Making lasagna with homemade bolognese – my recipe:

1/8 stick butter
1/8 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
Half tablespoon each basil, mint (both fresh if available), red pepper flakes – 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Half lb. Beef – finest kind/grind; ½ lb. Pork – finest kind/grind
6-8 oz. of thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 can tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine
1 ½ cups beef stock
1.5 cups ricotta
8 oz. small curd cottage cheese
one or two egg yolks
grated  parmesan for the top (if you want)
1/4 cup cream (optional)

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It’s spring, so it’s got to be pesto. Such a simple recipe we should be able to do it in one film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VONA1zQBg2U

Quantities after the jump.

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Wherein I make Julia Child’s piperade in my tiny kitchen and TAPE IT using the Hero 2 camera we got last week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBdLKjx8iHc

And because I don’t know how to pause, and we don’t yet have Final Cut Pro, this thing is a series of videos, not one smooth move:

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What’s better than roast chicken and mashed potatoes on a winter evening? And, of course, there are as many ways to roast a chicken as there are cooks. Here’s how I do it, and I’d like to hear how you do it – always looking for tips and tricks. First, the neck (and giblets if they’re in the cavity) go into a pot to slow cook with a rough-cut mirepoix:

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Trust me – if you follow the instructions, wonderful things happen:

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Photos after the jump:

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Cooking Julia Child’s beef bourguignon again – seems to be a 3 times a year sort of dish.  Posting the recipe again because, as I followed it, I noted a few places where it wasn’t clear. Also, unlike the photo, this time I used frozen pearl onions. Take a crack at it Stinquers!

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• A crumbled bay leaf
• 18 to 24 white onions, small
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
• 1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

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Just made one for lunch. Ozersky is a genius:

[ Flash video not available. ]