April 17, 2026—As winter conditions reluctantly give way to spring, and the snow descends lightly, the craving for soul-warming comfort food refuses to fade—and Locale Firenze’sLasagna al Ragù remains an unbeatable choice. In an Aden Films YouTube video that has surpassed 5.7 million views, head chef Caponnetto masterfully demonstrates his authentic Tuscan-inspired take on this classic Italian dish.
Lasagna al Ragù in the Style of Locale Firenze
The lasagna shines through thoughtful techniques. It begins with a deeply flavorful ragù made from ground beef and pork, slow-simmered for hours with a fragrant soffritto base of onions, carrots and celery. Then it’s layered generously with velvety béchamel sauce. Next up is layers of tender fresh egg pasta sheets. Followed by abundant aged Parmigiano-Reggiano this bakes into a beautifully golden, irresistibly crispy top.
Today’s snow.
What truly sets this lasagna apart is its make-ahead magic. You can prepare a large batch, portion it out, freeze individual servings or the whole tray, and simply reheat for restaurant-level comfort on hectic weeknights. There are no long hours in the kitchen required.
Since Locale Firenze doesn’t publish an official exact recipe, the detailed version below carefully adapts the recipe step-by-step method. These are into clear instructions so home cooks can recreate that same rich, balanced Tuscan perfection.
Ready to bring this cozy masterpiece to your table? Buon appetito!
I have made this three times—once to test it last October, once on Valentine’s Day, for company, who love it, and today with my daughter Virginia. The results were rich, balanced, and deeply flavorful—it is truly the perfect make-ahead comfort food.
IngredientsRagù: 1 lb ground beef, ½ lb ground pork (optional addition: ¼ cup beef fat), 1 cup each finely chopped carrot & celery, and 2 cups red onion (soffritto), ¾–1 cup EVOO, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 28 oz tomato sauce, 1 cup red wine (optional), ½ cup water, aromatic herb salt (or salt + rosemary/sage/thyme/lemon zest), pepper. Béchamel: 160g (1½ sticks) butter, 160g (1¼ cups) flour, 1½ liters (6⅓ cups) warm whole milk, salt, generous nutmeg, white pepper. Other: Fresh egg lasagna sheets (4–5 layers), 1½ cups grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil for pasta.
InstructionsRagù (start first; ~4+ hours): Heat ¾ cup oil in large pot; sauté soffritto (carrot, celery, onion) with salt until soft/translucent. In separate pan, brown meat well; season. Combine with soffritto veggies. Add tomato paste; cook 2–3 min. Deglaze with wine (if using), then add tomato sauce + water. Simmer low (Crock Pot works) 4+ hours until thick, rich, and reduced. Adjust seasoning. Make ahead if desired.
Béchamel: Melt butter, stir in flour; cook to light golden roux. Gradually whisk in warm milk until smooth and thick. Season with salt, nutmeg, white pepper. Cover to prevent skin.
Pasta: If dried, blanch 30–40 sec in salted boiling water, shock in ice water, drain, coat lightly with remining ¼ cup EVOO to prevent sticking.
Assemble: Preheat oven 392°F/200°C. In dish, spread thick béchamel base to prevent sticking. Then layer: pasta → béchamel → ragù → generous Parmesan→ repeat (pasta, béchamel, ragù, Parmesan). Finish with pasta, a layer of more liquified béchamel (stir in a bit of extra milk), ragù, and a final, extra generous layer of Parmesan on top.
Bake: Uncovered 30–40 min until golden, puffed, crispy edges. Rest 30 min before slicing for clean cuts (though hard to wait!). Serve with Tuscan red wine.
Hanging up his helmet after 47 years: Tom Meehan, Colorado’s longest-serving volunteer firefighter, retires from Norwood Fire. A quiet hero, we offer him our endless thanks.
NORWOOD, Colo. — In southwestern Colorado’s high desert country, atop Wright’s Mesa at 7,000+ feet in San Miguel County, the small town of Norwood offers sweeping vistas of the nearby San Juan Mountains. This community, where dedication and humility define its volunteer firefighters, saw one remarkable individual quietly step away this year after nearly five decades. As one of the longest-serving volunteer first responders in the State of Colorado, Tom Meehan has retired from the Norwood Fire Protection District after 47 years. Norwood Fire Chief John Bockrath stated: “Not one has outlasted Meehan, and I doubt it is likely that anyone will ever break his record for years of service and hours of dedication, here or anywhere else.”
Tom’s journey began on March 7, 1979, when he first joined the ranks of Norwood’s volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS). Over the years, he rose to become an integral part of the team, earning the distinction of holding the record for the longest-serving EMT-I (intermediate-level Emergency Medical Technician) in Colorado. His roles included assistant chief and EMS leader, where he brought his calm and expertise to countless emergencies, from structure fires to medical crises for the NFPD. The NFPD serves remote, rural areas in San Miguel and Montrose Counties, characterized by rugged terrain, wildland-urban interfaces, and scattered communities. Volunteers like Tom are the lifeline that keeps these communities safe.
Tom Meehan: Battling Fires
Shoutout to Tom Meehan and the crew, who fought the Lone Cone Saloon fire in the early morning hours of June 10, 2025. They kept the flames from jumping to other Main Street buildings and saved the iconic and historic 19th Century mahogany bar. Photo from the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Department’s Instagram Account.
What truly sets Tom apart is his profound selflessness. Throughout his 47 years, he never accepted a single dollar in compensation. Even after the department’s chief began offering pay to EMS personnel, Tom steadfastly refused, embodying the pure spirit of volunteerism. His humility shone through in his retirement as well—he requested no fanfare or celebrations, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves. Yet, his impact is impossible to ignore. Lives saved, families comforted, and a stronger, more resilient Norwood stand as testaments to his service.
Valentine’s Day will always be special because it marks the birth of my Virginia. Since she doesn’t like chocolate, I made a Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake as her Valentine’s treat this year. While she’s far away in Michigan, John and I will enjoy it, and the remainder will be delivered to the Norwood Fire Department.
This recipe is my interpretation of CSU’s High Altitude Baking recipe of the same name, with almond flour substitution and the addition of some milk. It was delicious.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan; I lined the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine and stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, melted butter, vanilla, egg, and milk. Add the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
Spread two-thirds of the batter evenly into the pan. Combine the raspberries and brown sugar and spread over the batter. Place dollops of the remaining batter on top of the raspberries and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.
Combine the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract, stirring until smooth. Remove the cake from the pan and drizzle the glaze over the top.
Paired with year-round outdoor swimming and the steady heat of a wood-fired sauna, lohikeitto—traditional Finnish salmon soup—is central to the Finnish way of life. If Finland is out of reach, let your imagination do the traveling. Picture yourself on the deck of an old wooden schooner, gently rocking in Helsinki harbor. Steam rises from a bowl of pale broth fragrant with dill as you mop up the last spoonful with dense rye bread, finishing with a quiet sip of red wine.
This is not one of the modern, amped-up versions of the dish. There are no spicy flourishes or clever twists—only restraint, balance, and clarity. It refreshes the body and steadies the spirit. Simple. Honest. Very Finnish.
Fresh dill is essential. If fish stock isn’t available, make your own by simmering the salmon skin in water for ten minutes. In a pinch, a light fish stock—or even chicken stock—will suffice. The beauty of this soup lies in how little it needs.
The white of 1 large leek, sliced into rings and well rinsed
5 cups water (or fish stock, or light chicken broth)
¾ lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, scraped and sliced
1 cup fresh dill for garnish, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
¼ tsp. Allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Using needle-nose pliers, remove any pin bones from the salmon. Carefully remove the skin and cut the fish into 1-inch chunks. Set the skin aside to make stock if you are not using prepared fish stock.
2. Melt the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
3. If making stock: place 5 cups of water in a saucepan, add the reserved salmon skin, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the skin. Pour the fish stock into the pot with the leeks. (Skip this step and use fish or chicken stock if preferred.)
Add the potatoes, carrots, and half of the fresh dill. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
4. Gently add the salmon pieces, cream, and allspice. Simmer just until the salmon is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, generously garnished with fresh dill, alongside a glass of red wine and a thick slice of rye bread.
Sausage Roll, Colo.—Inspired by the techniques of Darren McGrady—former chef to Queen Elizabeth II—the sausage roll is a masterclass in English comfort. Whether served as a “stick-to-the-ribs” snack or a refined appetizer, sausage rolls bridge the gap between the working-class street food of 19th-century London and the elegance of a contemporary royal buffet. Everybody loves them and these sausage rolls will disappear first on an appetizer tray.
For me, the first encounter with this marvel was at a London Tube station in the 1970s—specifically at St. John’s Wood—where they were served piping hot in greaseproof paper bags. What a revelation to a hungry 17-year-old. This recipe honors that memory by using a sophisticated, homemade sausage blend rather than pre-packaged sausage links.
The timing of this sausage roll blog post will hopefully help you plan easy hand food for post-holiday get togethers and Super Bowl Sunday to keep all of your gang happy and focused on each other or the game. If you are searching for other, delicious and simple-to-make appetizers, look no further: Appetizers from FFTA for Super Bowl Sunday
Sausage Rolls
This recipe makes a half-sheet of sausage rolls.
Ingredients
The Pastry: 1 batch of puff pastry (Homemade is best, but store-bought frozen pastry thawed overnight in the fridge also works perfectly.) Have a ½ cup of all-purpose flour at the ready for rolling out the dough.
The Meat: 1 lb. ground pork and 2 slices of bacon, finely diced.
The Aromatics: ½ medium onion, finely diced and sautéed in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil until soft. (To this, add the bacon a few minutes before the onions are soft.)
The Seasoning Blend:
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
4 juniper berries, finely crushed
¼ tsp ground sage
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
The Finish: 2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tsp of water (for the egg wash).
Directions
Prepare the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF /175ºC.
Mix the Filling: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the ground pork, and sautéed onion/bacon mixture. Add the seasoning blend and mix until the spices are evenly distributed.
Roll the Pastry: On a lightly floured surface, roll out your puff pastry until it is approximately ¼ inch thick.
Assemble:
Lay a 1-inch thick "cord" of the sausage mixture along the long edge of the pastry.
Brush the edge of the puff pastry with a pastry brush and roll the dough over the sausage, like a blanket, evenly and press gently to seal. Cut a long seam along the roll to create a free-standing log. Repeat this process for the remaining puff paste.
Score and Glaze: Use the back of a fork to score the tops of the rolls in a diagonal, crisscross pattern. Brush the tops generously with the remaining beaten egg mixture.
Cut and Bake: Cut the logs into your desired size (mini cocktail size for appetizers or larger lengths for snacks). Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the pastry has risen into flaky layers and achieved a deep, dark golden-brown luster.
Serving Suggestion: Enjoy them hot from the oven or cold the next day. For a truly authentic 1970s experience, serve them plain, or pair them with a sharp mustard to cut through the richness of the juniper-spiced pork.
Inspired by Mrs. Cratchit’s flaming pudding in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Don’t worry if you missed “Stir-Up Sunday.” You can still prepare your Christmas pudding even a week in advance. This allows it to steam, cool, and soak up brandy, making it perfect for Christmas Day. Regularly adding brandy keeps it moist and flavorful. After dinner on the holiday, serve the pudding aflame:pour over warmed brandy just before lighting the pudding and present it while still burning. Once the flames die down at the table, this dish goes well with FFTA’s own, simple, non-alcoholic creme anglaise or The Kitchn’s simple, alcoholic Sabayon Sauce. Ready to make your own?
Deeply caramelized after the second steaming and served with pouring custard.Read more: Christmas Pudding – Prepare Now, Enjoy LaterRe-steamed for 4 hours, it gathered its lovely brown color and was served flaming! Happy New Year!
The Dickens-Child Glorious Christmas Pudding
Call it Christmas Pudding, Figgy Pudding or Plum Pudding, the recipe below combines the essence of the Charles Dickens Museum's original with Julia Child’s Glorious Plum Pudding for Christmas.
Ingredients:
¾ cup (113g) raisins
¾ cup (113g) dates
¾ cup (113g) yellow raisins (I used dried apricots)
½ cup (55g) candied mixed peel (I used homemade candied orange peel)
1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored, and finely grated
8 oz (225g) fresh white breadcrumbs (I used stale croissants and a stale piece of sourdough baguette, crust on)
½ cup (85g) plain flour
1 1/3 cups (170g) beef suet, shredded (You can use melted butter or vegetarian suet as an alternative; I used Atora beef suet.)
½ cup (128g) bitter orange marmalade (I used homemade cranberry-orange marm)
1 ¾ cup (140g) brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (140ml) brandy, plus extra for feeding and flaming
1 tsp ground mixed spice: made up of largely cinnamon and nutmeg—more if needed
pinch of salt
drops of almond extract
butter for greasing the pudding basin
Method: Blend the dried fruits in the food processor then soak in the brandy. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly then add the wet: grated apple, dried fruit soaked in brandy, melted butter (if used as substitute for suet), the eggs and a few drops of almond extract.
Begin by cutting and buttering a parchment round for the bottom of your 1.5-liter pudding basin and generously greasing the sides. Spoon the mixture into the basin, pressing it down firmly. Place a greased round of parchment paper over the top and press down securely. Cover this with a pleated rectangle of aluminum foil, allowing for expansion, and secure it with kitchen string. Create a handle for easy lifting.
For initial steaming, place the pudding basin on an upturned plate in a large pot. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a simmer on the stove or in a 300ºF/150ºF oven. Steam gently from 3 to 6 hours, checking the water level frequently. The longer you steam, the darker your pudding. I steamed for 3 hours.
Once cooled, remove the foil and parchment, turn the pudding onto a plate, and re-wrap tightly in fresh cling film and foil. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 months. Optionally, feed the pudding with brandy every few days leading up to Christmas.
On Christmas Day, remove all storage wrap, re-cover with fresh parchment and foil, and steam again for 4 hours on the stove top in the same manner as the original steaming. Turn the pudding onto a serving plate wile hot, decorate with holly, and flame with warmed brandy for a show-stopping effect. Serve with brandy butter, rum sauce, or pouring custard/creme anglaise.
Food processor
8-cup pudding container or mixing bowl
Butcher's twine
Steamer basket or trivet
Large soup kettle with a tight lid
Dessert
English
Christmas Pudding, Figgy Pudding, Plum Pudding
The ingredients, with the eggs, which I forgot to add when taking the photo, added when editing the photo, thanks to AI.Shredding in the apple.
Christmas Pudding Extras – Candied Orange Peel
The Final Mixture
Ready to steam!Out of the pudding basin for the first time then let it mellow, applying a tablespoon of brandy every other day, then steam again for a few hours on the day you serve.The Welsh say to store it with a cut apple to keep it moist.Our inspiration, the Cratchit family from the last chapter of A Christmas Carol, enjoying the spectacle of their Christmas pudding.
Lady M’s Green Tomato Chutney—Summer has gracefully transitioned into fall, with plenty of rain, no deep freeze so far, and the tomatoes in my garden, although no longer ripening, are abundant. And what’s more, the local apples are ripe. I know of only one recipe that can transform these plentiful harvests into something extraordinary: Lady M’s Green Tomato Chutney. This delightful chutney, once tasted, will undoubtedly become a staple on your dinner table.
First Encounters with the Unforgettable Chutney
My first encounter with this green tomato chutney was in 1979 at Finlaystone Estate. I remember vividly how it elevated every forkful of roasted pork, beef, lamb, cottage pie, or even a slice of cheese. Its sweet, sour, tangy, earthy and lightly spiced flavor is simply unforgettable. Then, at the end of that summer, Lady M and her daughter Judy graciously showed me the secret to making this traditional, UK-style chutney. Here I report it to you as faithfully as I can, using the correct amount of vinegar 1 part vinegar to 4-5 parts of fruit (apples and tomatoes), for safe preservation and good flavor balance.
I worked at Finlaystone Estate, in Renfrewshire, Scotland when it was a private home, before it opened to the public. This chutney recipe, crafted by Lady M herself, was a cherished oral recipe in the 1970s at Finlaystone, and I, and the bevy of cooks that both preceded then followed me, learned it in those ancient kitchens.
Lower Your Food Bill and Increase Your Likes with French Chicken Livers
French Chicken Livers—Last week I was at the farmer’s market in our small town in Western Colorado and I chanced upon a pound of frozen, organic chicken livers, straight from a local farm. I purchased them and then this morning I decided I wouldn’t make the usual chicken liver pate, or a chicken liver omelette. I would try a new recipe based on what my mom used to make for us regularly, but even better: Chicken Liver Francaise.
For some background that you penny-pinching, organ-eaters can appreciate, my mother raised our family of eight on chicken organs, potatoes and a green veg. There was not a ton of variety in our dinners but she tried, and some of it was delicious. She served us gizzards and hearts in packet gravy over mashed potatoes. We ate beef tongue, and beef liver also with gravy and mashed potatoes. And when we had a whole chicken for dinner, my father often salted and fried up the one chicken liver from the bird before dinner and we would split it and enjoy its deliciousness, while standing at the side of the stove. He always remarked at the sweetness of its taste. It was one of his favorite treats.
Liver sautéed with ham and mushrooms in a delicious gravy to go over your mashed potatoes
1 lb. Organic chicken livers
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Flour for dredging
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup boiled ham, cubed
2 tbsp shallots or scallions, chopped
1/4 cup Port, dry vermouth, or red wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp arrowroot, or cornstarch
1 tbsp wine or cold water
Soak chicken livers for 20 minutes in cold water with a tablespoon of salt. Rinse and set aside. Remove any white lines that you see in the livers and discard (or give to your dog or cat). Cut livers in half and again in half, so all are the same size.
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee/clarified butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Using a paper towel, pat liver dry. Season the livers with salt and pepper and mix together. Just before cooking, dredge lightly with flour, shaking off the excess, using a sieve. Once the butter foaming subsides, add some of the liver to the pan; do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches.
Cook until still lightly pink inside, as with calves liver, about 3 to 4 minutes. Shake pan as they cook. They are done when you press them with your finger and they are not soft anymore. Remove livers to plate.
In a second frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. When the foaming subsides, add mushrooms to the pan. Brown them slightly. Watch and shake the livers simultaneously as you cook the mushrooms.
Add diced ham to mushroom pan and add about 2 tablespoons chopped shallots.
Make sauce in liver pan: Add shallots, wine/vermouth to pan, add stock and thicken with the a tablespoon of cornstarch diluted in 1 tablespoon of cold wine/vermouth. Let cook, bring to the simmer and add livers and mushroom mixture. It should thicken up a little more because of the flour in chic livers. That's done: you can make this ahead then reheat when ready to serve over mashed potatoes, with cooked, buttered peas on the side.
My mother-in-law gave me two dozen quail eggs as we left her Boulder home after our summer sojourn to the Front Range. She graciously tucked a pair of quail egg scissors into the classy gift bag as well. “A beautiful present for a cook!” I exalted. I had never before handled quail egg scissors, nor a quail egg for that matter, much less cooked with them.
I got the eggs home to Norwood, then I quailed. Apprehension filled me whenever I looked at them. So these perfect quail eggs sat on the counter top and, day after day, John reminded me they were there, waiting to be made into breakfast. Or something. But what?
In my ignorance, the tiny, handsomely speckled quail eggs seemed to rise in my mind like little fortified bastions. How to get in? What to do once I was in? But it turns out, they were actually beckoning to me as a gateway to a new culinary experience — if I could just open their tiny shells and come out of my larger one.
Purposefulness overtook me and then, after cruising YouTube, I found Galton Blackiston’s recipe for Quail Scotch Eggs and Dipping Sauce. “Ladies love them,” Blackiston says in his video. I liked that idea. So they’d be good to serve at Bridge Club, a baby or wedding shower as an appetizer or they could help fill out your picnic basket. Blackiston’s results looked and sounded delicious, and so I made the commitment to try his recipe. And now, I can attest they are not only cute and tiny, they ARE delicious — and far less scary than I thought. What’s there not to love? Well, the two hours of preparation for only 5 minutes of cooking, that’s what. But fun, nevertheless. So they should be made for a special event when you have company.
Galton Blackiston’s Quail Scotch Eggs and Tomato Dipping Sauce
Yes, this takes two hours to make, yes, it is worth every minute of it! Tiny Scotch eggs with a delicious, fresh tomato sauce that makes it zing.
Serves 4 to 6 people
Preparation and time: 2 hours Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
24 quail eggs
750 g sausage meat (I used half sausage and half ground pork. I added a bit more salt to the sausage mix to season the ground pork.)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Seasoned flour (1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper)
1 whole egg and ¼ cup whole milk
2 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs (I made my own using 4 slices of brioche loaf bread.)
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce
85 g/1/2 cup tomato catsup
50 ml/3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil. (He uses rapeseed, I used sunflower oil.)
50 ml/3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (I used champagne vinegar.)
1 tomato, peeled
2 shallots, finely chopped or use spring onions (I used 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion)
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 or 3 leaves of fresh tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried
5 drops Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Fill a small saucepan with water deep enough to cover your tomato, and bring the water to a boil. Remove the stem of the tomato and incise the bottom of the tomato with an X. Drop the tomato in the boiling water and let it parboil for 2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the peel. Set tomato aside.
2. In the same saucepan, bring the water back to the boil and lower the quail eggs gently into the water. If you are at sea level, Blackiston insists that you let the quail eggs cook exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. (Set a timer.) Since I am at 7,000 feet above sea level and the recommended adjustment is a 2% increase for every 1,000 feet, it is estimated that the cooking time at 7,000 feet above sea level will be approximately 2 minutes and 51 seconds. When the time is up, remove the quail eggs from saucepan and place in the same bowl of ice water used for the tomato. Gently peel the quail eggs, carefully lifting the inside membrane that sits against the cooked egg to help make the peeling job easier.
3. Make Sausage Mixture: Mix together well with hands: sausage meat, 1 tsp salt (if you use half ground pork, as I did; otherwise, omit the extra salt.) mustard, pepper, egg, chopped chives, and parsley. Spread between two sheets of waxed paper and roll out to 1/8 inch/or approximately 3 mm thick.
4. Take each peeled quail egg and coat with sausage mixture. Once the egg is coated with aobut 1/8th inch/3 mm of sausage, form the sausage around the egg, rolling it between your palms to create a spherical shape.
5. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt and pepper. In another, separate small bowl, beat the egg and milk together. Place breadcrumbs in a soup bowl. Gently dredge first in flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture, and remove each with a fork, to let the liquid drain back into the bowl. Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate, cover and refrigerate. If you are serving these at dinner, you can do all of this in the morning and refrigerate them, bringing them out to cook in the evening, just before serving.
6. Make the Dipping Sauce: Cut off the stem-end of the tomato and plunge your fingers in each cavity in the tomato to remove the seeds. Discard seeds or save to dry for next year’s garden. Cut the remaining tomato into small dice. Place diced tomato into small bowl. Add catsup, oil, white wine vinegar, shallots or onions, chives, tarragon, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together and set aside.
7. About 5 minutes before serving your scotch eggs, have your salad-sized plates ready. Heat sunflower oil in a large, deep-sided pan and bring the oil from 160°-180° C/320° to 356° F. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, gently lower the quail eggs into the hot oil and cook for approximately 5 minutes, (It takes 5 minutes at 7,000 feet above sea level but only2-3 minutes at sea level.) turning the eggs occasionally until the eggs are golden. Have paper towels at the ready on a baking sheet by the pan. Place cooked eggs on paper towels. Serve Scotch eggs hot or cold and garnish each plate with the tomato sauce.
Appetizer
English
scotch quail eggs, Tiny scotch eggs
Step-by-step Solution to Find Increased Boiling Time at High Altitude
Convert initial cooking time to seconds:group
The initial cooking time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds is converted to seconds as follows:
Whether you visit the exquisite Gustav Klimt painting, The Woman in Gold at the Neue Galerie, in New York City, or not, you must try the Austrian cuisine downstairs at the Cafe Sabarsky, whose schnitzel, goulash and cakes are as finely wrought as any artworks in the building. Quark cheesecake, with a no-bake filling is one of these fine Cafe Sabarsky cakes.
This year I entered Gutenbrunner’s Quark Cheesecake in the San Miguel Basin’s Annual Dessert Contest and Tasting Party and, to my surprise, I won a reserve champion ribbon and carved spoon for my efforts in the frosted cake category. And if I’d made the cake the day before, perhaps I might’ve done even better, as cakes take an overnight in the refrigerator to marry together to perfection. But let’s not speculate. There were many fine bakers there entering their best cakes, pies, cookies and ice creams. The competition was intense. One woman won four aprons! The best part of the event was chatting with neighbors, meeting newly-born babies and indulging in a few of the best desserts around with our community.
Locals make a first pass at the judged dessert table.
Quark, or topfen, is described as a cross between Greek yogurt and cottage cheese and is known for its smooth texture. If you cannot find topfen or quark cheese, use plain Greek yogurt to make this cake.
The second time I made this cake I used Fromage Blanc starter culture and made my own quark cheese, which is easy to do. You heat milk that is only mildly pasteurized (I prepared 48 ounces of Alexandre vat pasteurized A2 whole milk which is made by Azure Standard), sprinkle the contents of one of the tiny packets over the top of the milk, stir it in, wait 12 to 24 hours covered at 72 degrees F and then strain through cheesecloth between 12 and 24 hours. I chose 12 hours of straining and it came out a bit drier than greek yogurt. It’s a wonderful tasting cheese that is packed with good protein, probiotics from the fermentation, B12 and K2 (if you use full fat milk). Using low-fat or no-fat milk also yields delicious results.
Made this for friends who were coming for dinner and got to really taste this second cake as the first disappeared at the county fair last summer. It’s a winner.(more…)
Each July 3rd our grocery store sells Atlantic lobster for us locals to celebrate with on July 4th. The lobsters fly off the ice, are bagged up, still wriggling. We take them home, ready to create meals. This year we bought three and with them we made lobster rolls, breakfast burritos and lobster bisque. Our goal is trying not to waste any of it.
From fleshy tails, monstrous claws, and red roe, every morsel found its place in our trio of lobster meals. We even kept the shells, simmering them gently for a half hour. This to create a stock to use in the lobster bisque the next day. Even the tiniest fragments of shell were swept into the stock pot. Come join us for this curious and tasty journey with lobster.
NOTE: The lobster roll filling served as the delicious basis for all three dishes shown below. Three, one-pound lobsters yielded one pound of cooked lobster.
Last week I reached into my grocery store’s specialty dairy case and, to my surprise and delight, pulled out a jar of Devon clotted cream. This unique product is made from the rich, high-butter-fat milk of Jersey and Guernsey cows that roam the picturesque fields of southwestern England’s County of Devon.
Upon returning home with such a rare commodity, I was inspired to search for the perfect scone recipe to accompany a cream tea. A “cream tea” is a lighter version of the traditional afternoon tea without the multiple baked items. Instead, this decidedly English experience consists of a batch of warm scones, clotted cream, jam and, of course, tea.
Clotted cream is traditionally made from full-cream cow’s milk that is baked on low heat in a shallow pan for 12 hours or more. Once thickened, the cream clots rise to the surface and are skimmed off and used as a spread. I’m glad this work is done for me by someone else who was kind enough to bottle it up and fly it halfway around the world for me to try.
Across this country, there are soufflé dishes in many a kitchen cabinet gathering dust. And there aren’t too many people using them to make soufflés largely because soufflés are so prone to failure. So, how can we put our soufflé dishes to use with more reliable recipes? Some ideas include the inexpensive but deliriously delicious baked custard with orange-flower simple syrup. Another tasty comfort dessert that’s also low on the glycemic level is chilled rice pudding with stewed apples. So today let’s make rice pudding or baked custard.
FFTA joined our local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food co-op this winter. Our aim was to freshen up our dull winter palate with farm-fresh meat, milk and produce. All the while we’d be supporting local farmers, ranchers and dairies many who are out of season.
With the CSA share, you know what you’re going to pick up every two weeks. But in one recent week’s allotment I discovered celeriac. I dumped the produce on the counter. But days passed and I wasn’t sure what to do with the fantastically gnarly roots of celeriac that seemed alive. They were beginning to age and were clamoring for attention on my counter top. With a little online research, Jamie Oliver’s recipe for a vegetable “Allotment Cottage Pie” happily swam into my search algorithm.
Jamie’s recipe includes the mysterious and bulbous celeriac – a rather under-appreciated root vegetable harvested in fall and winter. It is also known as celery root or knob celery. Happily, the results were superlative. Here is the delicious vegetarian recipe that I interpreted, Oliver’s Allotment Cottage Pie. It is a worthy dish easy to make and which the whole gang can enjoy. It’s so good that if you’re into root vegetables, this recipe will be made on repeat.
1 teaspoon of Marmite or vegetable Better Than Boullion
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One, 14-ounce can prepared lentils
2 large russet potatoes
4 ounces butter
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and cook the rosemary in it until it’s crisp. Remove rosemary and set aside on small plate.
2. Trim, wash and slice the leeks into large pieces. Add into hot skillet with rosemary-flavored oil. Sweat for 5 minutes. Wash and peel all root vegetables—except the potatoes—and dice to a similar size. Add carrots, celeriac, and turnips/swede and cumin seed to skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook together for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a blender: Soak 10 g dried porcini mushrooms in 2 ½ cups hot water for 10 minutes. Add to the blender the onion, Marmite/bouillon and tomato paste. Blend until smooth. Then add contents of the blender along with one, 14-ounce can prepared lentils, juice and all, into the skillet. (I prepared my own from dried lentils I had on hand a cup of which I cooked along with a bit of celery, carrot and onion and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan.)
Cook until contents of skillet are carmelized, about 20 minutes more. Stir frequently, lifting up sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Then, peel and roughly cut the potatoes and cook in a pan of salted water for 25 minutes or until tender, drain well and mash with the butter and milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the mashed potatoes over the contents of the skillet and place skillet on a tray in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and bubbling at the edges. Sprinkle with crisped rosemary and serve.
Once in a while, a colossal squash comes into your life. In August when my Hubbard squash ripen, these giants start making their way into my kitchen. I harvest them and place them in a cool area on the floor. There they mellow out for a few months before they are ready to eat. Now that it’s March, I am roasting one every month and making several tasty recipes all in the same day. Whatever is not eaten that day is packaged and frozen for future use.
These three recipes from the Country Life Vlog come tested and highly recommended. They will bring fresh flavors to your squash dishes that you’ll want to repeat. The first is a dessert squash, caramelized with cloves and oranges. The second is filo stuffed with grated squash, onions, walnuts and pomegranate seeds. And the third is a roasted squash soup. Its flavors are enhanced by rubbing the squash’s interior with garlic, coriander and honey before it goes into the oven.
First, open the squash using a rubber mallet and a cleaver. Using your hands, clean out the seeds. Save some seeds to plant in your garden next year, if desired.
Cut about two pounds, in one-and-a half inch slices from the opening of the squash and set aside.
Before handling the remaining squash with garlic for roasting, make your dessert and stuffed-pastry squash first as shown below.
Dessert Squash with Cloves and Oranges
A caramelized roast squash dessert with oranges and cloves, walnuts and sour cream.
Serves: 4; Preparation and Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds uncooked, peeled squash (butternut or Hubbard work well)
½ cup cane sugar
5 whole cloves
1 orange, zest removed and sliced finely
Sour cream
Chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a baking sheet, lay cut slices of squash and sprinkle them with sugar, clovees and orange peel. Bake until tender. Squeeze juice from the orange over carmelized sugar while the baking sheet is hot. Serve warm or cold with a dollop of sour cream and chopped walnuts on top.
Dessert
Azerbaijan
#dessert squash with cloves and oranges
Filo Stuffed with Squash, Onions, Walnuts and Pomegranate Seeds
A crispy and delicious appetizer made with squash, onions, walnuts and pomegranate seedsMakes 6; Preparation and Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
½ pounds of uncooked, peeled squash, grated (butternut or Hubbard work well)
½ onion, chopped
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
½ teaspoon sumac
12 sheets filo dough
Directions
Sauté onions in three tablespoons of butter until transparent. Add grated squash and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the sumac, the walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining butter and set aside with a pastry brush. Spread a layer of filo horizontally on table or counter. Brush with melted butter. Repeat so that you have two layers.
Place two tablespoons of filling in the center, about 1 ½ inches in from the left end. Pick up the top lefthand corner and bring it over 2 inches to the right to meet the bottom edge and form a triangle. Fold over at the straight edge in the center from left to right. Pick up the lefthand bottom corner and bring it over 2 inches to the top edge. Fold over in the center, from left to right. Continue until all the strip of filo is used. (You can first practice with a paper napkin and this will become very clear to you.) Brush stuffed pastry with melted butter, sprinkle with sumac and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Squash Soup with Garlic, Honey and Coriander
Sersves 12+; Preparation and Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
6 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
One, 32-ounce box of chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, Chicken or Vegetable
½ cup heavy cream
Directions
Mix all ingredients except the onion in a small bowl. Place whole, de-seeded pumpkin, open side up on a baking sheet and rub interior with garlic/honey mixture. Bake until tender in a 375°F oven, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Blend until smooth. Sauté onions in butter until transparent. Add squash and cook with a lid on medium-low heat for another 10 minutes. Add broth and bouillon and cook another 10 minutes. Add cream and remove from heat before the soup reaches a boil. Adjust seasonings to taste.
We love quiche. There’s nothing quite like the melding of eggs, cheese, custard and savory elements for a festive brunch, lunch or appetizer. At the same time, we always try to cut down on needless carbohydrates. So, with this recipe, we are liberating our quiche by going crustless using parchment paper lining in our pie plate, cupcake liners or a buttered pie plate. It’s still as delicious, but it’s just fewer carb calories.
Crustless Quiche Lorraine & Broccoli Red Pepper Quiche
Prepare the filling for any quiche the night before you need it and when you go to bake it, make any quiche recipe crustless by pouring it into a parchment paper-lined dish, or by buttering the pie plate before filling.
9-inch pie plate
1 cup gruyere/Swiss cheese mixture 40% gruyere, 60% Swiss cheese
3 whole large eggs, beaten lightly with enough Half and Half to make 1 ½ cups
A pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
6 strips cooked bacon, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp chopped onions,
1 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
Preparing the custard/filling:
Prepare the filling at least 8 hours before you bake to give the custard and the cheese a chance to meld together to give your quiche a superior result.
Beat the 3 eggs in a two-cup measuring cup. Add enough half and half to fill the measuring cup to 1 1/2 cups. Pour egg mixture, nutmeg, salt and pepper into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
Cook the bacon until almost crisp then add the onion and cook until transparent. Add the parsley and cook another couple minutes, stirring. Drain bacon mixture in sieve and let cool. Once cooled, add bacon mixture to egg mixture, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Baking the quiche:
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place parchment paper in pie dish or butter pie plate generously. Pour in filling, creating a mound of cheese in the center. Place in the preheated oven to cook for approximately 35 minutes, or until deeply browned on top. Enjoy warm or cold with fruit garnish, salad and a crusty piece of bread.
Vegetarian Variation: Broccoli and Red Pepper or Canned Pimento Quiche
Here’s another variation on the quiche theme: Sauté 2 tablespoons of shallots or scallions in butter, add 2/3 cup cooked broccoli, and add ½ cup of sliced red peppers or one small jar of drained pimentos. Stir and cook until tender.
For the custard: blend 3 large eggs with enough milk, half and half or cream to make 1 1/2 cups. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Add 1/2 cup gruyere or Swiss cheese or a mixture of the two. When broccoli filling is cool, blend with custard. Store filling overnight in refrigerator.
To bake, preheat oven to 400F and place in pie shell that is covered with parchment or buttered. Bake approximately 35 minutes or until deeply browned on top.
As we tremble in anticipation for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin this month, the fiery head and glowing tail of the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet shoots through the sky every night. We shiver, watching from our front yard, feeling a bit unequal to the grandness of nature, the possibilities. So, we at Food for the Ages are feeling the corresponding need for some extra calories. Chocolate almond biscotti fits this bill and pairs perfectly with coffee or just as a snack in the lunchbox. This is a prized recipe from our baker friends in Norwood, Colorado, and is a breeze to make, freeze and portion out as needed. These biscotti are as good as the ingredients you mix into them, so don’t be stingy. Get the good chocolate: I used Callebaut chocolate chips, Cacao Bliss and fine butter.
A prized chocolate biscotti recipe from the bakers in Norwood, Colorado.
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds, grind ½ cup
3 cups flour
2/3 cup Dutch cocoa powder ((I used Cacao Bliss because that's what I had on hand.))
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350F. Pull out a baking sheet and cover with a piece of parchment or a silicone baking mat. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add eggs, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
In a medium bowl, stir together ½ cup ground almonds, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture, combining thoroughly. Mix in chocolate chips and slivered almonds
Scrape bowl out onto baking tray. Form an approximate 12 inch x 1 ½ inch log down the center of the tray and smooth out the top.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes. (Do not scorch bottom.) Cool for 1 minute then slice into 15 slices.
Let cool and serve. Freeze what you don’t eat and use over the next month or so.
A stupendous almond tart, discovered by accident in 19th century England, was thought so wonderful as to deserve its own holiday. For the few of us who celebrate Bakewell Tart Day every year on August 11th, I offer a 1927 recipe for the elusive original, curated by Regula Ysewijn, a Belgian anglophile whose British cookbooks are trending and very collectible.
Regula has taken the time to track down the authentic, historic Bakewell Tart recipe made with almond meal, breadcrumbs, apricot kernels, rosewater and jam (but with no icing or cherry on top, as is often mistakenly reproduced in modern British bakeries). By following her recipe we get to enjoy the fruits of her research, and they are delicious. Regula’s most recent cookbook that contains this recipe, Oats in the North Wheat from the South, features a pleasing selection of many beloved and traditional British bakes. You can make this tart/cake with shortcrust pastry or use my simple 3-2-1 crust.
All the somewhat exotic ingredients are available on Amazon or from other retailers.
Bakewell Tart – The Real Thing
Regula Ysewijn's recipe of the real, historic, delicious Bakewell tart.
springform pan or deep pie dish
For the pastry
1 quantity of a shortcrust pastry (Use your fave crust recipe or Regula’s on page 235 ofher book Oats in the North. Or use my 3-2-1 crust (link above).)
For the Filling
20 g apricot kernels (DO NOT SNACK ON THEM keep away from children as they cause upset stomach when eaten raw and in large quantities)
1 tablespoon rosewater
150 g butter
75 g plain or demerara/raw sugar (for more flavor sugar)
150 g almond meal (blanched almond meal gives a lighter result; natural, which is what I had on hand, is a darker result because the almond skin is still present)
50 g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Pinch of grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons raspberry jam
Handful of flaked almonds
For a 20 cm (8 inch round tin)
Make the shortcrust pastry following the instructions on page 235 of Regula’s book, or another book if you like, or use store-bought, there is no shame in it.
Prepare the cake tin. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Fold in the sides so that the pastry will fit into the base of the baking tin, then gently lift it into the tin, letting it sink down into the base.
Use a small piece of excess dough to firmly press the edges of the pastry into the tin. Trim the excess pastry with a knife and then pierce the base with a fork. Put the pastry in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes or overnight (we don’t blind-bake this pastry as we want it to blend a little with the filling).
Blanch the apricot kernels in boiling water, then remove the skins. Using a mortar and pestle, bash the apricot kernels with the rosewater to make a paste.
Melt butter in a saucepan but don’t let it bubble. Remove the pan from the heat, add the sugar, almond meal, apricot kernel paste and breadcrumbs and stir well.
Add the eggs and nutmeg and mix well. Let the filling rest for at least one hour. Towards the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 200C (no fan heat!).
Spread the jam over the pastry base and spoon the filling on top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Chicken Salad with Eggplant is a delicious and complex-looking chicken salad that is derived from my favorite vlog, Aziza’s Country Life. It’s actually simple to make and it’s a real taste-bud-blower when compared to my standard chicken salad, which is always more predictable with the usual ingredients of leftover roasted chicken, real mayo and celery.
The additions of sauteed eggplant, onions and mushrooms, walnuts and cilantro elevate Aziza’s chicken salad to an exotic “Wow!” This recipe can be prepared the night before, and it makes a large and lovely ring display for a family luncheon or picnic with friends.
As a finishing touch, I filled the center with a yogurt-based fruit salad. You can fill the center with your own favorite fruity salad accompaniment, or just leave it empty.
A recipe I picked up from #countrylifevlog for a delicious chicken salad made with onions, mushrooms, walnuts, mayo and cilantro.
2 large or multiple small eggplants, sliced into long strips with skin on
1/2 cup ghee or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 chicken breasts, boiled in salted water until tender
8 ounces chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1+ cup real mayonnaise
Cook three chicken breasts until tender and set aside to cool.
While chicken is cooking, in a large frying pan, melt ghee or EVOO and begin sautéing the eggplant. Add ghee or oil as needed. Cook until browned on both sides. Remove each strip from the pan and set aside.
In a separate, large frying pan, begin sautéing the onion in a few tablespoons of ghee or EVOO. Once the onion is transparent, about 10 minutes, add the mushrooms and paprika and continue to cook until the juices from the mushrooms are released and cooked off.
Shred the cooled chicken and add it to the pan. Add cilantro and walnuts and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat. Once slightly cooled, stir in real mayonnaise to taste.
To assemble the chicken salad: on a large circular tray or plate, set an 8-ounce glass upside down in the center of the plate. Starting from the edge of the glass, lay out each eggplant strip, radiating from the center to the edge of the plate, overlapping each slightly as you go.
Once complete, arrange cooled chicken salad in a center ring, butting up against the glass. Carefully lift each eggplant strip over the chicken salad and tuck the end into the center. Remove the glass. Place your favorite fruit salad in the center and garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired.
Asparagus Pesto with Scapes and Chickpea Pasta is a fine example of a light, quick-to-make pasta dish. These dishes appeal during our hot summers, and this one with asparagus pesto is a keeper. Although pesto is traditionally made with basil, asparagus is the main character in this recipe. Pairing small, tender shoots with garlic scapes from the garden and a quickly assembled chickpea flour pasta yields a complete and delicious lunch or side dish, or as a satisfying dinner entree for those with larger appetites.
For a delightful cold salad featuring garbanzo beans try thekitchn.com’s Israeli Couscous
Asparagus Pesto with Scapes and Chickpea Flour Pasta
Pesto made with fresh asparagus, garlic scapes and chana besan pasta
Pesto Ingredients
1 bunch tender asparagus
2 scapes cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
salt
freshly ground pepper
Chickpea Pasta Ingrediens (for 4)
1 cup chana besan/chickpea flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 teaspoon salt
enough water to bind
Directions to Make Pesto Sauce
Clean asparagus and remove tough ends, trim the tips and set aside. In a food processor, or a Vita Mix f(or a finer result), drop in scapes and finely chop, adding nuts, cheese, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. With the motor running slowly add the EVOO. Correct seasonings and set sauce aside.
Directions to Make Pasta
Combine chickpea flour, egg, EVOO, and enough water to make a stiff dough. Knead a few minutes until the pasta is smooth. Wrap and refrigerate for a ½ hour before rolling.
Remove from fridge and on a well-floured board, roll out pasta 1/16-inch thick and cut ¼-inch strips using a sharp knife. You can also use a pasta machine.
Directions to Cook Pasta and Asparagus Tips for Garnish
In a medium-sized pot of boiling water cook the pasta until it floats on the surface of the water, about 3 minutes. Remove. Add asparagus and boil briskly for 3 minutes until tender.
Plate up the pasta with a dollop of asparagus pesto and decorate the top with asparagus tips. Serve.
Main Course
American
asparagus pesto, chickpea pasta, garlic scapes, keep it cool, olive oil, recipes for summer, summer fare, vegetarian fare
