Tag: Western

Classic Ragu with Pasta

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Everyone needs a good ragu recipe in their back pocket, and this one is it. Cook a big batch slow and low, freeze it, and warm it up when the weather is chilly and you’re craving something super satisfying. Easy.

Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup dry red wine
  • 1 28-ounce can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 pound spaghetti, fettuccine, or similar
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
  1. Prepare the meat: place the milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil, fish sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a pinch of black pepper into a large bowl and stir. Add the beef and gently massage the marinade into the meat with your hands. Let the meat stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour while you prepare the sauce.
  2. Make the sauce: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
  3. Add the meat to the pot, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes. Stir and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the meat is browned.
  4. Add the wine and cook for another 10 minutes, until the wine is reduced by half. Pour in the tomatoes and juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands before the go into the pot. Add a pinch of black pepper and let the sauce simmer, partially covered, over low heat, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  5. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the water to the sauce to finish cooking, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and gently toss. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Sweet and Sticky Chicken Wings

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This is one of my most-requested recipes, and it couldn’t possibly be any easier to make. They make the perfect appetizer, and they even travel well for potlucks. Best of all, these chicken wings crisp up in the oven. Once they’re done cooking, toss them in a three-ingredient sauce, and you’re all set.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 pounds chicken wings
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Franks Red Hot Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons melted hot pepper jelly
  1. Preheat the oven to 500F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, dried garlic, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer and roast the chicken for 45 minutes, turning once (at around the 25 minute mark), until browned and crispy.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the hot sauce, butter, and hot pepper jelly. Toss the chicken with the hot sauce mixture and serve.

Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

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I know “sour cream sauce” doesn’t exactly sound appetizing, but hear me out. These tender meatballs are simmered with herbs, cream of mushroom, and sour cream, resulting in a super savory sauce sauce. Serve this atop a pile of egg noodles for the ultimate cold-weather comfort meal.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 12 ounces egg noodles, like pappardelle, cooked
  1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk. Let soak for 5 minutes.
  2. In another bowl, combine chicken, beef, egg, onion, parsley, salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper. Add soaked bread crumbs and mix lightly but thoroughly.
  3. With wet hands, shape meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Brown meatballs in batches. Place meatballs on a greased baking pan. Bake until cooked through, 30-35 minutes.
  4. In a small bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water. In a large saucepan, combine cream of mushroom soup, bouillon mixture, and soy sauce until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and serve with meatballs and cooked noodles.

Cabbage and White Beans with Kimchi Dressing

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Yeah, I know. No one gets excited at the thought of cabbage. But hear me out. What if the cabbage was charred to a caramelized goodness and tossed with a tangy kimchi sauce and butter beans for heft? I never thought I’d say this about cabbage, but I could eat this every day. Adapted from Bon Appetit, I recommend jarred butter beans for this recipe as the quality makes all the difference.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 small head of cabbage, cored and cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 1 15-ounce jar or can butter beans or other large white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped drained kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450F degrees. Toss cabbage, beans, 1/4 oil, and 2 teaspoons salt on a rimmed baking sheet until cabbage leaves are separated and coated with oil. Roast until cabbage is tender and charred in spots, 30-35 minutes.
  2. Whisk kimchi, kimchi juice, sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl to combine. Set kimchi dressing aside.
  3. Whisk tahini, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Set tahini sauce aside.
  4. Spoon half of reserved kimchi dressing over roasted cabbage and beans and toss gently to coat. Spread reserved tahini sauce over a platter and drizzle remaining kimchi dressing over. Pile cabbage and beans on top, and garnish with jalapeno, dill, and parsley on top.

Kimchi Mac and Cheese

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I love kimchi. I eat it straight out of the jar. To me, kimchi is torshi-adjacent — after all, my family has been buying kimchi since before it entered the American lexicon in the 1990s. We eat it alongside all manner of khoresh and rice. It works!

Kimchi is versatile. And if it works so well with Iranian food, then why not with American food too? Behold, your new favorite mac and cheese recipe. Tangy, fermented kimchi is the perfect foil to cheddar cheese. I can’t get enough.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni or similar
  • 1 cup panko
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk, warmed
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons gochujang
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups grated aged extra-sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
  3. Put the panko in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil, mixing until the panko is evenly coated. Set aside.
  4. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Drizzle in the warm milk, continuing to whisk to get rid of any clumps. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the mustard, gochujang, nutmeg, and salt. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, for a few minutes.
  5. Remove from the heat and add both cheeses, macaroni, and kimchi and mix until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Pour the pasta into a wide, shallow, oven-proof baking dish, top with the panko mixture and transfer the dish to the oven.
  6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the panko topping is golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling at the edges.