Simple and Delicious Cornbread

This cornbread has a soft, moist centre and a fairly crunchy crust, is delicious and relatively easy to make... Well, I was successful in my first attempt. All the best with yours!

Ingredients:
8 Tbsp butter (or margarine), melted
4 eggs
3 cups buttermilk
3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 rounded Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar (or a little more more if you prefer a slightly sweeter cornbread)
2 tsp salt (or a little more for a saltier cornbread)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish/pan with some butter or margarine. Combine eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and whisk. To a bowl add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda and whisk.

Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Bake until top is nicely browned, about 30-40 minutes or less*, and confirm that bread is thoroughly baked through by inserting a knife into the centre of the loaf. Bread is ready when knife comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into portions.

*Vary time according to size of baking pans you're using. For example, I used one square aluminium cake pan (approx. 7.5 x 7.5 x 1.75") and two small aluminium loaf pans (approx. 3.5 x 5.5 x 1.75") for this recipe, filling each pan to about 3/4 capacity (leaving a little space for bread to rise), and baked them only for about 25 minutes.

My acquaintance with cornbread is as yet fairly minimal, but my guess is that this would go great with chowders, and savoury salads such as chicken avocado salad. Any Southerner (US) would probably be able to tell you lots more including stories that feature cornbread.

Rosario's "C" Pork Chops

We've named this food Rosario's "C" Pork Chops after our dear friend who taught this to us. "C" stands both for "convenient" and "Costco"--yes, the American supermarket chain. Rosario insists that the Costco (bone-in) pork chops are the Best. We've tried with pork chops from various other stores and honestly speaking, this recipe is not precise enough for us to guarantee tender chops every time. Much depends on the thickness of the cut. What we do guarantee is that this is a lifesaver for busy people--as convenient as it gets, and quite tasty most of the time. Experiment with it, and you might even turn up a recipe for pork chops fit for the gourmet.

What you need:
pork chops (straight from the pack--no need to trim fats, as no extra oil is used)
garlic salt
pepper (optional)
a non-stick pan with a cover

Method:
1. Sprinkle surface of the pan with garlic salt (and pepper).
2. Place chops on the pan and let it cook on low heat, covered, for about 10 minutes. Flip chops and continue to let it cook covered on low heat for 10-15 more minutes.
3. If chops are too dry and threaten to stick to the pan and get burnt, add just a little sprinkling of water to the pan--too much might result in tough chops.
4. Chops are ready when they look and smell great, and do not bleed or look pink when cut in the centre. Serve immediately.

For a quick, tasty, and nutritionally balanced meal, serve these chops with tomato wedges or a simple salad.

A picture will be provided the next time we make Rosie's "C" Pork Chops on a day neither of us feel like doing much cooking!

Hearty Bean, Bacon, and Beef Stone Soup

This soup is easy (if you don't mind dicing vegetables or once they're all diced), economical (you see, there's really no beef in there), foolproof (what can go wrong with basic ingredients, bouillon, and "salt and pepper to taste"?), and flexible (make it thick as a stew, or a one-dish meal with some added pasta, store in the freezer for future meals, etc.). The idea for it came from reading that red kidney beans were one good source of copper needed for healthy formation of the baby's heart, skeletal, nervous system and arteries. Other good sources are green/brown lentils and mangoes. As a mum-to-be eager to eat right and having but minimal experience in cooking with beans, I googled for "kidney bean recipes" and found several for soups. After scanning through some of the more promising-looking ones, I decided that something like the following was the basic idea. Why "stone soup"? As in the story from which this phrase comes, you can add just about anything you like in there, as long as you think the tastes will be compatible. The bacon is optional, but I think the kidney beans and beef bouillon cube are absolutely essential for the rich, hearty taste.

Bean, Bacon, and Beef Stone Soup

Ingredients:
2 ounces bacon, minced
3 carrots, sliced thinly
3 stalks celery, chopped small
1 cup canned whole tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes), chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans
2 potatoes, cubed small
1 beef bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Sauté onions over medium heat in a soup pot till they are almost soft and translucent. Add carrots, celery, potatoes and tomatoes and fry a little more till onions are soft. Fill pot with water to completely cover all vegetables, almost to the top of the pot. Add the beef bouillon cube to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft.
In a frying pan, lightly fry the bacon (stripped off its fat) and set aside. Alternatively, simply pour some oil into a bowl, mix in the bacon and microwave, covered, for about 2-3 minutes.
To the soup pot add kidney beans with their liquid, and let it simmer on medium low for 15-20 minutes. It all depends on how soft you want your beans, potatoes and carrots to be. Add the bacon and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

The soup may turn very thick the next day, especially if the beans and potatoes are cooked till very soft, so add water (and seasoning, if needed) accordingly.

Spinach Dip for Pumpernickel, Tortilla Chips and More!

Here's a recipe we decided we just had to get after tasting the product at a friend's place. Apparently, pumpernickel served with spinach dip is a popular Canadian (North American?) appetizer. Hopefully it will be easy to find pumpernickel rye bread or equivalents back in Singapore, for--popular North American food or no--we follow the grand old Singaporean habit of traveling the world to see what would be good for us back home, and adopting it (with variations if necessary). According to Karissa, this dip is best made with full fat mayonnaise and sour cream--"no skimping on the calories--bring it on!"

Ingredients:
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 packet of vegetable soup mix (preferably Knorr's)
1 bunch of spring onions (or green onions, as it may also be known)
1 can of chopped water chestnuts (for added crunch)
1 package of frozen chopped spinach
1 large pumpernickel rye bread

Method:
Microwave or boil spinach according to package directions. Mix the sour cream and mayo together and add to the cooked spinach. Add the vegetable soup mix. Mince the water chestnuts finely and add to the mix. Add the chopped green onions to the dip and refrigerate mix for at least 45 min. Take the bread and hollow out the centre to make a "bowl". Save the hollowed out bread for dipping. Place the dip into the bowl, serve and enjoy!

Apple Crumble and Pineapple Tarts

Yes, there are two distinct recipes here. Click here for apple crumble, and here for pineapple tarts (please see important note at bottom of post). I had recommended 2 egg yolks instead of 1 for the dough for the tarts, but on a second attempt, the biscuit base turned out too crumbly. I'm guessing that I should have stuck to the recipe, or perhaps just added half a yolk more. Does anyone know the effect of egg yolk on the dough, other than the binding function it serves? (Warning, these are links another blog of ours, which links to the actual recipes. Included here for completeness.)

* IMPORTANT: Please refer to "The Correct Recipe for Pineapple Tarts" which overrides the one on Star Kuali we had originally linked to. Sorry Amy Beh, but maybe your pastry recipe just does not work for me...

Teriyaki Sauce

We found the reference in an American cooking magazine* that we subscribe to--after discovering what Teriyaki sauce really is, it's hard to look at the stuff with the same eyes (see the ingredients below and you'll understand what I mean). And having learned that the sauce is easily made at home, I don't think I'll buy a bottle of ready made sauce ever again. As for the term itself: teri = "shine" or "luster", yaki = "to broil".

Set aside equal amounts of (light) soy sauce (one of Japanese provenance would probably do better) and sugar and a small amount of Mirin Wine (Sake does just as well). For example, 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup, 2 tbs. Also: 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp fresh minced garlic and 1/2 tsp cornstarch.

From the *magazine: "Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in saucepan; stir together mirin and cornstarch in small bown until no lumps remain, then stir mixture into saucepan. Bring sauce to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup and forms syrupy glaze, about 4 min. Cover to keep warm."

Works like a charm, and tastes right too. The amount of sugar, however, is shocking...

Teriyaki chicken is basically broiled chicken dripped with the sauce. Season chicken thighs (deboned, but with skin) with salt and pepper; set thighs skin side up, tucking exposed meat under skin and lightly flattening skin to be of relatively even thickness. Broil until skin is crisp and golden brown (approx: 175°F for 15-30 min; test). Transfer to cutting board, cut into serving size when cooled for 2-3 min, cut into bite size strips, transfer to serving platter, drizzle with sauce. Serve.

*Sandra Wu, "Better Chicken Teriyaki", Cook's Illustrated, No. 72 (Feb 2005): 8-9

San Bei Ji ("Three Cups Chicken")

Discovered this dish in 2003 on Penang Island, Malaysia, in a little Chinese place called "Nanyang Restaurant" somewhere in the heart of Georgetown (just several doors down from Sun Yat-sun's Penang residence, now a museum). It was so good that we asked for the recipe and to our surprise, the restaurant gave it to us (such friendly people). The next year, we went back again, this time, bringing my wife's parents.

The "three cups" refers to three cups of rice wine. The key ingredient, however, is a generous amount of basil leaves. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any shot of the dish (either at the Nanyang Restaurant, or at home when we made it), so this one with the empty claypots that used to contain the chicken (and two very satisfied customers--my wife and her mom) has to do for now:



I don't have precise measurements for this one as we are so used to making it by instinct by now. In any case, you might have to experiment to find the right amounts of wine and basil that would suit your taste.

Chicken meat, with the bones (preferably legs or thighs), chop into smaller pieces leaving the skin on. Marinate with Chinese rice wine, water and light soy sauce (we tend to put enough to cover the chicken), with dried Chinese mushrooms*, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and lots of chopped fresh basil leaves for about 1 hour. Rule of thumb: the larger the pieces, the longer the marinating time. Cook covered over a very low fire for about half to one hour (varies; better to check regularly after 20 min). Note: this is the trick to cooking chicken so as to achieve tenderness--slow cooking over low heat. The chicken is cooked when you can poke a fork through the meat easily. Sprinkle more basil (either chopped or whole) on top as garnishing.

*Dried Chinese mushrooms, xianggu--either soak in warm to hot water for about 1/2 hour OR, put submerged in water in a bowl, cover and microwave for 2 1/2 min. Run softened mushrooms over cold water to cool them down enough to be handled by hand. Slice into strips (or not) as desired.

We discovered a brand of Japanese rice wine--available in NTUC in Singapore, and very inexpensive too--that makes excellent San Bei Ji, though the usual Chinese cooking rice wine, or a mixture of that plus huadiao wine, or just huadiao wine all seem to do fine. Different kinds/mixtures of rice wine result in slightly different flavors, so it makes for some experimentation.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (homemade)

Traditionally, you are supposed to deal with whole chickens--but since I do not like chicken-breast meat, the following recipe uses chicken legs instead. I know of slightly more complicated recipes that include the use of spices such as cinnamon and cloves, but this is strictly a simple, "home-made" affair; and it has never failed me before. Last successfully made Feb 17, 2004.



(Note: measurements are purely approximates)

The chicken: take 8 Chicken legs (incl. thighs), clean with water, wipe clean. Cut off excess fats, set aside (the fats, that is). Add a piece of ginger (1"), some sprigs of spring onions and two (whole) pandan leaves to a large pot of water (enough to submerge all the chicken); bring to a brisk boil. Put chicken into the pot and continue boiling for just over 5 min. Turn off the heat, cover, for another 25-30 min (give or take, depending on just how much chicken there is; test by sticking a fork into the chicken--if it goes clean through without trouble, it's cooked). Remove chicken from pot and place in cold water (some people use ice water) for a few minutes. Keep stock for the rice and soup (below). Drip chicken dry (or wipe dry). At this stage, some would brush the skin with a little oil (sesame oil), but I suggest holding off. Cut into bite size first, lay out on the serving plate, then drip with soya sauce plus sesame oil (below picture). Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and coriander on top and serve.



The rice: The key is in the chicken fats cut from the meat earlier. Experience says about an 1+" lump (give or take) of fats to every cup (450ml) of rice. Use long grain white rice. Heat a bit of vegetable oil (I always use olive oil) in a frying pan (or wok, but I strongly recommend something non-stick); add chicken fats to melt down (be careful of the hot oil splatter). Once the most of the fats is melted down, remove the dredges. Fry some minced or ground ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add (uncooked, dry) rice; stir to make sure that the grains are covered with the oil. Once some of the grains turn opaque, it's time to remove the rice from heat. Put the oil fried rice in a rice cooker. Add pandan leaves (roughly one whole leave for every cup), and a dash of salt (or garlic salt). Add the appropriate amount of chicken stock (left from cooking the chicken, you might consider skimming some of the excess oil first)--e.g., in the usual rice to water proportion as required by the rice cooker. Set to cook. (Stirring at some point after most of the water is no longer visible is recommended to prevent the bottom from charring.) Canned chicken broth is perfectly fine for this recipe, but soup base powder has a distinct taste that may be too obvious, or "artificial" to some palettes.

As my rice cooker can only handle two cups of (uncooked) rice at a time, I had to do two rounds to make as much chicken rice as shown below. You can still see the pandan leaves:



Soup: I have my own variations on this one, which may not be the same as what they serve in the hawker centers. Take the chicken stock left from cooking the meat, skim off the excess oil floating on top; add a little more spring onions, some cut carrots, a tomato (quartered), some szechuan pickled vegetable (it's a pickled "chinese radish" actually), small soft tofu cubes. Cook over a low to medium heat until the tomatoes are soft (and a slightly tangy taste is added to the soup), and the various flavors from the other additions are incorporated into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with freshly chopped spring onions sprinkled on top.

Braciole

Adapted from a reciple found on the net...and inspired by this episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond".

1 lb thinly sliced round steaks
Pasta sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine

Stuffing:
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup soft breadcrumbs
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 tbsp grated cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
Dash of pepper

Place steaks between waxed paper (or plastic wrap or aluminum foil) and pound until very thin. Cut into serving size pieces. Combine stuffing ingredients (mesh them all up). Spread equal amounts on each piece of steak. Roll and tie with string. Brown rolls in skillet with oil. Transfer to casserole. Add pasta sauce and bake (at 350°F) for 1 hour (or until fully cooked). Add water or wine and cook for another 10 min. Serve.

Fang Tai's Stewed Stuffed Fishy Cucumbers

Ingredients:
240g mud carp fillet (pacific basa works too, and prob some other kinds of fish)
400g cucumber
1/2 cured sausage (lup cheong?)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp diced spring onion (optional)

Marinade:
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp water
a dash of sesame oil
a pinch of pepper

Seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
2/3 tsp sugar
a dash of sesame oil
a pinch of pepper

Method:
1. Rinse cured sausage with warm water, steam till done, then dice finely
2. Rinse and wipe fish, hash, and stir in diced sausage, spring onion and marinade; mix ingredients well until they turn into a sticky paste; leave aside
3. Peel and cut cucumber/s into approx. 1/3 inch rings, and remove seeds
4. Rinse cucumber rings well, wipe, and sprinkle cornflour on them
5. Stuff fishy filling into cucumber rings
6. Deep fry in shallow oil until both sides are slightly golden; remove from pan
7. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil to sauté minced garlic and ginger, sprinkle some Chinese wine, pour in seasoning, bring ingredients to a boil, then add in stuffed fishy cucumbers, lower heat to stew till all is cooked and sauce thickens. That's it!

Loy’s Cheesecake Recipe

Equipment:
9” Cheesecake Pan (buy from www.cooking.com) or Spring-form Cake-pan
Electric Mixer

Batter:
24 oz cream cheese (= 3 packs)
3 tbs plain flour
1/2 cup light sour cream
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
8 Eggs (5 full + 3 egg whites only) (Note: use 8 if the eggs are small, as they are in Singapore; if they are the larger kind, as they are in the USA, 6 will do)

Crust:
1 to 1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs or Crushed Oreos
1/3 to 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Crust: Melt butter, mix in the crumbs. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the cake pan firmly. Bake for 10 to 15 min (or until it smells baked) at 350°F (180°C). Allow to cool.

Batter: Mix all the ingredients together using an electric mixer until the batter is smooth and consistent (this may take a while). Taste to make sure that it is just right (sweet enough, etc.).

Cake: Pour the batter into the pan with the crust. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) before putting in the cake. Bake for 10 min, then lower the temperature to 250°F (120°C) and bake for another 50 min or so. (Note: to achieve a smooth top surface, have a large pan of water in the oven underneath the cake when baking. Or if possible, plan the cake pan inside a larger pan containing water. This is called the Bain Marie [French for “water bath”] method.)

Allow the cake to cool, sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top for decoration; or top with canned cherries or blueberries as desired.

UPDATE: Successful cheesecake made Feb 17, 2004, with blueberry topping and oreo crust:

Emeril’s Mango Avocado Salsa

2 cups small dice ripe mango
1 Haas avocado peeled, and small diced
1 cup tomato concasse
1/2 cup small dice red onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the diced mango, avocado, tomato, red onion, garlic and jalapeno. Toss thoroughly using a rubber spatula or large spoon. Pour the lime juice over the salsa and add the cilantro, parsley olive oil and Kosher salt to the salsa and stir to blend. Allow the salsa to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Tomato Concasse: To remove peel from tomato, cut an X in the bottom of the tomato. Place in boiling water for about one minute or until you see the peel coming away from the pulp. Place in iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove the peel, squeeze gently to remove the core and the seeds. Chop into small, diced squares.

Solyanka

(First tasted at The Russian Bear at Clement Street in San Francisco, December 2004, at a dinner treat by Mama Linda and Papi at which Rosario was also present.)

500 g bottom round beef, cubed
300 g ham, cubed
12 c beef boullion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 medium-sized onions
6 Tb butter
3 pickle cucumbers
3 large tomatoes
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter
5 frankfurters, thinly sliced
1 can pitted black olives
2 small lemons

Place the meats, boullion, salt and pepper into a soup kettle. Bring to a boil and skim off several times until the broth is clear. Lower the heat and cook the meat until tender (about 2 hours) on low heat. Peel and slice the onions. Place in a skillet and saute in the butter until golden and transparent. Peel the cucumbers, discard the seeds, and cut into thin slices. Peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes. Add the cucumbers to the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes. Combine the sauteed vegetables with the broth, and add the sliced frankfurters. Reheat.

Cover the olives with water and boil for several minutes. Drain and add to the soup. Adjust the seasonings. Garnish with thin lemon slices.

Lotus Root Patties

From a recipe book purchased in Hong Kong

8 oz (225g) lotus root
4 oz (100g) minced fish
2 pieces dried mushrooms
2 tbs dried shrimps
1 tbs diced spring onion
1 egg yolk
1 tbs plain flour
1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Sesame oil
Pepper

1. Scrape lotus root to remove skin, grate into long shreds. Soak and dice mushroom and dried shrimps separately.
2. Season minced fish, mix well with rest of ingredients, divide into 12 equal portions.
3. Add 2 tbs oil in heated pan, spoon in each portion of lotus root mixture, press flat with fish slice to form a round patty, and shallow fry until golden brown on both sides.

Scrub lotus root thoroughly before scraping, any mud trapped in holes of lotus root is difficult to clean.

Chinese tea-flavoured eggs

12 eggs
3 cups water
4 stars aniseed
1 small piece cinnamon bark
2 tbsp tea leaves (e.g. tieguanyin)
300g slab sugar
1/2 cup dark soya sauce
1/4 light soya sauce
2 tsp salt

Hard boil eggs for 10 minutes. Crack shells. Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil. Add eggs, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for half an hour. Re-boil tea-flavoured eggs and cover overnight. Reheat and serve.

Swedish Meatballs

From a Oakland Chinese news paper, found on the BART.

Minced beef 1 lb
Minced pork 1/2 lb
Chopped onions 1/2 cup
Bread crumbs 3/4 cup
Chopped parsley 1 tbs
Salt 2 tsp
Black pepper 1/4 tsp
Worcestershire sauce 1 tps
Egg 1
Milk 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 2 tbs
Flour 1/4 cup
Paprika powder 1 tsp
Hot water 2 cups (or broth 1/2 cup, white wine 1/2 cup and hot water 1 cup)
Sour cream 3/4 cup

Mix minced meat, onion, flour, parsley, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg, milk; form into 1 1/2” balls; fry in nonstick pan with oil; drain and set aside.

Mix flour, paprika powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper to remaining oil; add hot water and sour cream; cook the meatballs in the sauce for 15 min in medium heat.

Alternatively, a tomato based sauce is also good.

Pickled Cucumbers and Carrots

As simple as it gets



1. Cucumbers: cut ends of cucumbers and quarter lengthwise; cut off soft centre. Cut each piece of cucumber into lengths of approximately 4cm. Half each 4cm piece lengthwise, so each cucumber piece looks like a small strip, neither too thick nor too thin.
2. Lightly salt the cucumber strips and arrange them on a wire mesh, strainer, or close equivalent so that excess liquid can drip out even as the strips air dry for several hours, until cucumbers are very dry. If sunshine is readily available, sun dry for best effect.
3. Carrots: peel, wash and cut carrots to similar size strips and air dry till very dry.
4. Place cucumber and carrot strips into a glass bottle, or bottles.
5. Pickle: Boil rice vinegar and sugar (to taste) and set aside to cool completely.
6. After vinegar has cooled completely, pour it into the glass bottle/s so that the vegetables are completely covered. Seal bottles and set aside for at least 2-3 days before eating.

Goes well with Hainanese Chicken Rice (coming soon).

Croatian Cod and Potatoes

A vague recipe by Berislav Marusic (from his grandmother)

Put cod in cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 min. Then take Cod off of the heat and let it cool in the water in which it was cooked (2-3 hrs.)

After 2 hrs: In another pan bring water to a boil and put in peeled potatoes. (About twice the amount of the cod--less than a pound of cod should do for 2 people.) Cook potatoes for 15 minutes. The pour out the water but *save* it. Add cod without the water to the potatoes. Add lots of olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. (Grandmother's instructions: "As much as is needed.") I recommend trying. Then add some of the potato-water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Let it simmer for at least an hour, or till the water evaporates.

Sneedens' Best Italian Spaghetti Sauce

From two good friends, Tim and Aileen Sneeden, in San Francisco after we tried the sauce in their home on 1 January 2005 during our Bay Area Christmas holiday.

Ingredients:
Italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion (minced)
1 red pepper (minced)
1 stalk celery (minced)
4-5 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
¾ cup broth
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
1 quart tomato sauce
¼ cup black olives (minced)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 Tbsp dried)
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 Tbsp dried)
3-4 sprigs oregano (or 2 Tbsp dried)
dash of Tabasco (optional)
¼ chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Brown Italian sausage in olive oil, slice and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef and set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat, and add butter, onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Stir well to coat added ingredients with oil, then simmer on low heat, covered, for 6-8 minutes.
4. Add the broth, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce to the pot, cover, and simmer for 6-8 minutes more.
5. Add the mushrooms, tomato sauce, black olives and herbs (if fresh, wrap and tie in cheese cloth) and simmer, covered, for ½ hour.
6. Add sausage and beef and simmer, covered, for another ½ hour.
7. Add Tabasco and parsley, as well as salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered.
8. Pour generously over spaghetti and enjoy!