Patty Mekita, good friend to me and to Semifreddo, has offered her Bolognese recipe, which is famous in San Diego.  Thank you, Patty, for this contribution. 

Patty Mekita Preparing to Cook Bolognese

Patty’s Bolognese
 
1 lb. of ground beef
little salt and pepper
 
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ of medium onion or some scallions
2 stalks finely chopped celery
2 finely chopped long carrots
Fresh chopped basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
little salt and pepper
 
1 hot cup of beef bouillon or stock
 
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
 
Fresh basil for garnish
 
Brown the beef with salt and pepper until almost all the pink is gone and constantly stir, then  drain.
 
In the same pan add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, basil, salt and pepper and sweat for a few minutes.  Add the hot beef broth and stir for one or two minutes.
 
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir well.  Simmer for about 30 minutes. 
 
Take the cooked ground beef and pulse about three times in the food processor.  Add the beef to the tomato sauce and cook another 10 to 15 minutes.
 
I use this over 18 oz. of tortellini (I use spinach and white cheese tortellini from the refrigerator section), or you can put over your favorite pasta.

At the request of our friends, Hillary and Carin Canale-Theakston, we are posting Gary’s famous Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe.  The secret ingredient in this recipe is the roasted peppers.  Gary recently bought a roasting tool for the stovetop at the Santa Fe School of cooking.  He has been roasting like crazy.  This recipe is one of our favorites as the weather gets cooler and as we head to Park City for winter sports.  Preparing this recipe is one of Gary’s winter sports:

Gary’s Famous Chicken Tortilla Soup

Canola oil spray for chicken
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 red bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
2 pasilla peppers (pablano)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
10 drops Sriracha sauce
1 onion, chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 14 ½ ounce canned tomatoes, drained
2 32 ounce boxes organic chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups broken tortilla chips
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 avocados, pitted, peeled and chopped into ½ inch cubes
Sour cream

Spray chicken breasts with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken breasts until completely cooked (165 degrees), cool and then shred.

Roast whole peppers in oven, grill or on stovetop until blackened.  Put into glass bowl with lid or plastic bag until steamed (20 to 30 minutes).  Remove from container and remove stem and seeds.  Peel and chop.

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large stock pot.  Add onion and sauté until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté an additional minute.  Stir in tomatoes, broth, chopped peppers, and all spices.  Simmer for one hour.  Add chicken and tortilla chips.  Simmer for additional 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls.  Top with cheese, avocados and sour cream..

Gary’s smoked turkey wins the beauty and taste contest every year.  But he has to make great sacrifices to fix this bird.  Here are the steps:
 
Note: Order your fresh, organic turkey one week in advance.  It should not be more than 16 – 18 pounds.
 
1.)   The day before Thanksgiving, clean and wash your turkey.
2.)   Select a marinade or a brine recipe.  Gary prepares a soy, ginger marinade with garlic, dry sherry, and a bit of sesame oil.  You can use your favorite recipe or brine the turkey.
3.)   Place in a large pot or oversized bowl.  We use our lobster pot.  Cover with the marinade and turn several times over the 24 hour period.
4.)   Get up at 4 a.m. to get the smoker going.  Light the charcoal, fill the water pan with water and this is where we use up all the leftover bottles of wine that we keep for cooking occasions.
5.)   Remove the turkey from the marinade and smoke in the heated smoker for 7 to 9 hours at about 220 degrees.
6.)   After 6 hours, insert an instant read thermometer and cook until the internal temperature of the turkey is 160 to 170 degrees.
7.)   Have the turkey ready about 1 hour before you plan to eat.  It gives you time to prepare your other last minute ingredients and allows the turkey to cool for serving.

Smoked Turkey

This is my Oma’s recipe for “stuffing” although the purists call it “dressing” if it’s not actually inside the turkey. This has been my brother and my favorite Thanksgiving dish for years. It reheats well so it makes great leftovers. Try putting a slice of stuffing on a sandwich with leftover turkey! It’s the best!

This recipe makes 4 loafs of stuffing, so feel free to “half” the recipe.

2 loaves Vienna or Italian Bread – cubed
48 oz. organic chicken broth
2 small or 1 large yellow onion – chopped
2 sticks celery – chopped
4 cloves garlic – minced
¾ cups chopped parsley
2 cups chopped mushrooms
6 eggs
1 t Kosher salt
½ t pepper
½ t oregano
2 T butter
2 T olive oil

Chop bread into cubes 1 day in advance and let sit out to get stale.

Sauté onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms in butter. Heat broth and pour over cubed bread. Add sautéed vegetables, parsley, salt, oregano, pepper, eggs and mix. Place in 4 bread loaf pans (buttered) and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (until golden brown).