Meat Life Style

 This rich 15-minute ragù turns pasta or polenta into a quick hearty dinner any night of the week. Preparation Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, process onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add chopped vegetables, beef, and pork and cook, breaking up with a spatula, until meat is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, oregano, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until reduced by half, about 1 minute more. Stir in tomato sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in butter. Toss meat sauce with pasta, top with Parmesan, and season with pepper. Do Ahead  Let sauce...

Two of the top five meals I ate this year were at Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, Maine, a Ken Oringer restaurant run by chef Justin Walker. It’s a seasonal restaurant, and they have a handful of pop-ups going on this winter that are listed at the bottom of this post. I ate about 20 different dishes during those two meals, and one of the real standouts was the squid ink chicken wing. As a jaded chicken wing eater, I always think I have seen it all before. But, these were really exciting. It’s basically a teriyaki recipe that uses squid ink instead of soy sauce. First, marinate the wings in beer, garlic, ginger, and chile paste. For many, the hardest part of this recipe will be finding the squid ink. I suggest just grabbing from Amazon, but if you are lucky like me you can also get fresh squid ink from a local Italian market . When the wings come out of the marinade, give them a very light dredge in rice flour. Then fry them until very crispy. Straight ...

Would it be bragging to say that I am fairly famous among my circle of friends for this amazing chicken? Would it be over the top to say that at least two vegetarians (ladies, you know who you are!) have ignored the tofu I had diligently fixed them when they saw this chicken presented to the rest of the guests? Vows were broken; chicken was devoured. I could go on, but I won’t. This marinated, butterflied chicken is so addictive that a friend affectionately referred to it as “ Heroin Chicken ,” and the name stuck. Everyone needs a signature go-to dish, one that you can prepare for family and friends and know you’re going to have a home run, and Heroin Chicken  is that dish. This is the dish I bring to the new mother for her much-deserved dinner, or to a weekend collaborative dinner party…and it’s always a hit. It’s the little black dress of my cooking repertoire. I originally saw this in a Nigella Lawson book–love her!–and although the recipe has evolved...

Are you guys as obsessed with grilled cheese sandwiches as I am? I am a true grilled cheese lover. And adding a egg just blows all other grilled cheeses out of the water. Technically this recipe isn’t a grilled cheese at all, just a single slice of bread with cheese fused to it’s outsides, but it’s cheese and it’s grilled so I’m not going to argue technicalities. If we did want to get into the technicalities of naming of recipes, I think the egg-in-toast part of this recipe confuses me as well. What do you call egg-in-toast? I’ve heard them referred to as toad-in-a-hole, egg-in-a-basket and egg-in-a-nest. Whatever you call them, they are delicious. Unlike lots of dreamy memories I’ve heard from my childhood friends, I didn’t grow up eating egg-in-toast. I can just imagine how my parents would react if I asked them to make it for me. “You cut a hole in the bread!? Why would you cut a hole in the bread? Who eats the bread cut out? Me? I have to eat your leftovers?!” ...

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This so delicious... (source)