Tj's Kitchen

08/25/2025

playing around with some more salsa recipes.

I use the Ancho pepper which results in a darker salsa with a deep flavor.
I don't think I would do that again , simply because I prefer more traditional salsa.

But when I saw these peppers at the market, I thought let's give it a try .

I know what you could do with this one here you could sear off some beef cubes and let it slow cook, I think it would taste dynamite.

I used two of the jalapeños with seeds, and I did remove the seeds from the dry chilies for the most part, it all depends on how spicy you want it.
If you really want spicy, try adding a Serano pepper, or any other pepper that has a higher heat point.

Anyway, this is pretty good. I know it won't go to waste. .
This that show here yielded at about a quart you could always cut it half or double it .

I will tell you if anyone who wants to try this I have typically put all of this stuff in a pot covered water and let it come to a boil till it's soften blend it up and I really like it that way I did this in the oven to get the char because somebody said I'll try it that way and I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't prefer in the oven. I like it better on the stove top

06/20/2025

received an unsolicited hundred dollar gift certificate for a plastic surgeon's office for my birthday?? 🤦‍♂️

05/24/2025

love this woman!

03/06/2025

Cash only restaurants? Reallly?

01/09/2025

Duck fat, roasted potatoes

01/09/2025

12/26/2024

12/26/2024

Pasta making , best therapy!

12/26/2024

Béchamel sauce:

One stick of unsalted butter into a pan.

Add equal part AP flour.

cook until you created light blonde paste
-cooking off the flour taste

add in 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of half-and-half .

ADD:
Two Bay leaves
And onion that has two clove stuck in it

Bring to a boil
once it gets to a thickness that coats the back of your spoon. You are done. Remove it from the heat source.

Add in a ever so small pinch of nutmeg

Mix and this is your béchamel sauce !

12/26/2024

bolognese sauce
(a.k.a. meat sauce)

1-1/2 lbs 80/20 beef

1-1/2 lbs Ground pork

1 cup chopped onion 🧅

1/2 cup chopped carrot 🥕

1/2 cup chopped celery

( olive oil to cover bottom of sauce pan)

1 small can tomato 🍅 paste

2-3 cans WHOLE (28oz) tomato 🍅

1 can (28oz) Tomato 🍅 purée

salt/pepper to taste

Now Herbs!

3/4 cup chopped parsley.

Can use dry or fresh
OR
mix

Oregano
Thyme
Basil

The amounts are to personal tarts.

Dry, I start 2-3 tablespoons
then adjust

1 bottle of a good quality table line that you would drink, if you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it. That's the golden rule..

Now!!

I also toss in 2-3 Anchovy fillets in the hot olive oil - allow to dissolve- You'll never know it's in there, offers a umami flavor.

Now!!

Pecorino Romano VS Parmesan Reggiano cheese , your choice, your kitchen -million /gazillion opinions 🤦‍♂️

I've done both , and I choose pecorino Romano !!

Start :
Olive oil in the pan toss in the anchovy fillets .
Once dissolved

Adding all your vegetables, celery, carrots, and onions
Allowed to cook until tender

 add all the dry herbs, plus salt and pepper

Add the tomato paste and cook with veggies five minutes or so

Add the beef and pork and brown until done

Attempt to remove some of the grease that will come to the top

I drop in a couple of paper towels on top and let that have absorb -discard that

Add your wine and allow it time to cook off the alcohol

In a large bowl, place your whole tomatoes and crushed them by hand be very careful. They are very juicy and will make a mess on you and your kitchen counter.

Once ultimata are crushed pour into pot

Add your purée tomatoes as well now and mix thoroughly

NOTE:
Rinse your cans with water and add that residual tomato sauce as well, but don't use tons of water -just enough to rinse out your cans.

don't be alarmed -the sauce may seem a little thin, but the more you cook it -water will evaporate, and it will become thicker over time, but you must /must /must keep stirring it, or you will scorch it on the bottom

You can't taste at this step adjust your salt and pepper at this step as well as some of the herbs, but remember the longer you let this cook that more depth the flavor you will have.

You are now going to cook this on low to medium low heat and watch it like a newborn baby for 3 to 5 hours.

NOTE:

A very critical variable is to have on standby close to your sauce, a nice crusty loaf of Italian bread!!!

That is how you will taste test your sauce and adjust as you go forward.

All depending on the volume of sauce you're making / can affect how long you're going to cook it -but the recipe given is good for 3 to 4 hours

And remember your kitchen your rules you can change anything up

I will say, though the quality of ingredients that you select will ultimately affect the outcome of the quality of the sauce choose good quality ingredients, when making your sauce

12/26/2024

homemade pasta:

Enough for a 4 to 5 layer lasagna / 3 across, 5 high !

On a clean counter surface:

5 cups all purpose flour
( do not pack the flour)

Create a well in the middle of the flour, like a volcano. 🌋

Into the well, you were going to drop five room temperature large eggs

Into the whale, you're going to add two room temperature extra egg yolks

Add drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkle of salt

Using a fork beat the eggs in the well like you're going to scramble them.

As you continue to beat the eggs, pull in the flower from around the edge of your volcano.
Continue doing so until you created a gooey egg flower mess.

With your impeccably clean hands, began to mix the dough together. Continue to knead-p
Need push out /turn /need /turn need -your goal Is to get a smooth round ball.

After you have needed the dough for about 8 to 10 minutes and created a smooth ball cover and allowed to sit on the counter for 30 minutes for the gluten to develop or some people wrap it and place it in the refrigerator as well which in my opinion takes longer.

take the dough out and place on the counter and cut into four equal pieces:

Cover three of the four pieces till you're ready to work with it

With the one piece, you can use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta to the incredible thinness that you could almost read through it or the desired thickness you want. Remember when you cook fresh pasta it will expand so when you think it's thin roll a little more.

If you're lucky enough to have a KitchenAid attachment, you can use that, and the numbers will guide you through the thickness from one being thick to seven being thin.

The center of the pasta, the more delicate the texture

Typically for lasagna, you go five on your adjusting k**b

And that is how to make pasta

remember you can literally roll this out on the counter -rolled i
up like you're rolling up a cigar cut it going down like a rope and you have loose noodles

You can cut it in squares -fill it with your filling of choice close it up with an egg and water mixture -and you have made homemade raviolis /twist it and you've made homemade tortellini's.

07/07/2024

one of the great ones !

Marilyn Rose Siegel In the loving company of family, Marilyn Rose Siegel went to soar with the angels on Feb. 29, 2024. Marilyn was born on March 20, 1942