Sometimes it’s beef/pork, or beef/veal or beef/pork/veal. Today it was all ground beef, because it’s what I had on hand, but it was very high quality ground beef and suited the gnocchi perfectly.

Gnocchi with Bolognese is Italian Meat and Potatoes

Over the last decade or so the idea meat and potatoes has gotten a bad rap. The “thin” generation of the 1950-70’s ate meat and potatoes several dinners a week. It’s all in portion control, healthy ingredients.

It’s not typical to serve bolognese with gnocchi. I usually serve it with a paparadelle pasta, but I thought it would be fun to make a serious comfort food dish as a play on meat and potatoes. Everyone loved it and I actually made it twice in one week with no complaints.

You can make your own gnocchi with the recipe below or buy they store bought. The big advantage of using gnocchi is that they cook in about a minute.

I’ve made no egg version here, but this version uses egg yolks, and they come out perfectly soft. The other thing I did differently from my other recipe is changing the flour to an Italian flour.

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 cup unbleached flour, more as needed
• 2 egg yolks

I baked the potatoes and while still warm put through a ricer, which also makes the best mashed potatoes.

When you rice the potatoes warm with the skins, they come right off. Don’t use more flour than necessary or the gnocchi will be tough.

Bolognese Sauce

I have made no less than six bolognese recipes here. The basic technique is always the same, but the variations come with the meat chosen and sometimes a fun addition for the fall season. Whatever you choose from the very classical recipe or a recipe with a twist, you will find them hearty, delicious, and perfect for gnocchi.

• Five Bolognese Recipes
• What is Bolognese, Your Questions Answered and One New Bolognese Recipe

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Gnocchi with Bolognese

An Italian meat and potatoes comfort meal, Potato gnocchi with Bolognese.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 egg yolks

Instructions

Gnocchi Instructions

• Bake potatoes in 375 degrees oven, until tender in middle. This is better than boiling the potatoes, because it will dry them out. If you rice the potatoes, you will not need to peel. The peel comes right off.
• Do not add all the flour at one time. Start by adding a half cup and then keep adding, just until you have a dough you can work with.
• Add in egg yolks. Don’t overwork. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little flour a tablespoon at a time. Too much flour will make gnocchi tough.

  Roll into cylinder, cut in 3/4” pieces and taking it lengthwise across a fork, depress center. The center should be thinner than the edges, which helps to keep the gnocchi tender.
• The ridges serve to hold the sauce.
• Use 4 quarts of water in sauce pan to boil. Add salt. In the beginning, add 3 gnocchi and cook only FOR TEN SECONDS. Taste and if too floury, add only 2 or 3 seconds. If you are tempted to cook your gnocchi behind this point, they will become the dreaded piece of rubber.
• Time your gnocchi to be ready when your sauce is done, cooking the gnocchi in the last stretch of those 45 minutes. When gnocchi is ready, add grated cheese, and then the sauce.
• Serve immediately. Season to taste.

Notes

Double recipe for 4 to 6 servings.

The post Gnocchi Bolognese (Italian Meat and Potatoes) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I tell you the truth when I say we ate the whole pot to the last drop, and I think I personally ate six bowls, because I have the secret for an easy, delicious soup broth and you won’t believe how easy it is.

Before I list my ingredients, keep in mind you can replace or add in more ingredients as you see fit. There are no hard and fast rules for vegetable soup vegetables, but I do have a few tips on how to make sure the soup has flavor with a good broth.

Making the Best EASY Soup Broth

While the vegetables you add will certainly add flavor to your broth, you want to start with as much flavor as possible. This is why I do this:

• 2 Quarts of organic boxed broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable broth).
• 1 large can of tomatoes. (I squeeze the tomatoes with my hands and add in all the juices). I prefer using San Marzano Tomatoes, but you could also add in a good tomato puree. It’s the mix of the broth with tomato that tastes so good.

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More Hearty Soups from Spinach Tiger

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Homemade Vegetable Soup

Paleo, Low Carb Vegetable Soup, Easy

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword vegetable soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 16 oz can San Marzano Whole Tomatoes or tomato puree
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 4 carrots diced
• 1 turnip
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole cauliflower head
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper more to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas optional
• parsley
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano for serving
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to add extra heat
• 1 cup frozen peas or white beans optional

Instructions

• Put oil, broth, and tomatoes in dutch oven (or crock pot). Use your hands to break up the tomatoes out of the can and include all the juice.
• Add carrot coins, cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces, diced celery and diced onion.
• Season with herbs, spices, salt and pepper.
• Cook low and slow for two hours or four hours on low in crock pot.
• Add peeled, cubed turnip in the last hour.
• Add frozen peas or canned white beans. Rinse beans before adding. Add peas in the last 30 minutes. You can add the beans anytime.
• Make sure kale is ripped into bite-sized pieces. If using Tuscan kale, remove the rib.
• Add kale in last hour also.
• Add in red chili flakes if you want to add heat. You can add a dash or up to a teaspoon.
• Serve with grated parmesan cheese or pecorino. If you use pecorino, consider its saltiness before adding more salt.

Notes

Regarding vegetables. You can delete something you don’t have or like and add in other veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, or green beans. Make sure everything is bite-sized.

The post Recipe for Homemade Vegetable Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here are a few of my favorite things to cook, bake, eat while hunkered down in a storm. If you have to be stuck inside, at least enjoy the food. Or perhaps take time to try some new recipes.

Smoothies

You might be stuck at home too many days, but still want to feel good and stay healthy. Try any of these smoothies which are tried are true for my family. The twins were sick last week and asked for the red beet smoothie. By chance, I had red beets and all the ingredients.

• Vitamin C Smoothie and Tips for a Fever
• Two Green Smoothie Recipes Kids Love
• Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie
• Red Beet Smoothie (kids love, so do teens)
• Blueberry Protein Smoothie Bowl
• Chocolate Fix: Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Snacks

Try some healthy snacks if you start getting bored.

• Olive Feta Salad
• Italian Sausage Balls
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Cowboy Caviar (Bean Dip)

Soups

I know EVERYONE is making soup this week. Here’s a few of my favorites.

• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Sausage Lentil Soup

Bread

Perhaps have always wanted to know about how to make your own sourdough starter. I just made a new one and it was ready in five days, just using all purpose flour. The bread was great.

• Sourdough Bread (Easy)
• Sourdough Starter (will be ready in five days)
• Best Traditional Southern Fluffy Biscuits

Stews

• Beef Bourguignon (low carb option)
• Old Fashioned Beef Stew
• Four Chicken Biscuit Pot Pie Recipes (Low carb options)
• Chicken Chicken Pot Pie with Best Crust
• Irish Stew with Soda Bread

Pasta

You can make most of these with any kind of macaroni.

• Tuscan White Bean Pasta
• Creamy Sausage Ragu
• Stuffed Shells
• Three Cheese Pasta Chicken Bake

Easy Delicious Ground Beef Recipes

• Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
• Italian Ground Beef and Peas (my STILL number one post)
• Picadillo (Cuban ground beef with olives) serve with rice
• Our Favorite Taco Meat (made with bacon)

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

I know you all have a huge amounts of eggs and here are some great ideas.

• Eggs in Purgatory (Italian Shakshuka)
• Arugula Hash with Oven Baked Eggs
• Spinach Frittata with Manchego
• Homemade Egg Pasta (even if you don’t have a pasta machine, you can do this using a rolling pin).

For Fun

• Snow Cream

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The post Snow Storm Food appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I bring this soup to a soup potluck, I will always get several requests for the recipe. That tells you everything you need to know about this flavorful, classic, soup, that can serve as a full meal.

If you’ve been to Carrabba’s, you may have already eaten something similar, as their sausage lentil soup is very popular. I’m inspired by their soup and added in my own touches, and tastes.

Which Lentils to Use for Lentil Soup

Truthfully, I wondered this myself so I ventured to Whole Foods to buy two kinds from their bins and do some testing.

• French Lentils, also known as Puy Lentils, from the Puy Region in France. Petite, green, and hold up well in soups, stews, retaining their shape,
• Brown Lentils, more common, hold shape, but not as well as French lentils.

I made two pots of soup with each lentil and preferred the French lentils for their structure and taste. However, the brown lentils will make a fine sausage lentil soup also.

The two different times I made this soup, I did the sausage differently. One time I made cooked the sausage, removed the casing after cooking and sliced into coins. The other times and the easiest way is to purchase loose sausage and cook that. Either way is fine.

Process

• Cook sausage in dutch oven you will be making soup in. Remove from pan.
• Cook carrots, celery, onion (garlic) in same pan until softened.
• Add in white wine. Cook alcohol off.
• Add in tomatoes, (crushed with hand), broth, sausage, lentils.
• Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, until lentils are softened, about 40 minutes.
• Add kale in during last ten minutes.
• Serve with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Add Greens to Sausage Lentil Soup

We love an extra green in a soup like kale or swiss chard. Both greens hold up well and give a nice added texture and color. If you use Tuscan Kale, be sure to remove the center rib and just tear it into bite sized pieces.

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Hearty Soups from Spinach Tiger

• Italian Wedding Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Beef and Cabbage Soup
• Beef Vegetable Soup
• Eggplant Soup with Italian Sausage

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Sausage Lentil Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lentil soup, lentils, sausage lentil kale soup, sausage lentil soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 servings

Calories 252kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup white wine optional
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups lentils
• 2 cups kale chopped
• 4 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese
• 1 16 oz Italian Plum Tomatoes
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

• Heat oil in dutch oven you will be making the soup in. Add loose sausage, break up into bite sized pieces, brown.
  
• Remove sausage to a bowl.
• In that same pan or pot, sauté carrot, onion, celery for five minutes. Add minced garlic. Sauté for five minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add minced garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add white wine and cook for five minutes. Add chicken broth.
• Using your hands crush the whole tomatoes with the puree into the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Rinse lentils and look over for pebbles, etc. Add lentils to the soup.
  
• Bring to boil and then turn to simmer. Add fresh thyme. (Remove stems later).
• Once your lentils are cooked through (about 50 minutes), add kale. You will want to make sure to remove the inside ribs (if Tuscan Kale) and tear into bite sized pieces. Cook another 30 minutes on low.
• If you want to add heat, add 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes. You could also choose to put the chili flakes on the table and have people choose themselves.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve with parmesan or pecorino romano on the side.
  
• You could also garnish with parsley. I usually don't do that when I use kale.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 6g

The post Italian Sausage Lentil Kale Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This Christmas apple cranberry slab pie reminded me of the flavor profiles on the show.  The cranberries add a necessary tang to all the sweet and combine beautifully with the apples.

I’m not new to slab pies, as I made a summer version with blueberries and peaches here.

The key to this Christmas pie is flavors and cooking down the apples with butter, cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg. You can choose to mix it up anyway you like, but keep the cinnamon!

Pushing the flavors of old time Christmas, the cranberries do their job.  I used two kinds of apples. The granny smith which cooked down, yielding a lot of juice. To those I added 3 gala apples which don’t cook down in the same way.

This is the first time I’ve mixed my apples, and I rather like it. Gala apples are usually my apple of choice because they keep some of their crispness. You can mix up your apples (see notes in recipe).

The filling for the apple cranberry slab pie is absolutely delicious.

It tastes like an old fashioned pie you might eat in Europe, so rich in flavors.

I trimmed the dough around the sheet pan, but you could do something more decorative if you choose. I felt I had enough dough and the corner pieces would have too much.

Blind bake Apple Cranberry Slab Pie for 15 minutes. 

Since my apple filling was pre-cooked, I blind-baked the bottom crust for 15 minutes to ensure it remain crisp when cut. It worked perfectly, and there was no soggy bottom.

Use any cookie cutters you like. I like these Christmas cookie cutters.

This is the perfect crowd pleaser. Pre-cut into squares in the pan before serving. This pie also freezes well.

I’ll be adding this to my Apple Desserts with Decorative Crusts

Summer Slab Pie Here

More Apple Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pan Dowdy (Gluten Free)
• Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pie
• Low Carb Apple Upside Down Cake
• Caramelized Apple Tart with Stove Top Brown Sugar Apple Filling
• Keto Apple Muffins

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Apple Cranberry Slab Pie

Winter Apple pie with cranberries baked in a sheet pan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Apple Cranberry Pie Filling

• 8 apples
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries can sub with raspberries
• 1/3 cup brown sugar may need a few tablespoons more
• 1/2 orange for juice and zest
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 3/4 cup sugar (See Notes)
• 1/2 orange
• 2 tablespoons sifted corn starch
• Pie Dough
• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 448 grams plus more for dusting
• 12 ounces Unsalted Butter 24 tablespoons or 3 sticks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup iced cold water 2 more tablespoons, (if needed

Instructions

• Make Pie Dough below first and refrigerate for one hour while making apple filling.

MAKE APPLE FILLING

• Peel and core apples. Y≈
• Slice apples about 1/4 inch thick.
• Zest orange and juice orange.
• Put 4 tablespoons butter in frying pan with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
• Toss apples with sugar, juice of half orange, orange zest. Add 1 tablespoon corn starch.
• Cook apples and cranberries on top of stove on low in large frying pan, until somewhat softened. The granny smith apples will cook down more than the gala apples. There will a lot of liquid, after about 15 minutes.
• Drain liquid and use in another recipe.
• MAKE PIE DOUGH
• Cut butter into small pieces. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt in food processor or kitchen aid mixer. You can whisk and do this with your hands.
• Cut butter into flour mixture. I prefer my kitchen aid mixer but a food processor works well too
• You can, however use a pastry cutter and mix butter into flour, making sure to keep the pieces pea sized.
• Add in ice cold water. Mix just enough to be able to squeeze dough together.
• If the dough stays together when you press, it’s processed enough.
• Put in plastic bag, separating it into 1/3 and 2/3. Bring it together in bag. Refrigerate for one hour. You can do this a day in advance of recipe.
• Bring out twenty minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange rack in oven on bottom third.
• Once you are ready to assemble, first roll out 1/3 dough to make stars. You can make 15 large stars or 18 smaller stars. You can use more dough from the other section if need be. The recipe will make the stars and the remaining dough is just enough for the sheet pan.
• Make the cut outs and place in refrigerator, while rolling out the dough for the bottom.
• Roll into rectangle and place in sheet pan.
• Fork holes all over the bottom. Place in freezer for a few minutes.
• Arrange apples cranberry mixture.
• Before placing stars over fruit, using your finger, rub milk over each star, and sprinkle raw sugar
• Bake for 35 minutes. Check halfway through and turn pan around.
• Check at 30 minutes and loosely cover with foil if it’s already golden brown.
• Allow to cool before cutting.
• Keep at room temperature, covered with foil.
• Can be frozen for 60 days. Take out and allow to defrost at room temperature. Can be reheated in oven.

Notes

Apples: I mixed my apples, but you can use all gala which stay a little crisper and require less sugar. If you use all granny smith apples, you will need all the sugar. Taste filling as you go, since it’s cooked stovetop. 

The post Christmas Apple Cranberry Slab Pie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I feel confident calling this the best ever chicken salad because I brought it to a party, and everyone who tried it commented on it.  It was perfect combination of textures. Pomegranates, pecans, celery, apples, white meat chicken. I used the Best Body Mayonnaise  (Amazon) as it is 100% avocado oil.

You can make this a keto friendly recipe by eliminating the apple, but do keep the pomegranate.

Use a Good Rotisserie Chicken for Chicken Salad

It all started when a friend dropped off two rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods to keep us covered for dinners, after my mother passed away. I cut off all of the white meat, discarding any skin or bones, and froze the dark meat for another time.

You can roast your own chicken, using my easy one hour oven roasted chicken recipe. 

I was shocked at how much chicken I ended up having and would say one chicken is probably all you need for several servings.  The day before my mother died, I stopped at Whole Foods with the intention of making soup and had organic celery on hand. I had made her this roasted pumpkin which was her last dinner with us and still had pomegranate arils left. I also had a few very crisp gala apples, and fresh parsley (for the soup I never made). I always have pecans on hands, and chose to roast them for just about 3 minutes.

What is the Key to the Great Chicken Salad?

As easy as chicken salad is to make, there are important components to making it the best.

• The chicken has to be pulled, not cubed. Use a food Processor.
• The mayonnaise has to be healthy. I use Better Body Foods because it doesn’t have canola oil.
• There has to be some crunch, either from celery or apples or both. (I know some people hate celery).
• There needs to be a little bit of sweet, which is where my pomegranate comes in. It’s a better choice than using dried cranberries if you’re looking for a lower sugar option.
• It needs nuts, and I prefer roasted, chopped pecans.
• Don’t forget the salt and pepper, and a smattering of parsley.
• Add a little honey if your mayonnaise doesn’t have flavor.
• Add fresh herbs. I added rosemary for a holiday feel.

My Favorite Food Processors (My Amazon Picks)

Braun 12 Cup Food Processor that does everything. I use this for shredding carrots, squeezing lemons, chopping nuts and processing my chicken. This is the processor for life.

Kitchen Aid 5 Cup Food Processor – great for the small jobs. You can use this for the chicken salad, but you might have to do it in batches.

I know this can be used to make the best chicken salad sandwich, but I like to serve it in a pretty bowl, topped with chopped pecans, pomegranates, and a smattering of parsley and rosemary. It’s so perfect for Christmas parties and Christmas brunches.

You can use this same recipe to make the best ever turkey salad.

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Pomegranate Spells Holiday Time

The pomegranate arils perfected this chicken salad, adding a touch of tart and sweet with some texture. I wouldn’t leave these out. I get so excited when pomegranates hit the grocery in winter as I throw them into almost every salad and some hot dishes like last week’s roasted pumpkin. Just a tablespoon or two makes a difference.

How to Crack Open a Pomegranate

Score the six ridges of the pomegranate and break at the ridges over a bowl of water. The frustrating part can be the pulp mixing with the pomegranate arils. Break over a bowl of cold water. The arils will sink to the bottom and you can use a slotted spoon to remove the pulp from the top. Then drain the arils.

Nutrition Value for Best Chicken Salad

If you want this to be a keto friendly (zero net carb) recipe,  take out the apple. It was as if everything was pre-planned to make the best ever chicken salad. This low carb and a paleo recipe, full of healthy fat, protein and fruits and around 4 net carbs per serving.  If you remove the apple, it’s zero net carbs and keto friendly.

More Party Foods from Spinach Tiger

• Pimento Cheese Egg Salad
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Party Caprese Salad
• Keto Texas Sheet Cake
• Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
• Italian Sausage Balls
• Sourdough Camembert Wreath
• Feta Olives Salad
• Ricotta, Peas, Pesto Appetizer
• Cowboy Caviar
• How to Make a Cheeseboard

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Holiday Chicken Salad

Pulled chicken, with pomegranates, rosemary, and pecans make a very festive chicken salad made with Rotisserie chicken.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound white meat chicken Pulled from rotisserie chicken or poached
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup mayonnaise Better Body Foods
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 1 small gala apple with skin diced
• 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to taste or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey optinal

Instructions

• Pull chicken off bone. Don't use any skin. I find using a food processor makes the texture I like for chicken salad.
• Add diced celery, diced apple to chicken.
• Add mayonnaise according to need. I used quite a bit. Add optional honey if desired. It does add an extra something.
• Toasting pecans is optional. No more than 3 minutes. Chop somewhere between fine and course, keeping in mind how that will be for eating. Add in, but save some for topping.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add in rosemary and parsley, but also save a little for the top.

Prepare Pomegranate

• Score the six ridges of a pomegranate.
• Break open over a bowl of cold water. The pomegranate arils will sink to bottom.
• Add two tablespoons of arils, and save a little for the top.

Poached Chicken Breasts Option

• Add about 2 inches cold water over the chicken breasts and bring to boil. Once the water is boiling, skim off the scum off the top, and turn down the heat. Take out of the water as soon as the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. in the middle. Cool completely before making the chicken salad.

The post Best Ever Holiday Chicken Salad with Rosemary and Pomegranates appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The beauty of this cookie is how thin and crisp it is, which makes it so addicting. I haven’t yet met a person who eats just one and can stop.

My Aunt Rita was the only one in the family who made made them and I still have her handwritten recipe. I combined it with a recipe I found in an Amish cookbook, Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams.

It’s the only recipe I’ve seen that separates the eggs and  beats the egg whites stiff. You must use real butter, no substitutes, which is funny because my Aunt Rita hated butter, and the only time of year you could find butter at her house was when she was making sand tarts.

The sentimentality goes deep for me. Her son, Sam, my closest cousin was like a big brother to me. He passed away at 42 and left me everything including this book. I can actually remember the day he bought the book and showed it to me. He was very influential in how I view food.

It was years before I delved into the book, but it’s quite marvelous, highlighting all the regional dishes I grew up eating, and the type of cooking that has enjoyed a renaissance. I can’t bake these cookies without thinking about both of them, and I will pass this down to the children in my life, which is why I made a video.

Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Must be Rolled Very Thin

A very simple cookie, but one not so easy to get exactly right, as they must be rolled quite thin. The cookies are challenging only in getting them thin enough; otherwise it’s an easy cookie dough to make, but they must be made the night before and refrigerated.

It’s very tricky to send cookies out of town and keep them from going stale. I used cylinder tins and made a cookie that the recipe says will keep indefinitely.

You will want a lot of different cookie cutters.

I made these for Thanksgiving, and used a maple leaf cookie cutter and placed a pecan in the center. For Christmas, you might see them just like this, or you might see them with colored sugar.

I Grew up Eating Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Every Christmas

When I mention sand tarts to people who know and understand the regional component, they get excited and plead with me to make them a batch. I hope you and your family will enjoy this long time Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas tradition.

You will have to hide the cookies though, because they are so thin and crisp, it’s easy to eat a dozen at a time. This was the first time I’ve made Pennsylvania Dutch sand tarts and now I’ll be making them every year.

Tell me about your food traditions at the Holidays. Do you have a recipe that’s been passed down and have you ever heard of Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts? I put a lot of baking and cooking posts on Instagram and Pinterest.

Family Italian Christmas Cookies from Spinach Tiger

• Chocolate Biscotti
• Lemon Almond Biscotti
• Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookie)
• Ricotta Cookie
• Date Cookies

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Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts

A Pennsylvania Dutch cookie, thin and crisp and traditionally served only at Christmas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 10 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound butter softened (no substitutes)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs separated
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg beaten
• 4 cups whole pecans although I didn’t use that many

Instructions

• If using a kitchen aid, beat the egg whites stiff first and transfer to another bowl.
• In the mixing bowl, beat butter until very softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add salt, and vanilla. Beat egg yolks and add.
• Fold in the egg whites, but not totally. You should still be able to see some of the white patches.
• Add in flour 1 1/2 cups at a time.
• Chill overnight.
• Bake the next day at 350 degrees.
• Roll out a quarter at a time, keeping dough in refrigerator.
• Roll very thin and use a 2 inch scalloped cookie cutter to form or use any Christmas cutter you desire.
• Brush with beaten egg, top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with pecan.
• Bake 9-10 minutes, not allowing cookie to get too brown.
• Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• Pack in tins.

The post Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts, an Amish Christmas Cookie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

We absolutely love bolognese, an Italian meat sauce that is cooked very slow on low heat for several hours.

Served with tagliatelle or paparadelle, (wide flat egg noodles), it is the comfort food of all comfort foods. In our house, it disappears fast, and this particular pot of bolognese got rave reviews from the twins who ate bolognese all over Italy. My Homemade Pasta recipe is here.

This is almost the same recipe as this authentic bolognese recipe from Marcella Hazan. It’s still begins with carrots, onion and celery, but we really caramelize the soffrito in this recipe. It still contains milk and white wine, (not red), but everything is added in a different order.

Pancetta is an important ingredient. It isn’t something I can always easily find in my area, and I decided to add my own twist by adding peppered uncured salami from Boar’s Head. This might seem odd, but once chopped very find, and fried, it nearly disappears into the sauce, but not without leaving an added layer of flavor. Did I lose you? I hope not.

Another thing I added to this was chicken stock. You could also use beef stock. The stock helps to thin the bolognese out when it gets too thick, keeping in mind that it has a small amount of tomato sauce and can dry out.

Bolognese can be used for other recipes such as lasagna, crepes, polenta or risotto.

What is Bolognese?

Bolognese is a meat sauce, simmered for hours, made with, soffritto, ground meat, milk, wine and and little bit of tomato. My new recipe adds chicken broth. Additionally you can add pancetta and a dash of nutmeg.

What Kind of Pot Should I Cook Bolognese?

A heavy pot that retains heat, like an enameled cast iron. My favorite is this pot from Le Creuset.

What Meat Should I Use for Bolognese?

You have options here. The best cut of beef is ground chuck, but you can certainly mix ground pork and beef or veal and beef. If you use pork, use 2 parts beef, 1 part pork and make it a fatty pork. All of these combinations work. I would not use ground turkey or ground chicken.

How Long Should I Cook Bolognese?

Cook bolognese on the lowest heat for a long time, no less than 3 hours, making sure it does not dry out. You can use broth or a little water as needed.

Can You Make Bolognese in a Slow Cooker?

Yes, but first you must cook the ingredients on top of the stove. Once you are at the final step and ready to simmer for hours, you can transport your bolognese to a slow cooker. Cook on very low for as long as 6-8 hours if you have the time.

Do You Need to Use Wine in Bolognese?

Wine is one of the main components to push flavor in bolognese. Keep in mind that the alcohol will burn off. If you want to skip the wine, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the sauce, once you are ready to simmer, and replace the amount of liquid with more broth. Use white wine not red wine which brings a brightness to the dish.

Is Milk Necessary in Bolognese?

Milk is one of the main ingredients of bolognese as it breaks down the connective tissues of the ground beef and acts as a tenderizer. If you do skip, use a very fatty ground beef, or a combination of beef and veal. If you are using veal, use less milk.

Can I Make Bolognese without Tomatoes?

Yes, it’s actually called White Bolognese. We had white bolognese in Montepulciano. The recipe will include the soffritto (carrots, onion, celery) white wine, chicken stock, butter and heavy cream. I plan on making a recipe soon.

What Pasta Goes Best with Bolognese?

The typical pasta for bolognese is tagliatelle, or paparadelle. Make sure you use a bronze cut pasta if store-bought. You can also use a rigatoni macaroni.

What Wine Pairs well with Bolognese?

Although, I use only white wine in the sauce, we drink red wine with the meal. We like a good rich red like Chianti Classico or Sangiovese. Cabernet works well too.

Should Cheese Be Added?

There are no shoulds when it comes to grated cheese, except that either pecorino romano or parmesan should be freshly grated at the table. We like Pecorino best; it’s tangy and salty.

Can You Freeze Bolognese?

Yes, so make a double batch and freeze up to three months.

Is Bolognese Really Italian?

Bolognese comes from Bologna and is served throughout Italy. We ate bolognese in Rome, Lucca and White Bolognese in Montepulciano.

What’s the Difference between Bolognese and Ragu?

Some will say no difference. I differentiate ragu from bolognese in my recipes from the time it takes to cook. For example, my sausage ragû is a meat sauce that I make quickly.

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Variations on Bolognese

• Peach and Pork Bolognese
• Spaghetti Bolognese with Pork
• Italinan Sloppy Joe’s Bolognese
• Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese

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New Red Bolognese Recipe

Bolognese Recipe with All Your Bolognese Questions Answered

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bolognese

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons butter plus 2 T for tossing pasta
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck mixed with salt and pepper before cooking
• 8 ounces pancetta See notes
• black pepper freshly ground
• salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• 2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes with juice chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock more as needed
• freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table

Instructions

• On medium heat, add oil, butter, onion, until translucent.
• Add celery, carrots and cook on low until all is caramelized. This will add a lot of flavor. Once cooked, remove to a bowl. Set aside.
• In the pot you will be making the bolognese, cook meat. Sautè chopped pancetta or peppered salami. Salt meat. Add ground meat and satue Sautè meat separately until cooked completely.
• Add milk until cooked through on low about 10 minutes.
• Add nutmeg.
• Add the vegetables and mix through.
• Add the white wine and cook for about 10 minutes until alcohol is cooked off.
• Add the tomatoes, crushed with your hands.
• Add chicken stock. Cook on low for 3 hours and add more stock as necessary.
  

Notes

This recipe is a double batch, which I recommend, as you will eat it all. You can freeze, or make other dishes with it, such as bolognese sliders.

I sometimes substitute Boar’s Head peppered salami (about 4 ounces) instead of pancetta. 

The post What is Bolognese? All Your Questions Answered and a New Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I am super excited about this recipe for uncomplicated beef bourguignon.

Almost giddy. I’ve been wanting to make beef bourguignon for ever. The ingredients didn’t intimidate me, but the instructions sure did. There were too many pans and too many unnecessary steps, which is so very much like the French.  Beef Bourguignon started out as peasant fare originating in the Burgundy region using Charolais bulls.

It was elevated by Escoffier to haute cuisine as he used a whole piece of beef. It was Julia Child who chose to used beef cubes.  This reminds me of this Italian Beef in Red Wine I made some years back using the whole piece of meat.  Both recipes are amazing.

After Italian food, french food is my favorite and there are so overlaps in the cuisine. Italians seems to know how to cook with less ingredients and the recipes are usually more approachable.

Sometimes the French don’t know how to streamline and I’m thinking maybe all these steps were ways for the chef to boss his crew around or simply elevate peasant food as mentioned above.

Since I am Italian, I’m not about to compromise on taste or quality so even though this recipe saves many steps (and I won’t even go into them here), the result of this wine braised beef is amazing and should be your very next dish for company.

You Can Do the Prep in Advance

So much of the prep can be done in advance and honestly there’s about 30 minutes  of active cook time. The dutch oven does all the work, as well as a fine bottle of wine that takes plain old beef cubes to the next level and above.

I took some license with the flour that typically goes into a stew and used tapioca starch, also known as tapioca flour to keep this grain free, gluten free.

Let me take you through the ingredients and I ask you not to scrimp or make substitutions. If you do I cannot guarantee your beef bourguignon will be exquisite.

The French spelling is bœuf à la Bourguignonne. We can say Beef Burgundy in English. It’s basically beef stew braised in red wine and we refer always to Julia Child who made this dish famous. In fact all the recipes on line are versions of her dish.

This recipe has the same ingredients, while using some shortcuts that we believe make no difference to the gist and flavor of the dish.

What are the Ingredients for Beef Bourguignon?

• Beef Cubes
• Red Wine
• Bacon
• Tomato Paste
• Mushrooms
• Pearl Onions
• Carrots
• Garlic Cloves
• Beef Broth
• Flour or Tapioca Flour

Crock Pot or Dutch Oven

You can begin this recipe in a large pot and then transfer to a slow cooker. I prefer to make this in a dutch oven and put it into the oven on low for about 3 hours. Either way, it will be delicious.

My Favorites

• Slow Cooker
• Dutch Oven (This is the one I use every day. It’s Le Creuset and yes it’s worth the price).

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What is Beef Bourguignon?

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Beef Bourguignon

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon cut into lardons 1 inch cubes
• 3 pounds Stew Meat 2 inch pieces
• salt
• pepper
• 1 large white onion small diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced or thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons flour I used tapioca flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bottle dry red wine like a pinot noir
• 2 cups beef stock see notes
• 1 carrot cut into 2 inch pieces added in beginning
• 2 carrots cut into discs added later towards end
• 1 package pearl onions frozen
• Herbs parsley, thyme, 2 bayleaf which are removed later
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package white or brown mushrooms quartered (more if you love mushrooms)

Instructions

• Brown bacon to crisp. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels.
• Dry meat with paper towels
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Flour the meat and brown in the bacon grease. Remove to a bowl.
• Using same pan or dutch oven, soften onion and add carrots.
• Add garlic and sauté briefly.
• Put beef cubes and bacon back into a dutch oven or crock pot.
• Add wine and tomato paste, pearl onions.
• Add enough beef stock to cover the meat.
• Cook in dutch oven for three hours.
• You can do this on top of stove, but I prefer to place dutch oven in a 325 degree oven.
• OR, you can put in a crock pot on high for 3 to 4 hours.
• One hour before serving, add the carrot discs. (remove the carrot that is in there).
• Remove the carrots pieces in the stew along with the bay leaf and other herbs.
• Thirty minutes before serving sauté mushrooms in olive oil.
• You can cook the carrots separately and add at the end if you desire.
• Add in cooked mushrooms.
• Cook until carrots are done.
• Top with fresh chopped parsley.
• Serve over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

Notes

I replace wheat flour with tapioca flour to make this recipe gluten free, paleo and lower carb. There is no taste difference.

The post Uncomplicated Beef Bourguignon, Paleo, Keto Friendly appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I made this dish on a Wednesday of last week, and then made it all over again. The honest part is that I was never the biggest fan of spaghetti squash. I’ve made recipes with it before, but this one busted to the top of my all time favorite Fall dishes.

Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, sage, thyme, pecorino Romano and a splash of heavy cream come together to bring one of the best Italian comfort dishes of the season and it’s still low-carb!

I talk to you all the time about my favorite Pecorino Romano cheese and why I love it so much. It’s a sheep’s milk cheese that has a salty tang, and can be used interchangeably with Parmesan Cheese.

Spaghetti squash tastes best when it is properly softened. This squash is twice baked and tender.

Each bite delivers a moment of comfort with the flavors of the sausage with the grated cheese, the earthiness of mushrooms and slight sweetness of the squash, all pulled together by heavy cream.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole Roasted and Rebaked

The spaghetti squash is roasted and then rebaked in a casserole. This also happens to be a very pretty dish that makes a beautiful presentation if you decide to put it back into the shell of the squash.

Spaghetti Squash is Easy to Make

I have a whole post here on how to cook spaghetti squash a few different ways.

Spaghetti Squash is only 31 calories per cup and about 5.5 net carbs.

More Spaghetti Squash Recipes

• Three Cheese Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
• Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
• Spaghetti Squash Three Cheese Lasagna
• Spaghetti Squash Hash Browns
• Italian Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash
• Spaghetti Squash Bolognese Ricotta

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Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe with Italian Sausage

Italian Sausage and Mushrooms come together with Spaghetti Squash and Heavy Cream for delicious Winter Comfort Food.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Roast Spaghetti Squash

• 1 large Spaghetti Squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• salt and pepper

Squash Filling

• 2 pieces bacon
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 2 cups mushrooms sliced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage removed from casing
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano Cheese.
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

Roast Spaghetti Squash Instruction

• Microwave spaghetti squash for 3 to 5 minutes, to make it soft enough to cut it.
• Carefully cut in half lengthwise using a towel to hold the squash.
• Scoop out seeds. It’s important to do that now, as they are harder to separate out once baked.
• Brush olive oil or butter over spaghetti squash.
• Put into baking dish open squash side down.
• Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. or until it’s easy to shred squash into tendrils with a fork.

Squash Filling

• While squash is roasting, slice bacon across into small lardons.
• Fry bacon until you have crispy pieces. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
• Keep just enough of the bacon grease to sauté the onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes until soft. Once cooked add to dish with the bacon.
• Wipe out grease from pan and cook sausage, removing it from casing.
• Drain sausage on paper towels.
• Remove spaghetti squash and allow to cool.
• Use the fork to shred the squash.
• Mix together sausage, bacon mushroom mixture, squash.
• Add half cheese and heavy cream.

Assemble

• Put into a baking dish or back in reserved squash shells.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle remaining grated cheese and bake for twenty minutes at 400 degrees.

The post Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe with Italian Sausage appeared first on Spinach Tiger.