How Did Vodka Sauce Develop?

There are varied opinions as to its origin. Some say it was created in Rome to boost vodka, and that could be true, but it doesn’t feel very Italy Italian to me. Others report that it started at a restaurant in New York City, when a Chef Luigi Franzese of Orsini’s, needed to thin a sauce, and added vodka and heavy cream.

I recently ate at a new beautiful Italian restaurant in Nashville which served a most delicious vodka sauce, and it was my inspiration to make it again and put a spin on it, adding sausage.

A good tomato sauce has very few ingredients in it. That’s an Italian way of cooking. Onions drive the flavor more than garlic (outside of a few exceptions) and that’s true of this sauce, which uses an entire onion, finely chopped.

What is Vodka Sauce

It’s very simple. Vodka sauce is a tomato sauce with onion, vodka, heavy cream and some red pepper flakes.

Sausage is an option and one we especially like, serving this on rigatoni or penne pasta.

Process

Gather ingredients.

• Italian Sausage
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Onion
• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Vodka
• Parsley
• Heavy Cream
• Pecorino Cheese
• Red Chili Flakes

Cook loose Italian sausage in same pot you will make the sauce. Crumble into small bite sized pieces. Add diced onion for a few minutes in same pot, then add garlic.

TIP: If you are using whole tomatoes as I do, blend them first. The flavor is best with whole marzano canned tomatoes, but I use a stick blender to make a puree.

Add tomatoes to the pot. Follow with the fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and cook for twenty minutes. Add vodka and cook another 30 minutes on low, making sure the alcohol is burned off. Add in heavy cream, followed by pecorino or parmesan cheese. Cook pasta al dente. Add sauce to pasta. Add the red chili flakes (to taste). You may have more sauce than needed, which can be saved or frozen. Serve with more Pecorino or Parmesan cheese at the table.

More Pasta Recipes

• My Favorite Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipes
• Rigatoni with White Beans
• Hearty Rigatoni with Beef
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• How to Cook Pasta Like an Italian

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Vodka Sauce

Vodka Tomato cream sauce with rigatoni

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium onion small dice
• 1 pound loose Italian sausage
• 1 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup vodka
• handful fresh parsley
• few fresh basil leaves if you have it, don’t use dried
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup parmesan cheese or pecorino divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni (small size)

Instructions

• Blend tomatoes to a sauce. I use a stick blender to do this. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil and butter in large sauce pan. Saute loose sausage until cooked through.

  Add diced onion for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sautè about a minute.
• Add tomatoes that have been blended to a puree.
• Add in fresh herbs such as parsley and basil (remove later)
• Cook for twenty minutes.
• Add in vodka.
• Stir, simmering on low for twenty or more minutes. Taste to make sure alcohol has burned off before adding in cream.
• Add in heavy cream. Stir.
  
• Stir in a 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• Add in crushed red pepper.
  
• Cook pasta according to directions for al dente.
• Serve pasta in large bowl, and add just enough of the sauce you need, making sure to scoop up the sausage into the bowl. You may have some sauce left over.
  
• Serve with more parmesan or pecorino cheese.
  

The post Best Vodka Sauce Recipe with Sausage appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

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.

Spinach Tiger loves ground beef. It’s our go to for easy meals that are fast, but not fast food. A meal like this can be made in about twenty minutes, Those of us who don’t want to rely on processed or frozen food need these ideas.  

Crack slaw is one of those easy, approachable recipes that is a savior when you’re eating low carb and you’re short on time. I’m not sure where this was invented or created. There are many recipes for it on the web and everyone puts their own spin on it.

My take for crack slaw is to slather it with an easy three-ingredient comeback sauce.

One of the ways I like crack slaw is to use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork because it makes me feel like I’m eating an egg roll. You can choose your ground meat. Most use beef, but the pork adds in a little extra flavor, resembling more of  that egg roll taste.

How to Make Crack Slaw with Comeback Sauce

It generally start with a little olive oil or avocado oil with some garlic, followed by ground meat. Once the meat is browned, l’ll add in the cabbage, fresh ginger, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce. My secret for crack slaw is using my own homemade comeback sauce at the end.

Tip for Browning Ground Beef

This is a great tip that actually works for browning ground beef. I don’t know why it works, but it does.

• Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water. Pour over raw beef and wait 15 minutes before frying.

The Comeback Sauce

My comeback sauce is pretty simple. I use sriracha, mayonnaise, and a touch of soy sauce (tamari). I’ve seen recipes with a long list of ingredients, but this does it for me. I’ve tried adding in various ingredients and they did not work!

The ratio is mayo/sriracha is 4/1 and the tamari is to taste. You may want to add a tablespoon of tamari, but I would start with a teaspoon at a time. It’s so good.  It has the acid, fat and salt necesary. Creamy, tangy, and cool enough to counteract some of the heat in the crack slaw.

So tell me, do you have a secret sauce recipe? I’d love to hear about it.

More Ground Beef Ideas

• Ground Beef Cabbage Stir Fry
• Stuffed Cabbage
• Ground Beef with Peas and Onions, (most popular recipe).
• Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
• Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon and Onion
• Beef Cabbage Soup

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Crack Slaw with with Three Ingredient Comeback Sauce Recipe

An easy ground beef and shredded cabbage dish, using bagged cole slaw mix, sesame oil, sriracha and ginger.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Prep Ground Meat

• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil more if needed once the slaw is added
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound ground beef see notes
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• salt pepper
• 1 bag cole slaw mix shredded cabbage
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon sriracha

Comeback Sauce

• 8 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1 tablespoon tamari sauce or soy sauce more if needed

Instructions

• Mix baking soda and water. Pour over meat. Wait 15 minutes before cooking. This helps to brown the meat. In meantime, gather rest of ingredients.
• Saute the garlic in the oil just to soften.
• Add ground beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper
• After meat is browned, add in the cole slaw mix.
• Mix thoroughly. It will seem like a lot of cabbage, but it will cook down.
• Add in sesame oil, ground ginger, sriraacha.
• Season to taste. You may need to add more oil.

Comeback Sauce

• Mix mayonnaise and sriracha together.
• Add tamari sauce one teaspoon at a time. Add as much as you need to taste, but not so much as to make this salty.

Notes

You can mix half ground pork, half ground beef for more flavor

The post Crack Slaw with Comeback Sauce Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Whether you need one dish or an entire feast, here are some of the easiest recipes that fit your situation. I did throw in a few traditional dishes, but most are low-carb.

Start the day with keto strawberry biscuits. You can just look and see how good these are.

Summer Cocktails

• White Sangria
• Strawberry Sangria
• Peach Sangria
• Frozé
• Blueberry Old Fashioned

Bites and Nibles

• Spicy Pimento Deviled Eggs
• Cowboy Caviar

Salads

• Summer Caprese with Fresh Corn and Pesto
• Honey Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad or Blackberry Fresh Corn Salad
• Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese

Grilling

• Grilled Turkey Burgers (with a surprise ingredient)
• Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
• Grilled Pork Rib Chops with Savory Blueberry Sauce

Summer Corn

• Corn on the Cob on the Grill Seven Ways
• Southern Fried Corn (legit)

Sweet

• Sheet Pan Slab Pie Peach/Blueberry
• Keto Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
• Blueberry Thyme Galette
• Keto Classic Cheesecake with Fruit Wreath
• Keto Patriotic Flag Cake
• Gluten Free Peach Tart (sugar free

Happy July 4th. Enjoy the long weekend with friends and family, and thank God for this great country that allows a thousand ideas, a thousand opinions and has brought the world a thousand inventions and discoveries. May we always find our way when we get lost, and appreciate the abundance we enjoy in this great nation.

The post What to Cook for July 4 – Fruit Sangria, Slab Pie, Summer Corn and More appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Most of my peaches come from the Peach Truck, which hosts stands all over the Nashville area, including all the farmer’s markets. You pay a pretty penny, BUT you can be sure your bag contains, perfect, sweet peaches. They come in a brown paper bag and are usually ready within two to three days.

This post will also include the easy way to peel peaches and freeze peaches.

Grilled Peaches

Grilled peaches are easy to make.

• Use freestone peaches, slightly firm,
• Slice about a quarter inch thick.
• Brush with olive oil or butter and grill for a few minutes (one side is enough).

Salads with Peaches

Grilled peaches go great with blue cheese crumbles and sliced toasted almonds. Take this to your next cookout or potluck. Another option is a healthy spinach salad with grille peaches. You could also serve grilled peaches with fresh mozzarella or burrata. That would get applause.

• Salad with Grilled Peaches in Salad, Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds
• Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches
• Peach Corn Tomato Salad

Peaches Love Pork

Peaches do indeed love pork. Spareribs and pork chops are summer-ized with peaches, but you might want to try my most unique peach and pork bolognese.

If you make peach and rosemary focaccia, you’ll be a star.

• Peaches with Oven Fried Porkchops
• Spareribs with Grilled Peaches
• Pork and Peach Bolognese
• Peach Rosemary Focaccia

Peach Pie

Peach pie is ultra American. So do make this for the summer holidays.

• Peach Blueberry Slab Pie
• Stars and Stripes Peach Pie
• Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
• Gluten Free Peach Tart (sugar free)

Sugar Free Keto Peach Desserts

I will always have low-carb options (which is mostly how I eat) and they are not a compromise.

• Low Carb Peach Cake
• Low Carb Peach Crumb Muffins
• Low Carb Peach Almond Tart

Peaches, Etc.

• How to Peel Peaches
• How to Freeze Peaches
• How to Grill Peaches
• The Best Peach Sangria

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The post Peach Recipes for Sweet and Savory Dishes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The usuals, of course are ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. All good. All tasty. But a good sugar free barbecue sauce can make burgers sing, transform meatballs, and elevate meatloaf, replacing tomato ketchup or sauce with barbecue sauce.

Ingredients

• Tomato Puree (can use more ketchup)
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Ketchup (or sugar free)
• Yellow Mustard
• Sugar Free Maple Syrup (can use a different sweetener)
• Garlic Powder (or a few cloves garlic)
• Onion Powder (can fine dice a medium onion instead)
• Worcestershire Sauce (make sure to see notes on this if you avoid gluten or fish)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne

I like sugar free barbecue sauce that has a little tang and isn’t too sweet or overpowering, and this recipe fits that. It works because it brings just enough acid to a dish for perfect balance.

More Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Big Mac Sauce
• Comeback Sauce (for Crack Slaw)
• Peach Salsa
• Pulled Pork

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Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce

Sugar Free barbecue sauce for pork, ribs, burgers, meatballs, meatloaf and more.

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue sauce, sugar free

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 4 tablespoons sugar free ketchup see notes
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (sugar free)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions

• Add all ingredients together. Taste for seasoning. You can add heat if you desire with a pinch of cayenne pepper as an option, but only a pinch.

Notes

If you don’t have sugar free ketchup, add in another 1/4 cup tomato puree. 

The post Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The first recipe (fried eggplant) is one from childhood, only it’s keto-fied. You can, however, replace what I use for breadcrumbs (pork panko) and you will achieve the same thing. It was such a treat growing up and disappeared fast.

Once you have this fried eggplant down, you can make eggplant parmesan or eggplant lasagna. I added pepperoni to the eggplant parmesan, but you can make it your own.

• Keto Fried Eggplant – The staple to several great eggplant dishes, but great alone.
• Eggplant Parmesan with Pepperoni – Surprise with the addition of pepperoni.
• Sausage Stuffed Eggplant – Just dig in and enjoy the comfort.

These Italian Eggplant Recipes are fun and not hard, although they look it. My favorite is probably the eggplant lasagna, an idea I got from a local Italian restaurant. Both of these recipes use ricotta cheese, mozzarella and who doesn’t love these ingredients, which scream comfort food.

• Eggplant Rollatini
• Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Soups

Now that you’ve seen some sort of traditional type eggplant recipes, here are two eggplant soup recipes. Yes, this makes 8 recipes, so consider it a bonus. I have to ask myself why haven’t I made these soups more often.

• Sausage Eggplant Soup – a soup I created after a Farmer’s Market bounty.
• Creamy Roasted Eggplant Tomato Soup – made due to another accidental Farmer’s Market haul of tomatoes, eggplant and bell pepper. Heavy cream smooths it all out.

Vegetarian Options

The Italian Sausage Eggplant Soup CAN be made without sausage. It’s good on it’s own if you want a vegetarian option.

The Creamy Tomato Eggplant Soup can be made vegan if you exchange the heavy cream with coconut milk.

Helpful Kitchen Tools for these Recipes

• Dutch oven
• Great non-stick frying pan (Hex Clad)
• Pork Panko
• Baking Dish
• Soup Crocks

The post My Favorite Low Carb Italian Eggplant Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There are a lot of different dishes one can do with beef cubes, but usually we don’t think of making a hearty pasta beef dish, but this hits all the boxes. Pasta lovers and meat lovers get a bowl that is sure to please and makes a cold winter more palatable.

Ingredients

The list might look long, but these are items you most likely have in your pantry.

• beef cubes,
• carrots,
• onion
• celery
• beef broth
• wine
• canned tomatoes
• beans (optional)
• short rigatoni
• pecorino
• herbs

• Begin by browning beef cubes. I think it’s important to trim any fat after browning. Enough of the fat will be in the pan and can be deglazed.
• Soffrito: Chop onion, carrots, celery, as this is the go to for starting almost any soup or stew to build flavor.
• Use boxed organic beef broth, canned tomatoes, white beans and a little red wine.
• Short rigatoni make the perfect replacement for potatoes, which makes this a stew and not a soup. The rigatoni are cooked right in the pot, soaking up the broth, absorbing flavor and making this a hefty stew. You could use penne pasta also.

Variations

• You could make a similar dish with a pot roast, or even change the meat around and use boneless pork chops.
• Switch out the pasta to a different macaroni like penne.
• Add dollops of ricotta cheese!

More Dishes with Beef Cubes

• Beef Ragu
• Italian Beef Stew
• Irish Stew
• Beef Cabbage Soup
• Tomato Beef Soup with Einkorn Berries
• Beef Macaroni Soup

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Beef Rigatoni

Beef Rigatoni is a cross between a soup and a stew, hearty and true comfort food.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword beef cubes, beef rigatoni, rigatoni

Ingredients

• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 pound beef cubes
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup Italian San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1/2 pound rigatoni
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 bay leaf
• salt, pepper for seasoning

Instructions

• Make sure meat is dry (use paper towel) so it will brown better. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. I used a dutch oven. Add beef cubes and brown. Do this in stages because you don't want to crowd the pan.
• Remove meat to a plate and set aside.
• Add in vegetables Saute for a few minutes.
• Deglaze pot with the wine.
• Crush the tomatoes with your hand and add to pot.
• Add beef pack to pot, along with broth, bay leaf.
• Braise the beef for two hours or until tender.
• Rinse beans in cold water. Add to pot.
• Once the beef is tender, add in pasta. The pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid. If you find there's not enough liquid in pot for pasta, add some water or more broth. Make sure the soup is boiling before adding in the pasta. Cook until pasta is done. It will absorb the broth and and the starch will thicken it into a nice sauce.
• Serve with pecorino romano and any sprinkle of herbs you like.
• Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper only if needed.

The post Hearty Italian Beef Rigatoni appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Osso Buco is Italian for bone with a hole. The bone marrow is cross cut and is typically made with veal. Originating in Milan and the Lombardy Region of Italy, osso buco showcases their culinary genius, transforming modest cuts of meat into long-standing recipes.

In its earliest version, osso buco was made with butter, onion, white wine and broth, using very typical ingredients found in many northern Italian dishes. Tomatoes are now part of a more modern recipe, and I think adds to its heartiness.

What is Osso Buco?

Basically ossobuco is a meat shank (usually veal) which used to be a very inexpensive cut with the bone marrow cut crosswise (thus, bone with a hole).

Osso buco requires a long braise in a tomato broth with vegetables. In this recipe, I served it with creamy white beans (it was New Year’s Day), but it’s most often served with risotto ala Milanese and topped with gremolata to cut through the richness.

Eat the Marrow

The marrow is considered a delicacy and is especially good with bread or eaten on a spoon. I recommend crusty bread like my sourdough to enjoy every bit of the sauce and marrow.

Why This Dish is Represents Italian Values

• Italians are known to take modest, humble cuts of meat to create spectacular gourmet recipes. Peasant food achieves elevation and Osso buco is now a proudly recognized Italian National Dish.
• Italians are known to respect the whole animal, wasting nothing, even bone marrow.
• Italians not only embrace slow food, Italians embrace eating ingredients which can be locally sourced, which is why the menu changes often radically in each region of Italy.

The History

The first mention of osso buco found its way in cookbooks in the mid to late 1800’s, particularly Pellegrino Artusi (1891) which helped it become a national Italian dish.

What Kind of Meat is Used in Osso Buco?

Veal is most often used, but other choices could include beef or pork shanks. This time, I served with cannellini beans, put in the pot at the last twenty minutes.

Top with Gremolata

Gremolata is a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and salt. It brightens up the dish and cuts through the richness.

Other Hearty Italian Dishes You May Like

• What is Bolognese? Answers to all your questions.
• Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Braciole – Italian Rolled Steak
• Beef Stock and Roasted Bones
• Beef and Veal Stew Shepherds Pie

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Osso Buco

Osso Buco, the quintessential veal dish from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion
• 2/3 cup carrot finely chopped
• 2/3 cup celery finely chopped
• 4 T butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 4 veal shanks
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup meat broth
• 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• several sprigs fresh thyme
• several sprigs parsley
• freshly ground pepper
• sea salt

Gremolata

• 1 handful parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon garlic clove
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, for two to three hours of braising
• Pat Veal shanks dry. Season with salt and pepper. Coat veal in flour, and when pan is hot, brown veal on both sides in separate frying pan.
• Choose heavy pot (dutch oven with lid) to cook vegetables, which can be put in oven.
• Heat butter in dutch oven. Saute onion, carrot, lemon zest, celery on medium heat, 8-10 minutes. Then add garlic and cook a few more minutes.
• Once vegetables are done, stir in white wine and cup of broth. Cook on low for ten minutes to cook off alcohol.
• Add in tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. You want the veal to be covered 2/3 in broth.
• Add in veal shanks. Cover and braise for 2-3 hours, until fork tender.
• Serve with a garnish of gremolata.

Gremolata

• Chop together, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and add in sea salt.

The post Osso Buco Recipe with White Beans appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Start the dinner with this Camembert Sourdough Wreath

Many people either make the turkey dinner all over again or they make lasagna. It was actually googling spinach lasagna 16 years ago that inspired me to start a food blog.

We usually make something with beef and then add in the fancy side dishes. Here are some ideas for you.

Tenderloin Roast of Beef – I think this is what we will be doing again this year, although I am going to make some kind of fancy sauce.

Prime Rib of Beef – This is still one of my all time favorite dinners with sour cream horseradish sauce. I have friends who use my recipe every year and brag about it.

Leg of Lamb – This should not be restricted to easter. Leg of lamb is scrumptuous and more affordable than many cuts of premium beef.

Beef Bourguignon – This very fancy beef stew, made with a whole bottle of wine, is good enough for Christmas Day. My oven broke a few years ago and this became Christmas dinner.

Stuffed Shells – I think this is one of the pasta dishes that should be made sometime during the holidays if not for Christmas day. You can get the whole family in the kitchen with piping bags filling the large shells. Fun and delicious.

Mock Porchetta with Root Vegetables – This pork roast (considered street food in Italy when sliced onto rolls) is one of my favorite ways to eat pork. I found this recipe in the Zuni Cafe cookbook (a San Francisco restaurant I can attest to). It’s stuffed with fennel and lemon and has all the Italian feels. Surround it with your favorite root vegetables.

Short Ribs in Wine – Yes, this is a great Christmas dinner idea that can be made in advance. It took me a while to create a great short ribs recipe. This is it.

Pork Loin (how to brine and roast) – Perfect with my no lump mashed potatoes. Another affordable entree that pleases a crowd.

If you are going to have a small Christmas dinner gathering, you might want to make this very easy Rack of Lamb.

Veal Osso Buco – I know you probably don’t make this very often, if at all, but it’s just delicious and something to try.

Pot Roast of Beef served with Parmesan Whipped Potatoes – This is a Marcella Hazan recipe, the queen of Italian cooking. She passed some years ago and her book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking continues to sell. The first 50 pages discuss the fundamentals of Italian cooking and is worth the price alone. This book has no pictures, but many accolades over the last 50 years!

Fancy Sides

• Holiday Wedge Salad (homemade blue cheese dressing)
• Kale Winter Salad
• Festive Harvest Salad with rosemary vinaigrette
• Raw Cauliflower Salad with Pistachios
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Twice Baked Cauliflower

Some Desserts to Consider

• Almond Tart
• Keto Spiced Pear Cheesecake Bar
• Classic Fancy Keto Cheesecake
• Christmas Apple Pie (not low carb)
• Low Carb Italian Pear Cake
• Keto Raspberry Cheesecake
• Rich Flourless Chocolate Cake (not low carb)

The post Main Entrees for Christmas Dinner appeared first on Spinach Tiger.