Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday, since not everyone loves tacos. (This always comes as a surprise to me, but that's cool. To each, his or her own.) Today's offerings include Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana and Old-Fashioned Meatloaf. Enjoy!

TURKEY CHILI

This is from Eric Kim from The New York Times cooking site. Eric wrote, "Rather than browning the meat first, which doesn’t do much for lean ground turkey and can actually make it tough, this recipe prioritizes cooking down the vegetables first. Onions and canned tomatoes fried in olive oil provide an umami-rich flavor base for turkey’s blank canvas, and the adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers does a lot of this dish’s heavy lifting. Optional toppings like shredded cheese and sour cream help cool down the spice. One of the best ways to enjoy this simple but powerful chili is over French fries with melted cheese, or tossed with some cooked spaghetti. It’s so great on its own, as well."

Yield: 2 to 4 servings; Time: 45 minutes

This was featured in "Learn to Cook (and Heart It) in 10 Easy Dishes", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023225-turkey-chili.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large white onion, diced

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

Salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 pound ground turkey

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Shredded extra-sharp Cheddar, sour cream and whole cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Preparation

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until translucent and starting to brown at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.

Use a fork to fish the tomatoes out of the can and add them to the pot, leaving behind the juice for now. Season with salt and cook the tomatoes, breaking them up with the wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until jammy and their liquid has reduced significantly, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the chili powder and cook until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and stir to combine, breaking up the meat with the spoon. (Don’t worry about browning or cooking it through here, as it will do so when it simmers.) Stir in the reserved liquid from the tomato can.

Use the fork to fish out as many chipotle peppers from the can as you would like, starting with two or three, and add to the pot, breaking them up with the wooden spoon, along with all of the adobo sauce. The more peppers you use, the spicier your final chili will be; if you like spice, just add the entire can. (Store any peppers you don’t use in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 2 months.) Fill the empty chipotle can with cold tap water, swish it around and add to the pot. Stir to combine.

Bring the chili to a simmer over medium-high heat — you should see occasional small bubbles breaking the surface of the mixture — then cover the pot and reduce the heat to continue simmering over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the tomatoes have broken down, about 20 minutes. The chili should look thick and shiny, but not too thick that you couldn’t ladle it into a bowl. (If it's too watery, then simmer with the lid off for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.) Taste and add more salt if desired. Serve with cheese, sour cream and cilantro, if using.

SUPER-DELICIOUS ZUPPA TOSCANA

This was on AllRecipes, and begins, "This is an oh-so-good recipe. Just the right amount of spice to make you take a cold drink but definitely keep coming back for more! This soup is irresistible!"

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143069/super-delicious-zuppa-toscana/.

Ingredients

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage

1-1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth

6 potatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

Directions

Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Editor's Note:

Please note the differences in serving size and the substitution of lacinato kale for spinach when using the magazine version of this recipe.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

This yummy recipes is from Ree Drummond on the Food Network.

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes; Yield: 12 to 16 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe-1925596.

Ingredients

8 baking potatoes, washed

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 sticks salted butter

1 cup bacon bits (fry your own!)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping

1 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3 green onions, sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.

Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.

With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.

Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)

Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.

GRAMMA'S OLD FASHIONED CHILI MAC

This is from an anonymous poster on AllRecipes, and begins, "This is an old family recipe that my mom has cooked for 50 years. It's a wonderful, 'stick-to-the-ribs' meal that goes wonderful with warm cornbread or rolls. I find that kids love this when they don't like regular 'spicy' chili. Enjoy!"

Parep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/47406/grammas-old-fashioned-chili-mac/.

Ingredients

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1/8 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a small saucepan, simmer celery and green pepper with water to cover until tender; Drain.

Place ground beef in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly brown. Add onion, and cook until tender and translucent. Drain excess fat. Add celery and green pepper. Stir in kidney beans, condensed tomato soup, diced tomatoes and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in macaroni.

LASAGNA

This is from Regina Schrambling on The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “In 2001, Regina Schrambling went on a week long odyssey in search of the ultimate lasagna recipe. She tested several, and finally found her ideal in a mash-up of recipes from Giuliano Bugialli and Elodia Rigante, both Italian cookbook authors.

“‘If there were central casting for casseroles, this one deserved the leading role. But its beauty was more than cheese deep. This was the best lasagna I had ever eaten. The sauce was intensely flavored, the cheeses melted into creaminess as if they were bechamel, the meat was just chunky enough, and the noodles put up no resistance to the fork. Most important, the balance of pasta and sauce was positively Italian. At last I could understand why my neighbor Geoff had told me, as I dragged home more bags in our elevator, that all-day lasagna is the only kind worth making.’”

Time: 4 hours; Yield: 8 to 10 servings

This was featured in “The Noodle and I: A Face-of at the Oven”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9530-lasagna.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium red onions, finely diced

2 large cloves minced garlic

8 ounces pancetta, diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good red wine, preferably Italian

2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4 pound ground sirloin

1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano

2 eggs

10 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves only, washed and dried

2 large whole cloves garlic

1/2 cup flour

1 pound Italian sausage, a mix of hot and sweet

For the Lasagna:

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

2 extra-large eggs

2 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 pound mozzarella, grated

16 sheets fresh lasagna noodles, preferably Antica Pasteria

Preparation

For the sauce, heat 1/2 cup oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or kettle over low heat. Add the onions, minced garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Raise heat slightly, add the wine and cook until it is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pan, and add their juice. Add the tomato paste and 2 cups lukewarm water. Simmer for 1 hour.

Combine the sirloin, cheese and eggs in a large bowl. Chop the parsley with the whole garlic until fine, then stir into the beef mixture. Season lavishly with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Shape into meatballs and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dust the meatballs lightly with flour, shaking off excess, and lay into the hot oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides (do not cook through) and transfer to the sauce.

In a clean skillet, brown the sausages over medium-high heat. Transfer to the sauce. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pecorino Romano, parsley and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce, and set aside to cool slightly, then chop coarsely. Spoon a thick layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spoon more sauce on top, then add a third of the meat and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers, using all the meat and cheese. Top with a layer of noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

OLD-FASHIONED MEATLOAF

This comes from VeryWellFit, and begins, “This lighter meatloaf recipe is similar to the one most of us enjoyed during our childhoods, but without all of the extra fat. Choose a lean ground beef or, better yet, ground turkey to cut down on the fat. And since you can't make meatloaf without breadcrumbs, why not replace the white, unrefined with whole wheat for added fiber? Also, using two egg whites in place of one whole egg will reduce the calories and fat while still helping to bind the mixture together.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 70 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground meat (85% to 90% lean, or ground turkey)

1 cup breadcrumbs (whole wheat)

1/4 cup onion (finely chopped or 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes)

2 cloves garlic (minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup water (or low-fat milk)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Mix well, using your hands, but don't overmix because you will toughen the meat.

Turn mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 1 hour.

To be sure the meatloaf is done, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the center of the loaf. The temperature should register 155F when it is done.

About 10 to 15 minutes before you think the meatloaf will be done, you can cover it with barbecue sauce if you like.

International Meatloaf

If you are looking for a different kind of meatloaf, try kofta kebabs, a Middle Eastern grilled ground meat recipe. The spices in this meat mixture (traditionally lamb) are a delicious change of pace from the usual. If you don't have the time or inclination to place them on skewers, you can make them into oblong-oval shapes that look like sausages without the casings.