Short Ribs Ragu (Fine Cooking) Time consuming, but delicious, according to the reviews. Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta or polenta. 3 to 4 lb. meaty bone-in beef short ribs, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 3 oz. thickly sliced pancetta (about 3 1/4-inch-thick slices) or 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch squares 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 heaping cup) 1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/2 cup) 1 carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup) 1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 2 Tbs. tomato paste Pinch crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 300F. Cook the ribs: Trim away any excess fat from the top of each rib down to the first layer of meat, but don't remove the silverskin or tough-looking tissue that hold the ribs together or onto the bone. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels, and season them with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven (or other heavy pot with a lid) over medium heat until hot. Add only as many ribs as will fit without touching, and brown them on all sides, turning with tongs until nicely browned, 3 to 4 min. per side. Transfer to a platter, and continue until all the ribs are browned. Pour off and discard most of the fat from the pot. Return the pot to medium heat, and add the pancetta or bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta or bacon has rendered some of its fat but is not crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 min. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and cook for 2 min., stirring. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium-high, stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Transfer the ribs to the oven: Return the short ribs (and any juices) to the pot in a single layer, nestling them into the sauce. Crumple a large sheet of parchment and smooth it out again. Arrange it over the pot, pressing it down so it nearly touches the ribs, allowing any overhang to extend up and over the edges of the pot. Set the lid in place, and transfer to the oven. Braise, turning the ribs with tongs every 45 min., until fork-tender and the meat is pulling away from the bone, about 2-1/2 hours. Make the ragu: Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish or wide bowl. Set aside until just cool enough to handle. Skim any visible surface fat from the braising liquid and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. If the tomatoes haven't broken up, break them up with a wooden spoon. If the sauce seems watery, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer to thicken. If not, keep it warm. Taste for salt and pepper. When the beef is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and the bands of connective tissue that encircled the bones. Chop the meat into bite-size chunks or pull into large strips. Return the meat to the sauce, and keep warm until ready to serve, or if making ahead, cool and refrigerate.

If I may, I have long lineage in perogie making, and spoke with my 82 year old mom today who makes not only dozens upon dozens every week at the church, but has probably pinched perogies for at least 75 of her 82 years. Specifically I asked her about making the dough ahead of time. I know that she always does, but I wasn't sure of the reason. She says that refrigerating the dough after making it is quite beneficial to soft dough which is the whole point of a good perogie. Freezing the dough is even better. She says it's much easier to work with after its been frozen and thawed. Perogie dough shouldn't be the consistency of pasta dough which is much stiffer and drier. I've pinched my share of perogies. Pinching, as in not using a fork to seal them but instead pinching the seam shut. The whole idea is to try and encase the potato filling so that when you boil it, the potatoes don't leak out. You need to keep the filling from spilling out into the dough that is going to be pinched together or it will come apart no matter what you do, and the potato will leak out. I've also wrecked my share of perogies by not making sure the seams were sealed tight. My absolute favourite way to eat perogies is with a thick, creamy mushroom sauce poured over top.

You can freeze the ham & defrost for any of these recipes: HAM & SWISS TART 2 cups cooked & cubed ham 1 cup grated Swiss cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 2 TBL minced onion 1 tsp dry mustard powder 1 TBL lemon juice 1/3 cup mayonnaise 9" pastry shell Combine first 8 ingredients & pour into pastry shell. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375° oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.~~Food for Thought ALSATIAN NOODLES (serves 4) 1 cup cooked thin-sliced ham, cut in 1/4x1" strips 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2 TBL chopped chives 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb fettuccine In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the ham. In a bowl, cream butter. Add mustard, parsley, chives & garlic & mix well. Cook fetuccine in 4 qts boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain & return to hot kettle. Add 1/2 the butter mixture & all of the ham & toss well. Add the remaining butter mixture, toss & serve immediately.~~Bound to Please HAM & POTATO FRITTATA (serves 6) Can be eaten hot, warm or cold so don't worry about this making too much: 2 medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled 10 eggs 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 tsp dried oregano 3 TBL olive oil 1 small onion, peeled & thinly sliced 1/4 lb thinly sliced ham, cut in 1" squares 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gruyere Pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water & boil until just tender. Drain & set aside to cool. Beat eggs in a large bowl until well mixed, but not frothy. Stir in parsley & oregano & set aside. Pour oil into a 2 qt baking dish & swirl to coat. Scatter onion slices evenly over bottom of dish. Place in oven 10 minutes or until onion slices are softened & just beginning to brown. Meanwhile, slice potatoes thinly. Remove baking dish from oven & reduce temperature to 375°. Arrange ham in a single layer on top of onions. Arrange potatoes ove rham. Pour in the eggs & sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Season w/pepper. Return baking dish to oven & bake 25-30 minutes or until eggs are set & the fritata is puffed & lightly browned on top.~~ CHEESE SOUFFLE (serves 4-6) 3 cups cubed bread (4-6 slices) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 cups milk 7 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere 2 cups chopped ham 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients except Cheddar together in a bowl & pour into a greased 9x13" glass pan. Bake 45 minutes. Top w/Cheddar & bake 15 minutes. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving.~~Bountiful Arbor

This is on the cover of one of our magazines. It's so rich and dark and tempts me. It calls for 1 bottle of stout beer, so I'm going to buy "something" and try it. Does it look good to you? Slow-Cooker Beef and Stout Stew 1-1/2 lb (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 lb (454 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 lb (454 g) parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 bay leaves1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme 3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper 3 lb (1.4 kg) stewing beef cubes 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, chopped 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) Stout beer 3/4 cup (175 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth 2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas In slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Top with beef and bacon. Whisk together stout, broth, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low until beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours. Discard bay leaves. Whisk flour with 1 cup of the cooking liquid until smooth; whisk into slow cooker. Stir in peas; cook, covered, on high until thickened, about 30 minutes.