Starting with this recipe for Ina Garten’s Beef Bourguignon, I decided to create a new category I call Bucketlist. Mimi’s Bucketlist is a place for all the wonderful recipes I’ve collected over the years but never had the time or courage to try. This Mimi is retired so little time is no excuse. Now, I have to muster up the courage.
“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” Julia Child, “My Life in France”
Boeuf Bourguignon If you’ve ever watched the Nora Ephron film “Julie & Julia” you’ll remember the classic French stew that inspired Julie Powell to author her successful blog “The Julie/Julia Project: Nobody here but us servantless American cooks…”
I remember attempting this recipe once when I was in high school. I was a member of the French Club and our sponsors took us to the Chez Paul restaurant in Chicago. Tres chic. I ordered Duck L’Orange. Turtle soup sounded disgusting. I don’t remember what prompted me to try Beef Bourguignon in my mother’s humble kitchen or who’s recipe I used, but I do remember desperately wanting to try a dish that would reflect my newly acquired sophisticated side. And to cook with wine! It’s beef stew, right? How hard could it be? Well, my father liked it. He loved me. My early dish was an early failure, but I grew to learn to appreciate technique and to follow a recipe. There’s so much to learn from really good cooks. I know and have known several.
I carefully reviewed several recipes over time comparing them with Julia Child’s recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I settled on Ina Garten’s because it was easier. OMG, it was delicious! According to Julia, the stew only gets better a day later as the flavors mellow. Yep!
Ina flames her cooked vegetables with cognac before adding the meat. I’m sure it lends a great rich flavor. But when a pint of cognac was $35 at the grocery, I decided to skip that part.
I’ve thought about doing this in a crockpot but am voting against it. I don’t think the liquid will cook down and thicken as well. And I’m not sure about an Instsapot because I’m not an Instapot fan. But, if any of you try it and decide otherwise, I’d love to hear from you with your results.
Get out your Dutch oven and let’s make some!
“Carefully done and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.” Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Couldn’t agree more.
I bought a 2.5 lb chuck roast and cut it into cubes. I imagine you could use stew meat, but the chuck roast has more fat and renders down to tasty tender chunks while cooking in the oven. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a heavy 5-6 quart dutch oven over medium heat, brown the bacon until the fat renders and the bits are nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Set aside. I used three slices of bacon and added 2 Tablespoons olive oil to make sure there was enough fat to brown the beef. (Ina calls for 1/2 pound of bacon. Julia used a 6-ounce chunk of bacon that she cut into lardons and boiled. Hmmm) Add the beef cubes in a single layer to the pot. Once the cubes are browned on all sides, remove them to the plate with the bacon. Repeat with another batch of meat until it’s all browned.
See all the beautiful brown bits in the bottom of the pot? Wow – that’s serious flavor!
Add onions to the pot. Toss so they’re covered with fat.
Add the carrots, 2 teaspoons salt and 1-2 teaspoons black pepper. Toss to distribute.
Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the onions are just browned.
Add garlic, stir, and cook for one minute longer or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the meat, bacon and all the juices into the pot.
Add one bottle of red wine. I used pinot noir.
Add enough beef stock to just cover the meat.
Add thyme and/or a bay leaf.
Add 2 Tablespoons tomato paste.
Stir everything together and bring to a simmer.
Put on a tight-fitting lid. Place covered Dutch oven in a 250°F oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Enjoy the smells coming from the oven!
In the meantime . . . make a Beurre manié
Beurre manié is a fancy French name for butter kneaded with flour to be used as a soup or stew thickener. I’ve used this for years in soups, stews, even sauerkraut, and it works pretty well. Mash room temperature butter with flour, one Tablespoon at a time, until you have this lovely paste. When the beef bourguignon comes out of the oven, add the beurre manié and stir to incorporate.
Also – brown mushrooms in butter. Set aside.
To Finish: Remove the pot from the oven to the stovetop. Take off the lid.
Add beurre manié. Stir to incorporate.
Add pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot. Stir.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Serve!
I served mine alongside mashed potatoes, but you could substitute egg noodles or rice. Julia suggests boiled potatoes, buttered peas, or a green salad.
Ina serves hers on larges slices of toasted country or sourdough bread smeared with a fresh garlic clove. Kind of like a bruschetta.
I served warm thick slices of French bread for dunking. The sauce invites it.
"Carefully done and perfectly flavored, it is one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man." Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking I agree!
Author: Ina Garten
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: French
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
¼ lb sliced bacon cut into strips
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2½ - 3 pounds chuck roast, but into 2" cubes
1 pound carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 750ml bottle full-bodied red wine, pinot noir or burgundy
2 cups beef broth
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf (optional)
4 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 Tablespoons flour
12 oz package frozen onions
1 pound mushrooms thickly sliced or quartered
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250F degrees
Cut chuck roast into 2" chunks. Place on baking sheet, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a heavy 5-6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove crisp bacon to a plate.
Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to the pot. In a single layer, add the beef cubes. Brown the meat on all sides. Cook in 2-3 batches until all the beef is cooked. Remove meat to the plate with bacon.
Add carrots and onions, one Tablespoon salt, and two teaspoons of black pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for 10-15 minutes until the onions are lightly browned.
Add garlic. Cook for one minute or until the garlic becomes fragrant
Put the beef, bacon and juices into the pot.
Add the bottle of red wine and beef stock.
Add the tomato paste and thyme and/or bay leaf.
Stir. Bring to a simmer. Place in oven for 1½ hours or until the meat and carrots are tender.
While the stew is cooking, mash 2 Tablespoons of butter together with 3 Tablespoons of flour - one Tablespoon at a time - to form a paste. Saute mushrooms in two Tablespoons butter until browned.
Remove stew from oven. Add butter/flour paste and mushrooms. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, on the stovetop for 15 minutes.
Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, boiled potatoes, buttered peas or a green salad. Warm crusty Frech bread is also great to soak up all the stew juices. Ina Garten toasts country or sourdough bread, rubs a garlic clove over the warm toasts, and serves the stew ladled over the bread.
This scrumptious cheesy and melty Quick & Easy Burrito Pie is guaranteed to become one of your family’s favorites. It’s everything I love in quick Mexican casserole dishes. Perfectly seasoned and loaded with ground beef, beans, and cheese. You can’t go wrong.
I used 10″ burrito-sized flour tortillas and a 10″ springform pan to build the pie. And you can make it vegetarian by omitting the ground beef and adding black and pinto beans. Or use ground turkey for a healthier meat option.
Serve in pie slices topped with guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced onion, sliced jalapenos and/or salsa. Maybe some sliced black olives and sliced green onions? How about some crumbled queso fresco? You know, all the yummy things you’d put on top of a burrito or taco.
Let’s make a burrito pie! Your people will love you. Guaranteed!?
Heat a 10-12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add one Tablespoon olive oil and the ground meat. Brown the meat and drain off fat. Return the meat to the skillet. Add chopped onion and saute until just wilted. Add one thinly sliced (slivered) or diced jalapeno pepper. You can substitute diced green or red bell pepper to make the dish less spicy. Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic. Continue to saute just until the garlic becomes fragrant – 1 minute or so.
Add one can of petite diced tomatoes liquid and all and one package taco seasoning. Stir and simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened – 2-3 minutes. (I added one corn tortilla sliced into slivers to help thicken things up, but you don’t have to.)
Add one can of drained and rinsed beans – any beans you like – pinto, black, light red kidney beans. (If you’re going vegetarian, I’d use two cans of beans and skip the meat.) Stir and continue to heat through. Remove the meat mixture from the heat and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together one can cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of sour cream. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the cheeses. I like using half shredded Mexican quesadilla cheese or Monterey Jack and half shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Let’s put our burrito pie together! Shall we?
I used a 10″ springform pan and 10″ burrito-sized flour tortillas. The springform pan makes for easy assembly and serving once the pie is baked.
If you don’t have a springform pan, you can use a high-sided souffle dish or a 10″ pie pan.
Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with vegetable spray. Place a tortilla on the bottom. Top with 1/4 of the mushroom soup/sour cream mixture. Top that with 1/4 of the meat/bean mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the shredded cheese.
Repeat the layers three more times finishing with soup, meat, and cheese.
Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. I line my baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
Bake your burrito pie in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until the pie is hot and heated through. Remove pie from the oven onto a cooling rack.
Let it sit for 10 minutes to make it easier to slice.
And there you have it!
Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve with the toppings you choose.
Once cooled to room temperature, your pie can be frozen then thawed and reheated.
I can’t wait to dig in!
Hot, melty, cheesy, and scrumptious Quick & Easy Burrito Pie. Serve with toppings like guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced onion, sliced jalapenos and/or salsa.
Author: Mimi
Recipe type: Main Dish, Quick Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
4 - 10" burrito-sized flour tortillas
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1lb ground beef or turkey
½ - 1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, slivered or diced (May substitute diced green or red bell pepper.)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 15½ oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 - 15½ oz can pinto, black or light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup sour cream
3 cups total Mexican quesadilla cheese and sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a 10-12" skillet over medium-high heat add olive oil and ground meat. Brown and drain. Return meat to skillet.
Over medium heat, add onion, Cook until just wilted. Add peppers and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant - 1-2 minutes.
Add undrained canned tomatoes and taco seasoning. Stir and simmer until slightly thickened.
Add drained and rinsed beans. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes until mixture is thickened and heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine shredded cheeses. Set aside.
Spray a 10" springform pan with cooking spray.
Line the bottom with one tortilla. Top the tortilla with ¼ soup/sour cream mixture. Top that with ¼ meat/bean mixture. Top that with ¼ shredded cheese.
Repeat layers three times ending with shredded cheese.
Place springform pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pie is bubbling and heated through.
Remove from oven onto a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the outer collar of the pan and cut into pie-shaped wedges.
Serve with any variety of toppings: guacamole, sour cream, extra shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos or salsa, sliced black olives or green onions.
Notes
Feel free to make your burrito pie vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding another can of drained and rinsed beans. The springform pan makes this easy to assemble and to serve, but you could use a straight-sided souffle dish or a 10" pie pan.
Uncover precious buried treasure. Dig down into a deep bowl filled with beef and rice stuffed green peppers smothered with a perfectly seasoned tomato-onion-basil gravy. Grab a couple slices of Italian bread slathered with butter to sop up all the gravy goodness. Heaven … really, Heaven in a bowl.
Beneath this lovely tomato gravy lay the most delicious stuffed peppers and porcupine meatballs. Dig deep. Ladle a pepper and a large spoonful of tomato gravy into your bowl.
Growing up, Mom’s Stuffed Green Peppers was a beloved family staple. At the end of summer, my dad would find gigantic green peppers at a Northwest Indiana farmers’ market that begged to be filled. He would bring them to my Greenfield, Indiana home, and there was only one application for the lovely peppers. These peppers were also served between Thanksgiving and Christmas in anticipation of family arrivals often at different times of the day or evening because they hold well.
Use whatever fresh peppers you wish. Green, red, orange, yellow or a combination of any. A variety lends itself to a festive presentation.
Or slice the peppers into thick slices, 2 inches or so, maybe using a colorful variety of fresh peppers. Stuff the resulting rounds with the beef/rice mixture. Saute the filled slices in a skillet and smother the finished delight with my savory tomato-onion-basil gravy. YUM!
Does it sound like I LOVE this recipe? Yes, I do. For me, Mom’s Stuffed Green Peppers is the quintessential comfort food. My brother especially loves them!
Shall we bring Mom’s bowl of deliciousness to your family? Absolutely!
Cut the peppers in half. Rinse and remove the stems, veins, and seeds. I usually put the peppers on a piece of paper towel, cut side down, to dry them out a bit before stuffing.
Tomato Gravy
Dice one large onion, roughly chop 1-2 roasted peppers (I use any jarred roasted red peppers.) and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Set aside.
Heat 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and quickly brown until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped jarred peppers and minced garlic. Heat until you can smell the garlic, 1-2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons dried basil and one bay leaf. (I love the flavor basil gives to anything tomato. If you’d rather, you can use dried oregano, marjoram, or parsley.)
Add a 15oz. can of petite diced tomatoes and one can of condensed cream of tomato soup. Add one cup of water or broth and stir until combined. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. Set the tomato gravy aside while you prepare the meat mixture and stuff the peppers.
Meat Stuffing Mixture
You can use lean ground beef or ground turkey. For every pound of ground meat, add one cup of cooked rice. (This is an excellent way to use up leftover rice from Chinese take-out.) I used two pounds of ground beef and two cups of cooked rice for this recipe.
Put the rice and ground meat in a large bowl. Add two teaspoons kosher salt, two teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s.), and two teaspoons ground black pepper. Lightly beat 2 eggs in a small bowl. Pour the eggs over the meat, rice, and seasonings in the bowl. Mix well with your hands (the best utensil) or use a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula until everything is evenly distributed throughout.
Take one pepper half and gently mound a handful of the meat mixture into the cavity making sure the stuffing fills the entire pepper. Place into the tomato gravy. Continue with the rest of the peppers.
You’re going to have some leftover meat mixture. I roll it up forming meatballs, “porcupines,” into the size of a tennis ball, maybe smaller and drop them into the gravy around the stuffed pepper ones. You know, there’s always someone you’re serving who doesn’t like green peppers. I’ll withhold comment; however, that someone should not be denied.
Basically, you’re going to steam the peppers in the gravy until the meat is cooked through. Over medium heat, bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Cover the dutch oven with a lid, lower the temperature and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and let everything rest for 10 minutes.
Spoon the peppers and porcupines to a large serving bowl. Pour the tomato gravy over them, and serve. Cut some big slices of Italian or French crusty bread for sopping up the tomato gravy. Fabulous!
Mom's Stuffed Green Peppers - Uncover Buried Treasure
Dig down into a deep bowl filled with beef and rice stuffed green peppers smothered with a perfectly seasoned tomato-onion-basil sauce. Grab a couple slices of Italian or French crusty bread slathered with butter to sop up all the gravy goodness. Heaven ... really, Heaven in a bowl.
Author: Mimi, At Mimi's Table
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 green peppers, cut in half, stemmed, membranes and seeds removed
2 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 cups cooked white rice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, Lawry's
1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1-2 jarred roasted peppers, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
1 cup water
Instructions
!Tomato Gravy
In a heavy bottom dutch oven, heat 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add chopped peppers and garlic. Heat until you smell the garlic, 1-2 minutes. Add basil and bay leaf. Stir.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato soup, water. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
!Meat Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, add rice, ground meat, salt, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Pour in beaten eggs. Using your hands, a wooden spoon, or a sturdy spatula, combine all ingredients until thoroughly combined and evenly distributed.
!Stuff the Peppers
Fill each pepper half with a handful of the meat mixture. The entire half should be filled and slightly mounded in the middle. Place stuffed pepper in tomato gravy. Continue with the rest of the peppers.
If you have meat mixture leftover, divide equally and roll into meatballs, "porcupines." Place each meatball among the stuffed peppers.
Bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat. Cover with a lid, and cook for 30-45 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
!To Serve
Remove bay leaf. Spoon the stuffed peppers and porcupines into a large serving bowl. Pour the tomato gravy over everything. Scoop up a stuffed pepper or porcupine, spoon over tomato gravy from the bowl.
Notes
Mom's Stuffed Green Peppers are fabulous served with a loaf or two of crusty Italian or French bread.
OMG – I simply LOVE dishes like this one. Steamy and hardy, tender chunks of beef are stewed with slices of red bell pepper, tomatoes, onions and garlic served over a heaping helping of cheese grits – my mouth is watering.
What is it about corn, like these cheese grits, and tomatoes? EGADS, what a perfect pairing, perfect comfort food for a cold winter evening supper.
I used a leftover chuck roast that I shred into big chunks. Any meat that becomes tender as it’s cooked would work. And, the chuck roast can be cooked in a slow-cooker, to make things even easier.
There’s a little prep work, but the final result is well worth the effort.
I’ve rarely eaten grits. It’s one dish neither side of my family or my husband’s family prepared. Richard was undecided, too, as he had grits in the south, but thought they lacked flavor. Once, I had a spectacular grits, ham, and cheese casserole at The Kitner Housein Corydon, Indiana. I have their recipe, but never tried it. (What was I thinking??) My inspiration for the cheese grits in this recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. Be forewarned: this makes a lot of grits, like 12 servings. Feel free to half it. I left out the bacon, subbed half-and-half for the heavy cream, and used sharp white cheddar cheese in place of Monterey Jack, because that’s what I had in the fridge, and regular grits rather than instant, because that’s what Pioneer Woman instructed.
Here's a basic recipe for cheese grits. Feel free to add additional ingredients, if you're in the mood, like diced ham, crumbled bacon, diced jalapeno peppers. This is plain old fashioned comfort food.
Author: Slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or other cooking oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups stone ground grits, not instant
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Dash of cayenne pepper or Tobasco
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a heavy pot over medium-high heat, add drippings or oil. Add onions and cook until the onions are golden brown.
Add grits, chicken broth, and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pot, and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure the liquid level is okay. If grits begin to get dry, add a little more warm broth.
After 30-40 minutes of cooking time, pour in half-and-half. Cover pot and continue to simmer on very low heat for another 30 minutes, or until grits are done. Taste and add salt, pepper and cayenne or Tobasco to taste.
Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Keep warm and serve.
Notes
This recipe is a slightly modified version of one from The Pioneer Woman.
3.5.3226
The grits were spectacular. My husband loved them. We lamented this was only our first try and vowed to consider grits as a future full bodied side. So impressed, I made a grits and collard greens casserole from Trish Yearwood at Thanksgiving. That’s how impressed I was.
If you decide to use a fresh chuck roast in a slow-cooker instead of leftover, you should season with salt and pepper, and brown the roast on both sides in a hot skillet first. Browning intensifies the beefy flavor, which is essential for a flavorful gravy.
If leftover chuck roast is what you have to use, shred the beef into big chunks, and follow instructions to make the beefy/vegetable gravy.
Not a grits fan? Spoon the tasty concoction over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice. Fantastic!
Chuck Roast with Peppers, Tomatoes and Cheese Grits
Simmered in tomatoes with sliced red peppers in a slow cooker or on top of the stove using left over chuck; the finished product is served over cheese grits.
Author: At Mimi's Table
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
1 3-4 pound chuck roast or leftover chuck roast cut into large chunks
1 large onion, halved and cut into slices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of low sodium beef broth
1 Tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
*If using a fresh chuck roast, salt and pepper both sides. In a hot skillet, brown roast on both sides. Place browned roast into a slow-cooker.
*If using leftover chuck roast, shred meat into large chunks. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add one Tablespoon olive oil.
*If browning fresh roast, add olive oil to skillet.
Add onion and brown until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add red pepper strips and saute with the onions and garlic for 1 minute.
Add the canned tomatoes. Stir to distribute.
Add beef broth, soy sauce or Worcestershire and stir.
*If using a slow-cooker, pour hot mixture over the roast. Cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. 45 minutes before serving, remove roast and cover to keep warm. Make a slurry using 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water. Add slurry to liquid in slow-cooker. Return the meat and any juices that accumulated. Cover and continue cooking to allow the gravy to thicken a bit. At the end of cooking, remove the roast, shred meat into large chunks, and return to the slow-cooker. Mix everything together, and ladle a serving over a helping of cheesy grits, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.
*If using leftover meat, bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Gently simmer to reduce liquid for 10-15 minutes. Add the meat chunks. Continue to cook over medium heat until everything is up to temperature and ready to serve. Ladle a serving over cheesy grits, mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.
Notes
Feel free to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned. Once I used a small package of cherry tomatoes.
Who is Uncle Vito? I have no idea. A close friend of mine who grew up in a culture rich in Italian cooking traditions near Buffalo, New York, made this lasagna for my family many moons ago. It was the first lasagna I ever ate made with ricotta cheese – a culinary epiphany. It was also the first lasagna I ever ate stuffed with pieces of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, in addition to using a traditional meat sauce. As I took the first bite of hot, bubbly, cheesy, creamy goodness, the noodles perfectly al denté unmistakably flavored with fennel, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I swore to never buy another carton of cottage cheese. Cindy named her dish Uncle Vito’s Stuffed Lasagna. Whether or not Uncle Vito ever existed, I’m not sure, but I have no doubt there is a candle lit for him at the basilica in Buffalo.
While well made homemade lasagna isn’t difficult to prepare, it is a labor of love. So, I made a pan last night to have ready for my son, who arrives from Florida Thursday, because I love him and he needs to be fattened up. Really, I’m hoping he is so overwhelmed with dinner that he forgets he left 80° temperatures to visit his mother in 30° Billings, and comes to visit again.
I’ve got lots of pictures, but don’t let the steps fool you. This is easy – so very yummy!
Let’s cook! 
Who is Uncle Vito? I have no idea. A close friend of mine who grew up in a culture rich in Italian cooking traditions near Buffalo, New York, made this lasagna for my family many moons ago. It was the first lasagna I ever ate made with ricotta cheese – a culinary epiphany. It was also the first lasagna I ever ate stuffed with pieces of sweet and spicy Italian sausage, in addition to using a traditional meat sauce. As I took the first bite of hot, bubbly, cheesy, creamy goodness, the noodles perfectly al denté unmistakably flavored with fennel, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I swore to never buy another carton of cottage cheese. Cindy named her dish Uncle Vito’s Stuffed Lasagna. Whether or not Uncle Vito ever existed, I’m not sure, but I have no doubt there is a candle lit for him at the basilica in Buffalo.
