Winter Collection with The Cookbook Club

 Joanne Tracey over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries has started up a monthly cookbook club and the rules such as they are are loose enough that it's easy to follow along and participate. 

This month we were asked to look at either Delia Smith's Winter Collection or Summer Collection and since it is firmly winter here I picked her winter collection. 

It was a pretty cookbook but I do wish there had been more photos of the recipes included. 

We settled on trying the authentic Ragu Bolognese. We did have to make a couple of modification based on what I could find in the store (plus our own personal taste made chicken livers a no go). 


First off we halved the recipe; not knowing if we'd like it or not I didn't want to make so much. The recipe says it makes 16 servings and I figured 8 servings would be perfect with a full box of pasta (that also happens to feed 8!).  I needn't have worried as we all really liked this (even me and I do not normally like ground beef or pork much at all) 

We used:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion; chopped

2 cloves garlic; minced

1 pound meatloaf mix (our grocery store sells one that is a mix of pork, veal, and ground beef so we tried that)

2 ounces bacon; precooked and chopped

14 ounce can diced tomatoes with the sauce

6 ounce can tomato paste

1 scant/ not quite full cup of red wine

salt/pepper/ nutmeg; just sprinkled to taste

Handful of fresh basil; chopped 

Handful of freshly grated parmesan 


I heated up the oil and browned the meat mix with the onions & garlic, making sure the meat was cooked through. Then I added in the bacon and gave it a good stir. 


I added in the tomatoes, paste, wine and seasonings (including the basil). 

At this point I poured the whole thing into our crock pot and put it on low to simmer all day. 


Just before serving I added the cheese in and gave it a good stir. Then served it over penne pasta.



My family LOVED this recipe and told me I had to write it down so I could make it again. 

Linking up with:






Comments

  1. Maria RineerFebruary 17, 2025 at 6:09 AM

    Looks good! With the ingredients in it, it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't taste good. Combine with simmering all day- YUM!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoyceFebruary 17, 2025 at 6:52 AM

    I would pass on chicken livers too. This looks good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amy ScottFebruary 17, 2025 at 7:14 AM

    Looks hearty! I love trying different shapes of pasta, but my hub is an angel hair purist. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM

      My husband would prefer angel hair all the time too but he's out voted!

      Delete
  4. Andrea NineFebruary 17, 2025 at 7:24 AM

    That looks super yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. HollyFebruary 17, 2025 at 9:46 AM

    So yum! My stomach is growling now ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kari February 17, 2025 at 11:05 AM

    That looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kim CarberryFebruary 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM

    That looks so good! I would pass on the chicken livers too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JeanieFebruary 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM

    That sounds like a fun idea. Your dish looks terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  9. MarshaFebruary 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM

    That looks delicious. I don't think any stores here carry a meatloaf mix. What kinds of things were in it?

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM

      Meatloaf mix at our local store is a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork).

      Delete
  10. Tanya February 17, 2025 at 4:33 PM

    Chicken livers...uh, no! This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 18, 2025 at 1:01 PM

      Thank you! I used to eat liver as a kid until I realized what the liver does for the body and then never again.

      Delete
  11. sherryFebruary 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM

    I think we can use any summer or winter recipes from any collection, not just Delia's :=) I am using a recipe from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer. Never heard of meatloaf mix!
    cheers
    sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 18, 2025 at 1:01 PM

      Oh definitely, Jo is so great about being accepting of any cookbook!

      Delete
  12. Memphis BridgesFebruary 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM

    I agree, chicken livers have no place in this dish, or really any other! It does look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jen WhiteFebruary 18, 2025 at 6:35 AM

    This dish looks yummy...perfect for a winter day!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Heather{Our Life In a Click}February 18, 2025 at 6:43 AM

    That sounds like it was a hit!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 18, 2025 at 1:03 PM

      It really was! I was kind of surprised but they enjoyed it a lot.

      Delete
  15. Lydia C. LeeFebruary 18, 2025 at 3:29 PM

    Def a staple in every house! Esp with kids (or multiple people to feed each night!) #TalkaboutitTuesday

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite TV Shows Growing Up in the 80's and early 90's

Image
Do you remember the TGIF lineups on Friday nights? I can remember planning sleepovers and time with friends around TV Show lineups of our favorite shows... or else trying to set the VCR to record our favorite shows if we weren't going to be home. And through the years I had SO MANY favorites! Growing pains aired in 1985 which put me around age 8 and it stayed on the air until I was 15 or so; I'm pretty sure most people in my age group watched mostly for Kirk Cameron and all his antics.  I still have a soft spot for family sit-coms!  The Facts of Life aired when I was just 2  and stayed on the air until I was 11 so I'm sure the episodes I remember so fondly were either some of the later ones and then reruns shown later on when I was old enough to watch from the beginning. I think everyone would have loved an Edna Garret in their lives.   Benson another sitcom that began airing when I was just 2 and was done by the time I was 9 (another one I must have watched mai...
Read more

Tips for Falling Asleep and Staying Asleep with Share Our Lives

Image
This month for Share Our lives we're looking at tips for falling asleep. Now, I rarely have any trouble at all falling asleep. I am and have been an "early to bed, early to rise" kind of person since long before I had kids. So if you're looking for a new bedtime routine don't look at me.  Most days, especially in winter when it's dark and cold out, I change into my pajamas and comfy clothes just before I start cooking dinner. In the spring and summer I typically don't change into comfy clothes until after 7 since we do go out and do things after dinner. But just the act of putting on comfy clothes gets me into a relaxation mode.  Then we watch TV or I a read a book for a few hours and I'm usually in bed by 9 the latest. I turn on the TV-- yes we have a TV in our room and yes I watch it to fall asleep. I know all the studies say this is awful but it's what works best for me. I try to watch a show I've already seen so I'm not really invested ...
Read more

Things That Make Me Laugh

Image
I loved the challenge of this week's list for our 26 lists link up.  I don't know about you but I really need to laugh more lately.  It's such a great stress reliever. 1.  Books-- I love a good funny book that makes me laugh out loud.  I haven't read one in a while but if you have any recommendations I'm all ears.  The last book I can remember making me laugh was the Un-Honeymooners. 2  The boys being silly. 3.  Watching shows like America's Funniest Videos or Family Feud. 4. My husband.  Most people don't realize it but he's actually pretty funny and often makes me laugh. 5.  Whenever my sisters/ family get together and we get to reminiscing (particularly if my Aunt Elaine is around) we end up laughing so hard at all the old family stories that we are all in tears by the end of the night.  It's fabulous. 6. Movies like Mom's Night Out, Christmas Vacation, and Grown Ups make me laugh out loud. 7.  When my ...
Read more

Valentine's Day Care Package

Image
 I shipped another package off to Alec. This time I added some homemade cookies! I found this cute tin at Target and knew it would be perfect for mailing some cookies. I cooked up 2 recipes and filled the tin up.  I gathered all the materials I bought to send with it: his favorite Pepperidge Farm cookies, some almonds, some lotion, some cute Valentine window clings, a coloring book and a Van Gogh themed bookmark.  I stamped up some fun Valentine hearts on the tissue paper and enclosed a card too.  Linking up with: Spread the Kindness, 
Read more