Some of the simplest things to make can be the most satisfying. Bagels are just one of those things!
Here’s what I doHere’s how I make them!.
Just a small hint: I find a stiffer dough works best and maintains the bagels shape throughout the process.
The beauty of sauces
When I was young, I found sauces — particularly French inspired — to be overpowering and a distraction from the simplicity of the dish. Somewhere along the line, I discovered how sauces can offer a perspective and a background that accentuates and mellows the flavor of the primary ingredients .
Stews can be fairly complicated — not in the preparation , but in the number of distinct flavors presented. A good sauce helps to pull it all together… With remarkable results.
My sauce in the lamb stew would be referred to as “brown sauce” or “espagnole”… One of my favorite of the famous five “mother” French sauces. Commonly this sauce combines a beef stock, mirepoix ( onions, celery and carrots — also know as the “trinity” ), tomato and seasonings.
There is plenty on line to explain the composition and usage of the other four sauces. Here is a brief explanation:
Bechamel sauce is a wonderful and useful sauce that serves as the basis for many other sauces… Rich and creamy with butter, flour and milk. Add cheese and we have a Mornay sauce! Much to the annoyance of others, Bechamel was an advisor to the King of France and popularized the sauce.
The tomato sauce recipe is often accented with bacon. It was developed by the French based on how they though the Spanish made their sauces ( like saffrito) .
The remaining two sauces are Hollandaise and Velouté … Which most Americans have some familiarity.
Sauces are well worth the effort… Take some time and find one that accents your meal. It will raise some smiles.
Remembering our Veterans
Free forming your stew
My family loves to ooh and this is no secret to those who know us well. The fact is that we even have pages where we share ideas and place our own recipes on for each to explore… the family that cooks together.. So a discussion came up on stews and the particular Swedish Lamb Stew that I have enjoyed and here is how I make it:
Vegetables are more than extenders… They add something wonderful to the party.
Basic Veggies
1 Red potato , 5 baby turnips (under 2″ in diameter), 2 bunches green onions, 2 largest sweet onions, 4 tablespoons crushed garlic, 1 bunch Kale, 1 leak, 1/2 cup Chives, 5 sliced carrots, 4 or 5 celery , 1 large Rudabaga and a very large Red potato. I will throw in about 1.4 cup of chopped parsley.
Seasonings
Salt, Black pepper, garlic powder, Thyme and Rosemary …. And towards the end, Fenugreek ( Spice of the Greeks).
Meat: 4 pounds of lamb in one to one and a half inch cubes
Thickening the sauce: various commercial powdered gravies will do
Liquids: 4-6 cups chicken broth and one bottle of Pinot Noir
The secret of life? Bacon!
In a very hot dry pan, sear the cubes of lamb and then crisp the bacon. Save some of the bacon fat to add to butter for sautéing the veggies.
Slow cooking is the secret of making a great stew. This results in all the veggies being tender (even the Rudabagas!) and the lamb chunks fall apart !
The Process:
I start off adding liquid the the crock pot and then the seared lamb!
In a large pan (17″), I sauté the onion then garlic and add the rest of the vegetables ( after microwaving them for about 10 minutes).
Add the Veggies to the crockpot and cook on high for 3 or more hours until everything is tender).
Add the diced potato in the last hour or so.
Thicken the sauce.
Bon Appetite!
Dennis Witzel and Chocolate
Dennis Witzel is in my not so humble opinion… A master chocolatier ! We go back roughly 40 years… And every once in a while he gifts me with some of his superb chocolate.
At those times when I open the mailbox, I feel like one of the luckiest folks on Earth!
There isn’t much about confection that Dennis doesn’t know about. He’s the go to guy in chocolate!