Baked Eggs, Smoked Salmon, and Mozzarella

The ultimate homey breakfast, baked eggs are the perfect thing for a Sunday morning meal. They're healthier for you than fried eggs, but the best part is the way the baking dish keeps the eggs warm long after its left the oven. Its just so nice.

Here we've dropped 3 organic eggs into a porcelain baking dish (buttered to prevent sticking,) added some bits of smoked salmon, fresh herbs, salt and pepper, then topped it off with a few slices of mozzarella cheese.

Cooking at 375 degrees it will take about 17-20 mins for custard-like yolks.

A side of citrus rounds out the earthiness and sea flavors with a touch of acidity. We chose grapefruit slices tossed with fresh mint.
~

Lamb Ragoût with Pappardelle

This is one of my favorite dishes. I admit I have many favorite dishes, but that's besides the point. The slight gaminess of the lamb coupled with the pancetta and red wine in the sauce really expands the flavor of an otherwise simple pasta sauce.

I usually like to make fresh pappardelle with this, but we will just focus on the sauce today.

1. In a tall sided pan or pot, add 2 tablespoon olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large onion, 1 medium carrot, and 1 celery stalk, and 1/2 cup pancetta (or bacon) - all finely chopped. Cook for 10 mins on medium heat until onion is translucent. This is known as a Mirepoix (although we used oil instead of butter).

2. Add 1 pound of ground lamb, a sprig of fresh rosemary, and some chopped oregano and thyme. Cook until meat is browned, another 10 mins.

3. Turn down heat to low and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon hot pepper paste, 2 16 oz cans stewed tomatoes, 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce, and 1 cup of red wine (I used a Syrah). Add a couple of bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper. Stir and cook uncovered for 1/2 hour.

4. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional). Stir and taste, then adjust seasonings to your liking. Break up some of the tomatoes with a spoon if necessary. Cook another 1/2 hour adding more red wine if the sauce starts to stick to the pan.

5. Add pappardelle to boiling water and 1 tablespoon olive oil 10 mins before sauce is finished and serve tossed together. Throw some fresh parsley and shaved Parmesan on top to garnish.

Enjoy!
~

Bird Bird Bird

Here is the key to good bbq chicken: on the grill, position the meat away from the fire, skin side down, for the first 10 mins.

If you position your bird directly over the flame, the fat in the skin will drip right down and fuel the blaze - and suddenly you've got a raging, uncontrollable, even dangerous fire. Chicken cooked in this way is charred on the outside and under-cooked on the inside - the worst possible result!

Our way, the indirect heat will render off any fat from the skin in a safe spot, away from the flame.

Once the pieces have firmed up a bit, reposition them directly over hot coals for about 7-10 mins/side and you're golden. For extra flavor, you can whip up some home-made bbq sauce by mixing ketchup, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, a splash of Guinness stout, and Tabasco sauce. Ah, the simple pleasures in life!
~