and cover with an aluminum pan or tent with foil. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken pieces, moving them to a hotter part of the grill, but still over indirect heat. Cover again with the pan or foil. After 10 more minutes, baste the chicken with the sauce, flip so the skin side is down, and baste again. Cover with the pan or foil, cook for another 10 minutes, and then baste, flip, and cover one last time, for a total cooking time of 40 minutes, or until the chicken -- including the last round of basting -- reaches 165° F. Discard the basting sauce. Remove the chicken from the grill and rest, tented with foil or a foil pan, for 10 minutes. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and black pepper and process until the yolks fluff a little, about 30 seconds. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil; the mixture will bend and emulsify but won't be as thick as the marinade used for the barbecue chicken. You will again hear the sound change to a whop, whop; it should take about a minute.

Ingredients:

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ras-el-hanout

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1 to 2 teaspoons preserved lemon purée

handful of green olives (I like them with the pits, but buy what you like)

handful of raisins, preferably golden

handful of chopped parsley, or more or less to taste

4 pieces bone-in, skin-on dark meat chicken

pita, naan or some sort of flatbread or couscous or rice for serving

Instructions:

Place all of the ingredients (using the ¼ cup of water to start) in the base of the tagine. Cover it and set it over medium to medium-high heat.

After 10 to 15 minutes, remove the lid (using a towel or pot holder) and give everything a stir. The liquid should be gently bubbling. If the moisture level is looking low, add another ¼ cup water.

Return the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the liquid bubbling. Check again and dip a spoon into the sauce to taste. If it needs salt, add a pinch or add another spoonful of preserved lemon purée. Continue cooking until the meat is pulling from the bone. The liquid should be bubbling vigorously at this point. Serve with warm bread or couscous or rice.

Trim and ready:

8 similar sized filet mignons. Then, cover each with salt and pepper and pan fry them in a few tablespoons of oil. Place them on a plate, and let them rest for a few minutes. Then, coat them with a rub made with the following ratio:

2 tablespoons of regular horseradish

1 tablespooon of dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

Place uncovered in refrigerator until firm.

Then, place two layers of plastic wrap, per filet, on the table. On top of each, layer phyllo dough, a piece of proscuitto, a scoop of duxelles, one piece of pate (or foie gros) and a filet. Wrap each up tightly. Refrigerate until firm.

Roll and cut pastry sheets into 8 pieces, 3/16" thick and 10" round. Use scraps for decorations. Then freeze them flat.

When ready for final preparation, remove pastry sheets and cut crosses. Then, when thawed enough to fold, wrap each filet with a pastry sheet, pinching the edges together. Decorate as desired and egg wash. Then freeze until firm, remove and wrap with plastic. Place back in freezer until frozen, before cooking.

Prehead oven to 400°, remove filets from freezer, do not thaw and egg wash again. Then place in a rimmed baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and cook another 35 minutes or until the internal tempurature is 110°. Set aside for no longer than 10 minutes. Cut in half and serve.