Pure Comfort Food

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Posted on 13 April 2023

My latest quest was to find an authentic recipe for lasagna. There are plenty out there, and they have some commonalities. The tomato/meat sauce is a Bolognese-type. Instead of mozzarella, they use a béchamel sauce, most insist on homemade lasagna noodles. So, my first order of business was to be able to cook an excellent rendition of the authentic recipe. And after only the second iteration, we are close. We used our son, Pete’s recipe as the starter, and we made very few changes. After about eight iterations, this featured…

Georgia Chain Gang Chili

Posted on 19 December 2018

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

Now What? When you find yourself lying on a bunk in the big house, and the only appointment you have scheduled in the next 20 years (to life) is with the Georgia Department of Corrections, you realize you’re going to have lots of free time on your hands. So, what’s the plan? You can volunteer to work in the kitchen and hone your culinary skills. I don’t know if this is Hy Abernathy’s story or not, but given the name of this chili, I’m sure it must have chain-gang roots…

Good Gravy!!!

Posted on 22 March 2018

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

This easy creamy gravy, spiked with Marsala wine, can be whisked together while the main event of your meal is cooking. Start by browning mushrooms in butter to give it plenty of savory flavor. Add beurre manie (flour/butter) to thicken, simmer in Marsala wine and beef broth, and finish with heavy cream. Serve this with everything from meatloaf to beef Wellington. For recipe click on Mushroom Gravy. Note to cooks/chefs You can never make too much gravy. I like to plate all of the servings in the kitchen and then present them…

Sicilian Meatballs – A Recipe You Can’t Refuse

Posted on 4 March 2018

in Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child First of all, I’m not advocating eating pasta three meals a day. I think of pasta as the ultimate in comfort food, and about once a week I like to treat myself. And, if I’m going to treat myself to some extra calories, I want it to be over the top. While I absolutely love spaghetti and meatballs, the Sicilian Meatball recipe featured in Men’s Journal (March 2018, page…

Meatballs. Sicilian-Style

Posted on 23 February 2018

in Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child I’m not advocating eating pasta three meals a day. I think of pasta as the ultimate in comfort food, and once a week I like to treat myself. And, if I’m going to treat myself to some extra calories, I want it to be over the top. While I absolutely love spaghetti and meatballs, the Sicilian Meatball recipe featured in Men’s Journal (March 2018, page 24) is just the…

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

Posted on 28 January 2018

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

Quick and Easy Linguine with a white clam sauce – sounds difficult, right? Not really. This is one of those quick meals you can prepare on the spur of the moment. If you have your act together, you can have this on the table and ready to go in about 40 minutes. There is not a long list of ingredients. Garlic, shallots, and white wine are usually part of what you will have available in your kitchen. I have added linguine, cans of whole baby clams, and parmigiano…

A Seafood Bolognese That’s Very Interesting

Posted on 25 December 2017

in Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

A Seafood Bolognese? By definition, a seafood bolognese makes no sense. According to culinary tradition, a Bolognese sauce is meat-based and it’s referred to as ragu’ in Italy. It is cooked over low heat for many hours. And because it’s meat based, it reflects the cuisine of Northern Italy. This part of Italy is more fitted to support livestock and wildlife with its green pastures and woodlands. Also, the North borders Austria and France which also influences what they prepare. There’s no meat in this recipe. Instead, a fresh seafood selection…

Croque Madame. Invite A French Lady To Breakfast.

Posted on 8 December 2017

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

Offering a French Delight – The Croque Madame If you are hosting overnight guests for the holidays and you want to add a cosmopolitan touch to breakfast, serve each of them a croque madame. If they’ve never eaten one before, then they are in for a treat. It’s really quite simple to make. It’s a half sandwich where a slice of bread is covered with a high-quality wet-cured ham. Ladle some béchamel sauce on top of the ham, and cover everything with a layer of coarsely-grated Gruyere cheese. And then add the pièce…

A Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich To Die For

Posted on 25 July 2017

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

I love a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, and I’m not alone. In polls where people were asked about their favorite sandwich, the BLT was either at the top or close to the top of every list. And it’s so simple: two slices of bread, mayo, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. That’s it. Not all BLTs I’ve eaten have been great. I’ve been served many that I didn’t think were very good at all. What I think sets a great one apart from the others are (1) the quality…

Mulligatawny Soup (A Decent Bowl)

Posted on 28 February 2017

in Additional Recipes, Pure Comfort Food

by Bob

“So, where do you have to go to get a decent bowl of mulligatawny soup?” How many times have I heard some needy and hungry soul utter those words? Actually . . . never – but that doesn’t mean it’s never been asked. As a matter of fact, Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert wrote about this problem back in 1885 in his book Culinary Jottings: A Treatise In Thirty Chapters On Reformed Cookery For Anglo-Indian Rites, Based Upon Modern English And Continental Principles With Thirty Menus in which he…

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Pure Comfort Food

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Georgia Chain Gang Chili

Good Gravy!!!

Sicilian Meatballs – A Recipe You Can’t Refuse

Meatballs. Sicilian-Style

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

A Seafood Bolognese That’s Very Interesting

Croque Madame. Invite A French Lady To Breakfast.

A Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich To Die For

Mulligatawny Soup (A Decent Bowl)

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