EVENTS SEASONAL AND OTHERWISE CONSPIRED to keep us busy in the kitchen this weekend. First, our friends and fabulous block party throwers Al and Kelly were coming for dinner. On-again, off-again cool weather got Marion thinking of serving a hearty beef and pork ragù she’d made long ago.
Beef and Pork Ragù
Among the ingredients are ground beef, chunks of pork, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, wine, paprika, and hours and hours of slow stovetop cooking. But the beauty is that after the initial prepping and starting it to simmer, your involvement is nothing more than stirring it, occasionally adding more liquid and witnessing its transformation over hours from “oh, I dunno” into this glorious rustic ragù. It was a huge hit for dinner and now firmly back on our radar. You’ll find the recipe here.
Pecan Pesto
Nearly every spring, Marion plants lots of basil in our garden, with me promising to turn it into lots of pesto. It’s a perfect quick dinner in the summer, the no-cook pesto coming together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. And frozen in batches, it’s an even better dinner in the winter—a delicious reminder of summer on a cold night.
I do better delivering on my promise some years than others. So this weekend, as the basil looked like it was thinking of shutting down, I went to work. Piles of freshly harvested basil leaves, grated Parmesan, pecans, minced garlic, olive oil… the kitchen was fragrant. In all, a dozen or so batches were made, some eaten, some given to neighbors, and many frozen for future winter nights. You’ll find the recipe here.