Category: Sauces

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Mushroom Ragu

Mushroom Ragu | Bijouxs Little Jewels

This ragu is bursting with mushrooms and complex umami flavors, this may become your new Sunday sauce–Mushroom Ragu No. 595 in the Collection, another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

MUSHROOMS

A vegetable based ragu so rich you will never miss the meat. Mushrooms are the key along how they are cooked, no rush here. This sauce is a great weekend project, perfect for Sunday Supper. Although this is a meatless sauce, the complex flavors beguile the diners. How can there be a ragu without meat? The answer is the richness from mushrooms, along with some traditional and not some not-so traditional ingredients.

L’ARTUSI, NYC

The recipe has been on the menu from day one at L’Artusi, and it is said there would be an uprising if it leaves the menu. Gargenelli pasta with mushroom ragu, ricotta salata. So loved, it can be ordered via Goldbelly here. Of course, although it relies on humble ingredients, all the parts must be just right for the sauce to come together. I followed the chef’s tips, such as brushing the mushrooms with a paper towel, avoiding any extra water. (I was one of those cooks who purchased a mushroom brush, but it is lost in the drawer of my food tools). Looking at this upgrading to improved mushroom brush.

RAGU INGREDIENTS

I have made this recipe a compilation of recipes, resulting in what I think is just a dandy mushroom ragu. Besides the mushrooms, the other cast of characters in this sauce are easy to find and work with in the kitchen. Onion, tomato paste and pasata, along with sauce favorites cream, butter, cheese and wine-what’s not to love. Ingredients such as Sicilian oregano, Red Boat fish sauce and mushroom broth are a some of the unique things you may not have on hand, but an easy order from Amazon.

SERVE THE SAUCE

I enjoy the ragu over polenta, Bob’s Red Mill makes an organic one, again Amazon, the stores don’t seem to carry their organic one. This umami-rich sauce is a winner over creamy-dreamy polenta. Also a great sauce for your favorite pasta.
Your new Sunday sauce from Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

No. 565Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Bijouxs featured in 805 Magazine November

Bijouxs 805 November Feature

Thankful. The season of thanks begins with a heartfelt thanks to 805 Magazine for featuring me as an 805 Magazine Contributor this month and featuring two of my favorite fennel recipes in the November Issue.  

 

HOLIDAY RECIPES

Here at Bijouxs I have amassed and serious collection of over 550 recipes over the span of the ten years I have written the blog. I have so many Holiday favorite, but seasonal cooking always wins out. I had a number crop of fennel and made this Fennel Pesto to make use of all the voluptuous green fronds my plants produced. During the holidays during the lock down Whole Foods was delivering and part of my holiday order included fresh fennel, which I used to make Crispy & Cheesy Roasted Fennel. 

RECIPES IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE

FENNEL FRONDS PESTO

CRISPY & CHEESY ROASTED FENNEL

COLLECTION MEMBERSHIP

Currently with over 550 recipes and growing,  as part of my Recipe Membership Collection, there are so many choices for your holiday table. If you are not yet a Collection Member consider signing up and having all of my recipes on the ready for your holiday celebrations. It’s easy and very cost effective, less than $2.oo a month for one year and the beauty is NO heavy cookbook to lug around and go searching for your recipes. I have taken an age old recipe problem and solved it with my Collection Membership.

Cheers to all!

No. 563Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spaghetti alla Vodka

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Food & memories, memories & food. Years ago when the world was steady, I met a fantastic chef/fellow blogger. She shared her take on her Grandmother’s “all vodka” recipe. Spaghetti alla Vodka a memory Little Jewel.

ALLA VODKA

Vodka sauce is a pink sauce with a splash of booze that is somewhere between a tomato sauce and an Alfredo sauce. The sauce was surely created in Italy way before it became popular in America. Not to worry, the alcohol inherent in vodka is cooked out completely during the cooking process.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

TOMATO INFUSED VODKA

Key to the recipe are the vodka soaked tomatoes. Do not skip these, they are easy to make. Just place ripe, large peeled garden tomatoes in a glass jar (with a lid) and cover them with vodka. Cover and put tomatoes away in the refrigerator for at least 5 days to do their magic. Make sure to fill the jar to cover the tomatoes with vodka, if they float up use a wooden skewer to anchor the tomatoes.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI ALLA VODKA

This recipe originated from my friend’s Grandmother in Italy. I will vouch, this is a real Italian family. I enjoyed our days cooking with this fellow chef, always something to learn.

Prepare a large pot of boiling salted water, hold a low boil.

The sauce is so easy to prepare. Lightly sauté onions and garlic together in olive oil, just until translucent. Next add the pureed tomatoes and tomato vodka. Simmer about 10-15 minutes. Add the sliced basil*, red pepper flakes, and heavy cream, stir and allow sauce to heat through.

Add the spaghetti to boiling salted water and cook to package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water to use if the sauce seems too thick.

Stir in the drained spaghetti to the sauce. Toss lightly to coat the spaghetti. Serve the spaghetti in a large shallow bowls with additional grated Parmesan, drizzle of olive oil and more red pepper flakes if you like spicy.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CHIFFONADE

This a French cooking term which is the culinary preparation of herbs or leafy vegetables sliced into long, thin ribbons. Simply tighly roll 2-3 basil leaves together then slice crosswise in thin strips.

PASTA BOWLS

A collection of plain white pasta bowls are a worthwhile kitchen investment. I have two types, the shallow bowls you see here and deeper large bowls for ragus and larger pastas.

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spaghetti alla Vodka | Bijouxs Little Jewels

No. 563 Spaghetti alla Vodka, a shared Little Jewel from the Kithen Recipe Collection.

 

No. 552Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The Pacific Northwest Paley’s Place , a recipe and cookbook that are both little jewels- Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú-No.552 The Recipe Collection

PALEY’S PLACE

After 26 years the Portland iconic restaurant closed in 2021. Left behind is a classic cookbook filled with recipes from Vitaly and Kimberly Paley. I have a million cookbooks but this one is special and filled with recipes and stores from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. It looks like a happy place no doubt. I found  my copy on Amazon.

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

PALEY’S PLACE PORK RAGU

This recipe caught my eye. The spices in the sauce as very similar to my Baked Ziti with Sausage. A very memorable recipe from my No. 1 Family and Friends Cookbook.  Cinnamon is the spice that adds the ‘can’t put my finger on it” it’s delicious but what is it? 

The thinking comes from chef Vitaly Paley and unexpected flavors from his visit to Istanbul with his Turkish wife. He was able to infuse things from eastern Mediterranean, and Ottoman Empire flavors. There is so much to learn from the world cuisines, which is what keeps me cooking, always learning.

In his book, he shares his spice blend for making the pork sausage, which is quite simple and worth taking a look at. This recipe via 177MilkStreet uses bulk Italian Sweet Sausage as a short cut. I used the short cut however, I included a dash of paprika, ground fennel and ground star anise, which are the spices he used for his sausage recipe. The sauce is light but packed with flavor the perfect pair with a wide pasta such as Pappardelle.

Paley’s Place Sausage & Mushroom Ragú | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Cookbooks become the vessel to store all our food memories Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

No. 551Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Blackberry Catsup

Blackberry Catsup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Catsup or Ketchup, either way this Blackberry Catsup is so simple & delicious you will never want to buy ketchup again. Blackberry Catsup the newest Little Jewel from the Membership Recipe Collection.

RECIPE NO. 551

The Membership Recipe Collection keeps growing. With full access to over 550 recipes, with NO ADS, NO POPUPS no tracking. Nothing to interrupt your cooking mojo. I have created the Recipe Membership with a very low yearly subscription rate, less than $2.00 per month! Fully searchable with a PRINT RECIPE tab that allows you to easily print recipes. Plus, you have access via your phone or any device, perfect for pulling up  ingredients for a recipe. Oh, and lastly beautiful simple photography and cookbooks to order as well. I have got you cooking covered!

Blackberry Catsup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CATSUP OR KETCHUP

Checking into this issue it seems either title is correct for this beloved condiment. My search unearthed an interesting fact. Both names are Westernized terms for a condiment that has origins in China: fish sauce. Who knew? I love these little known facts about recipes.

Blackberry Catsup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

The ingredients are simple, you may have most of them on hand except the fresh blackberries. The recipe comes from my all-time favorite chef-designer, Lee Bailey. An immense talent, he contributed food, tabletop, garden and design books. I met Lee at a local book signing for Cooking with Friends. Great recipes for guests and simple home style meals. Lee was never fussy. Many of his books contain the tabletop items he designed and sold. This from Saveur Magazine, tells you he was at the beginning of the taste movement. His shop in Henri Bendel NYC was fabulous.

Blackberry Catsup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

I like to make my own dips, dressings etc. and there are a bounty of them to choose from in the Recipe Membership Collection. This way you know what is in them, control the ingredients and avoid all the nasty additives in processed food. Never a better case for creating your own condiments.

 

 

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