Rachael and Ina make a perfect couple!

Can you imagine a more schizophrenic duo in the kitchen than Rachael Ray and Ina Garten? I mean, there's Rachael, giving things a "shimmy shake" and declaring every single dish as "YUM-O." And then there's Ina, the Queen of Cool, high energy never ruffling her calm demeanor. I can't imagine that smile disappearing from her face even if the dog ate the $200 prime rib she had purchased from a personal friend who runs a farm raising heirloom beef.

Can you picture those two in the kitchen together? How long do you think it would be before someone’s Santoku knife “accidentally” entered the eye socket of the other? Nonetheless, we had an excellent dinner tonight that combined recipes from both of these ladies.

Our main course was Rachael’s Pork Chops with Spiced-Apple Pan Sauce and Roasted Broccoli, paired with Ina’s Roasted Winter Vegetables. Rachael’s pork chops were browned, then lifted out of the pan long enough to sauté apples and onions with cinnamon and nutmeg before being finished with a splash of lemon juice and a handful of chopped parsley. While the pork chops simmered on the stovetop, the broccoli roasted in the oven with a wisp of garlic until the broccoli florets developed into crispy, browned, caramelized goodness.

However, before I even started on Rachael’s recipe, I had popped Ina’s Roasted Winter Vegetables into the oven. Within 20 minutes, even though the vegetables had nothing on them but salt, pepper, and EVOO, the house was redolent with the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg. It smelled like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and gGrandma’s house, all rolled into one. I pulled the winter vegetables out while the broccoli roasted, then popped them back in the oven for a few minutes before plating dinner.

Not only was dinner delicious, I felt like we were doing our bodies a huge favor with the nutritional double whammy of the broccoli and the beta-carotene rich winter veggies.



We finally got the rain that we have been waiting for, so this was a great night to have something that calls up some vague ancestral memory of a farmhouse after harvest. Of course, we were going to have chili, but the store I stopped at didn’t have the fire-roasted tomatoes I wanted. Don’t you hate that? For the sake of one ingredient, the whole plan has to change. Of course, I could plan ahead, but where’s the fun in that? Actually, I do plan for a week at a time, but sometimes I just don’t want what was on the menu, or something isn’t thawed out (like the pot roast that’s been in the refrigerator for five days now).

Also, I’ve now posted the recipes for Ina’s Real Meatballs and Spaghetti, along with my own spaghetti sauce that a friend of mine very much wanted to see. Good luck with that, Mr. K. You know that no one makes it like Mom, right?

Mom's Meat Sauce

2 pounds ground sirloin (or a combination of meats of your choice)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
28-ounce crushed tomatoes with added puree (preferably Muir Glen or San Marzano)
2 large cans tomato sauce
1 can (16 ounce) diced tomatoes
½ cup red wine
Dash of balsamic vinegar
Dried or fresh basil, oregano, and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat a large, deep skillet over low heat. Add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper, and about half a cup of water. Cook slowly, without allowing meat to brown, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

When the meat is cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. Add some olive oil to the pan, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the onion and red pepper; cook until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomato paste, cooking for a minute or two to allow the tomato paste to caramelize and the flavor to develop. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato puree, along with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add dried herbs, beginning with about 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Add the sugar. Return the meat to the pot.

Once the tomato sauce has come to a simmer, add the red wine. Cook over a very low heat for as much time as you have, but at least an hour. Add a tablespoon or so of balsamic vinegar, and taste to adjust seasonings. Depending on your taste, it could take quite a bit of dried herbs, salt, and pepper to bring the sauce to your liking. If it tastes like it needs “something,” try a little more balsamic vinegar or red wine. Feel free to adjust all seasonings—including sugar—adding a little bit, allowing the heat from the sauce to blend the flavor, then tasting again.

Don’t forget to use a clean spoon for every taste! When the sauce is the way you like it, it’s done.