Fettuccine Bolognese

One of my favorite crock pot recipes. It takes about 30 minutes to fix before you put it in the slow cooker, but it makes A LOT that can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months!

2 T. Olive Oil
2 oz (60 g) Pancetta, chopped
2 small Yellow Onions, finely chopped
2 Carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk Celery, finely chopped
3 lb Ground Beef
2 cups, Beef broth
1 1/2 cups, Dry red wine (I just use cooking wine from the condiment section).
1 can (28 oz/875 g) Crushed plum (Roma) tomatoes
1/2 cup Milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb Fettuccine or Linguini, whichever your prefer
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Saute the ingredients. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add teh pancetta and saute until it begins to render its fat, about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden sppon, until it is no longer red, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on teh pan bottom. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomateos and sitr to combine.

2. Cook the sauce. Cover and cook the sauce on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablesppons salt and the pasta. Cook, stiring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, return the pasta to teh pot, and toss gently with 2 cups of the sauce. Serve, passing the Paremsan at the table.

Storage Tip: Let the remaining Bolognese sauce cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

My Mom's Tarragon Chicken

4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs (about 2 pounds) skinned (I, Nadia, just use one of the cheap whole chickens from Costco and cut up the pieces)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly slices
2 plum tomatoes, diced (I usually don't have these so I use the canned diced tomatoes and drain the juice out of them)
1/4 c. tarragon vinegar (I have not been able to find this in NM so I substitute 1/4 cup white vinegar)
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon or 2 tsp dried
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (I always forget this)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used milk when I did not have cream_
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1. Mix all ingredients except heavy cream and flour in large slow-cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high 4 hours of low for 7 hours until chicken is cooked through and onions are soft.
3 Whisk heavy cream and flour in small bowl until smooth. Stir in some hot liquid from cooker; stir into liquid in cooker. Turn setting to high; cook 25 minutes until liquid thickens.
4. Serve over rice

Lazy Day Stroganoff

1 lb. stew meat (browned)
1 big can of cream of mushroom
1 small can of cream of celery
1 onion soup mix pouch
1 c. sour cream
1/2-1 small can of water.
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat. Add everything, except sour cream to crock pot or big pot. Throw in the oven (325*) or crock pot on low 6-8 hrs, high 3-5 hours. Add sour cream before serving (but make sure it gets warm . . .). Serve over rice or noodles (or both!).

So fabulous. Seriously. The meat is so tender. Enjoy!