Ragù Enriched with Chicken Livers

Andre Baranowski PHOTO GALLERY How to Make Homemade Tagliatelle LAUNCH RELATED TOPICS RECIPES TECHNIQUES ARTICLES Ragú alla Napoletana Alessandra Spisni's Ragù alla Bolognese 'Classic' Ragù alla Bolognese 'New Style' Ragù alla Bolognese The Cardinal's Ragù Anna Nanni's Ragù alla Bolognese Anna Nanni's Baked Spinach Lasagne Homemade Tomato Paste The Building Blocks A Pasta Primer Top Tomato Pastes Ragù alla Jar The Italian Pantry Ragù Around Italy

Ragù Enriched with Chicken Livers Be the first to rate this recipe (Ragù di Fegato di Pollo) MAKES 4 CUPS This rustic version of ragù calls for several different kinds of meat, each contributing a different dimension to the sauce, but it's the chicken livers in particular that lend a gamy depth. 4 cups beef broth 2 tbsp. Homemade Tomato Paste 1 cup milk 3 whole cloves 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 2-oz. piece pancetta, finely chopped 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 2 ribs celery, finely chopped 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 3⁄4 lb. ground beef chuck 1⁄4 lb. ground pork shoulder Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup dry white wine 1⁄8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 2 chicken livers (about 2 oz.) 1. In a small saucepan, bring broth to a simmer over medium heat. Put tomato paste into a small bowl and pour in 1 cup broth; stir to dissolve. Set tomato-infused broth aside. (Keep remaining broth hot.) In another saucepan, bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. Add cloves, remove from heat, and let steep, covered, for 1 hour. Remove cloves; set milk aside. 2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add pancetta; cook, stirring occasionally, until its fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, 30–35 minutes. Stir in beef and pork; cook, stirring and breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon, until browned, 10–15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high, add wine, and cook, stirring constantly, until wine is evaporated, about 6 minutes. Lower heat to medium, stir in nutmeg and reserved tomato-infused broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low, add 1⁄2 cup reserved hot broth, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed. Repeat, 1⁄2 cup at a time, until all the broth has been used (this should take about 1 1⁄2 hours). 3. Add chicken livers to sauce; cook for 8 minutes. Using a fork, remove and mash livers with a tablespoon or two of the milk. Return livers to sauce along with remaining milk; simmer until thick and velvety, 15–20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with tortellini or the pasta of your choice, or use in lasagne. Serve with grated parmigiano-reggiano. This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #110

Morrocan lamb patties with harissa

Merguez lamb patties with golden raisin couscous Gourmet | March 2008

Merguez, the spicy lamb sausages of North Africa, are popular throughout France. These nearly labor-free patties are a quick way to re-create them in your kitchen. The sweetness of the raisin couscous contrasts nicely with the meat's deep spice.

Makes 4 servings

Andrea Albin

1 1/4 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons harissa (spicy North African condiment)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken
broth or water 1/3 cup golden raisins
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Zest of 1 lemon

Equipment: an electric coffee/spice grinder
Accompaniment: harissa or hot sauce

Toast fennel seeds in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until fragrant and

a shade darker, about 1 minute. Grind to a fine powder in grinder.

Mix together lamb, garlic, harissa, spices (including fennel), and 1/2 teaspoon

salt thoroughly with your hands (do not overmix). Form into 4 oval patties (about 3/4 inch thick).

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers,

then cook patties, turning once, about 9 minutes total for medium-rare.

Mujadara Recipe

I ate this a Kalyustans. Amazing!

Recipe: Mujadara (Rice, Lentils and Caramelized Onion Pilaf)

Mujadara (Rice, Lentils and Caramelized Onion Pilaf)

Mujadara (also spelled Mujadarah or several other variations) is delicious, inexpensive, simple to make, and one of my wife's favorite foods. Since she got us this beautiful new serving platter I felt a batch was overdue. It is simply a mixture of rice and perfectly cooked lentils, spiked with a big dose of caramelized onions and a bit of cumin and cinnamon. It makes a hearty vegetarian one dish meal served with just some Greek yogurt and maybe a cucumber salad, or it can be part of a larger Middle Eastern feast.

Although this dish is very simple, unless you have a lot of leftover caramelized onions on hand, it does take a good bit of time. If you are following the recipe below you might want to double the onions and make extra to freeze or refrigerate, since they make a flavorful addition to many meals.

Mujadarah (Rice, Lentil, and Caramelized Onion Pilaf)
Serves 4 as a one dish meal

• 3 pounds white onions, sliced moderately thin
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1.5 c brown or green lentils (not red lentils or french lentils!)
• 2 c. long grain white or brown rice (I prefer the brown for a bit more character)
• 1/4 t. ground cinammon
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• flat leaf parsley for serving

1. Melt the butter along with the oil and 1 t. salt in your largest skillet, and add the onions. Set heat on medium-low and stir occasionally until very soft, about 45 minutes. Turn heat to medium high and keep cooking and stirring often until deeply browned and sweet, another 20 minutes or more. Deglaze pan with white wine or vermouth and stir into the onions to get more flavor. See "caramelized onions" in Joy of Cooking for a more thorough description of the process. If pressed for time you can do a higher heat version of this but the results won't be as tasty.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice and the lentils separately according to your usual method. The lentils need to be watched carefully. You don't want them still crunchy , but you definitely want to retain their shape. We aren't making lentil soup here. Some folks cook the rice and lentils together but I don't think that gives you enough control over the texture.
   
3. When everything is cooked, fold the rice, lentils, spices, half of the onions, and more salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. To serve, form a large mound, top with the remaining caramelized onions and chopped parsley, a grind of pepper and a few grains of sea salt. Pass a bowl of thick Greek yogurt to mix in as desired. It is really good at room temperature, and just gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

Posted by Michael Natkin on October 07, 2007 at 10:37 PM in Recipes | Permalink

Ethiopian Chicken Wot

Spicy Chicken Stew

(Doro Wot) SERVES 4 This stew of chicken and hard-boiled eggs is one of the most recognized dishes of Ethiopia. The key to making its delicious, sweet-and-spicy sauce is to cook the onions slowly until they've caramelized to make a deeply flavored base. This recipe is based on one used by Elizabeth Goshu at her restaurant, Nyala, in Los Angeles. 4 tbsp. nit'r qibe (Ethiopian Spiced Butter), or unsalted butter 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped 1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic 1 tbsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger 1 1⁄2 tbsp. berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mix) plus more as needed 4 chicken legs (about 2 1⁄4 lbs.), skinned and divided into drumsticks and thighs Kosher salt, to taste 4 whole hard-boiled eggs Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread) 1. Heat butter in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened, 6–8 minutes. Add berbere and 2 cups water; stir well. Season the chicken all over with salt; nestle the pieces in the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. 2. Uncover skillet and raise heat to medium-high; simmer to reduce the liquid until it has a thick, gravy-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; stir to warm through. Taste and season with more berbere and salt, if necessary. Serve hot with the injera.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #110

Ethiopian Flatbread

Ethiopian Flatbread (Injera) MAKES 18 FLATBREADS Injera, the spongy, crêpe-like sourdough flatbread usually made from tef, a hardy Ethiopian grain, can be easily replicated at home with all-purpose flour, yeast, and a nonstick skillet. (See Making an Ethiopian Staple, for the traditional method.) 1 cup warm water (about 105°) 1 1⁄4-oz. packet of active dry yeast 3 cups flour 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt 1. Pour warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. 2. Sift flour into a large bowl; add the yeast mixture along with 2 cups water and whisk until a very smooth batter has formed. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours. 3. Briskly whisk the bubbling batter until smooth; add salt and whisk to combine. 4. Heat a 6" nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in 1⁄4 cup of the batter, tilting and swirling the skillet to coat it evenly with batter. Cook until just set, about 1 minute. Cover and cook until the edges pull away slightly from the sides, about 1 minute more. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, transfer injera to a paper towel–lined plate, cover with another paper towel, and repeat, stacking the flatbreads as you go. (Whisk the batter while each flatbread cooks.) 5. Let injera cool completely; wrap with plastic wrap until ready to serve. (The injera may be stored overnight in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.) This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #110