Honkman

The Splendid Table cookbook has an interesting chapter around the history of ragu Bolognese with a number of different recipes. There is also an older version described as Baroque Ragu with mix of different meats - pancetta, ground pork and beef, pork sausage, chicken thighs and chicken gizzards (all of them diced), cooked together with carrot, celery, onion, garlic, tomato paste, hints of ground cloves, bay leaf, white wine, chicken broth and finished with a little bit of heavy cream. Served over fettuccine and with parmesan

Moroccan inspired red lentil soup with celery, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, raz al hanout, cumin, coriander, chicken broth and cilantro. Served with fried onion made with jalapeño, cinnamon and lemon juice. Finished with some Greek yogurt

Chili with ground beef, black beans, corn, red pepper, chipotle in adobo, scallion, cilantro, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano - served with rice and sour cream

Low effort dinner - oven roasted vegetables with sausages. Potatoes, carrots, onions and cherry tomatoes are roasted in the oven with thyme, aceto balsamico, honey and oil. Sausage are briefly seared in a pan before added to the vegetables for the second half of the 40 minutes of roasting.

Leek Fritters from Ottolenghi with leeks, shallots, parsley, chili, flour, baking powder, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, sugar, butter, egg, egg white, milk and a dipping sauce made from yoghurt, sour cream, parsley, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Served with sautéed sugar snap peas with mustard and cumin seeds, parsley, lemon juice and zest and tarragon

Pasta with Italian sausage, kale, leek, shallots, parmesan, white wine, pasta water

Pasta with shrimps, red pepper, olives, chili, onion, garlic and a sauce made from white wine, orange juice and orange zest

Pasta Salad - unlimited number of recipes available. This one lets you sauté onions, red pepper, carrots, peas and corn before briefly cooking them in vegetable broth so that they start to be softer but still have some bite. Mix with pasta and the sauce made from mayonnaise, sour cream, cornichons , mustard, white wine vinegar, paprika and just a pinch of curry powder.

I didn’t have time to go to my regular German butcher this weekend who has “classic” German style kassler but one if the supermarket chains (Safeway) has this smoked but uncured “kassler” which is a good enough substitute

Very German dinner with kassler (smoked pork chop), carrots, savoy cabbage, and apple in a cream mustard sauce

Cold weather requires stew - Black-eyed pea stew with andouille sausage, bacon, kale, celery, leeks, green pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeno, chili flakes, bay leaves and chicken broth. Finished with some cider vinegar.

Stew with kielbasa, chorizo, red onions, red peppers, garlic, potatoes, diced tomatoes and smoked paprika.

From the Ali Slagle cookbook “I Dream of Dinner”

Very simple but surprisingly tasty dish - kale, beans and garlic are cooked in milk with s&p. Finished with some crumbled, fried rosemary.

Has anybody used this grill ? https://seergrills.com

Sausage and Leek Pizza - used the Jim Lahey dough and cooked in the oven at 500F for 7 minutes. Topped with béchamel sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, blanched leeks, fresh pork sausage, panko bread crumbs and chili flakes

Sausage-Filled Portobello Mushrooms with Broccolini and Cherry Tomatoes - From the Dinner in One book - Portobello mushrooms are filled with a mixture of Italian pork sausage, panko bread crumbs, garlic, thyme, parmesan, parsley and white wine. Cooked in the oven with some broccolini and cherry tomatoes.

Braised Chicken and Potatoes in Curry Sauce - Bone-in chicken thighs and potatoes are braised in a sauce made from slightly crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, curry powder, onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeño and cilantro

Penne with Radicchio Pesto - penne with sautéed radicchio, shallots and lemon zest and a pesto made from radicchio, pine nuts, lemon juice, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. Finished with some mozzarella and basil.

Deviled Eggs (mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce) with Bacon Quiche Lorraine (onion, bacon, thyme, eggs, half-and-half) with a Wilted Spinach Salad with goat cheese, strawberries, hazelnuts and an olive oil and grapefruit vinaigrette

Penne alla Norma - Quickly pan-fried eggplant cooked with celery, onion and garlic in a sauce made with diced tomatoes and white wine. Finished with some diced mozzarella and dill.

Meat tends to be cheaper in many parts of Europe compared to the US. Every time we are back in Germany I am reminded how much more we are spending here (and often in lower quality) and we are not talking about $1-2/lb

Vine Grower’s Sausages and Green Beans - Fresh pork bratwurst cooked in the oven in a mixture of celery, onions, red grapes, red wine and saba (which I couldn’t get and substituted with a mixture of acetic balsamic, red wine vinegar and pomegranate molasses). The green beans were cooked with diced tomatoes, shallots, garlic and basil.

Vietnamese Tofu and Mushroom Curry - Button and cremini mushrooms are first sautéed with browned onions, grated tomatoes, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, curry powder, sirarakhong chili and maggi (forgot to get some MSG) and afterwards braised with pan-fried extra firm tofu in coconut milk. Finished with some cilantro and served over rice

As Germans we celebrate always 12/24 as the big day with gifts and special dinner. This year a meatloaf with ground beef, shredded cheddar, smoked paprika, cumin, crushed chili flakes and filling made from spinach, onions, garlic and ajvar, wrapped in bacon. Served with peperonata (made from green, red and yellow peppers, onion, anchovies, parsley braised for some time in its own juice) and tangy mashed potatoes (made with buttermilk)