Welcome to Week Two of the One-Pot Blogger Cooking Party, featuring Emeril’s latest cookbook “Sizzling Skillets and Other One-PotWonders”! I’m currently cooking out of my Grandmother’s kitchen in sunny Miami and loving her small, but thoroughly organized space. This week I’ve chosen three recipes that I think are great family recipes and very adaptable to whatever you have in the house.
Talking about whatever you have in the house, let’s talk about how great some one-pot meals are for your budget. I’ll be referring to prices in Southern Miami for this demonstration, since it is currently where I am since prices do vary from city to city. After deciding on all three recipes, I shopped around and actually bought ingredients for all three for a total of $34. Sure, I had a few staples such as oil, salt, carrots and onions at the house, but mostly let’s say that I shopped for roughly 80% of each recipe. I think that’s a pretty good deal, especially since each recipe serves 4-6 people. Shop around for your produce, comparing prices between your closest stores and markets, and don’t forget the ethnic markets which have great deals on condiments and fresh (and exotic!) produce.
For the first recipe this week, we made Emeril’s “True Bolognese”, a version inspired by the authentic Northern Italians and their love of cooking. This Bolognese is not drowned in canned tomatoes or sauce, but laced with thick tomato paste (just enough to give it that depth).
What do you think was my favorite part of this recipe?Rendering the bacon, of course! Emeril recommends using pancetta, but I decided to use bacon because that’s what I had at home. If you make this, or actually any time you render bacon fat, DO NOT throw away that fat. It’s going to help you sear your meats, as well as coat your mirepoix in a silky, smoky, fatty heaven. The bacon fat is cooked with the carrots, celery and onion and then the meat is seared. Emeril suggests Beef and Veal, which I found to be a great idea, but surely Southern Miami has to make ground veal a little more accessible. What do you think I used? Ground Pork of course!
Finished with tomato paste, white wine, beef broth and cream, this sauce is a bowl of comfort. Serve over pasta or like we did, over buttery, mashed potatoes. This is the perfect meal for a cool, fall day and would be perfect with a bottle of beer to wash it down!
Have some fun and learn some great foodie facts by taking “A Sizzling Quiz with ChefEmeril Lagasse”
Stay updated by following the #sizzlingskillets hashtag on twitter!
Full disclosure: For my commitment to this blogger cooking party, I received a copy of this cookbook, as well as a set of Emeril – by Zak! Table Art 7-piece Flame-Shaped Serving Bowls, and Emeril Seasoning; a $50 grocery reimbursement and Emeril cookbooks upon completion of the party. The top performing blogger, as selected by T-Fal, will be awarded an Emeril by T-Fal Slow Cooker. YOU will be eligible to win a copy of the cookbook, as well as the 7-piece zak! set.
Yum! You KNOW that’s right up my alley! 🙂 What idiot throws out rendered bacon fat? Lol
You had to go there, didn’t you? I was already salivating at the words ‘bacon fat’ and ‘ground pork’, but then you had to say it.
Buttery. Mashed. Potatoes.
Ohhh comfort food. Where would we be without you, aside from 10 pounds lighter? Love.
With a promise of such great recipes, you’ve tempted me into buying this book!
This is irresistable! I can’t stand it…it is so good! I must get my hands on this new Emeril book. But before that, I hope I win it! BAM !
OH. MY. GOODNESS. This looks amazing!