This Grama's Bolognese Sauce

There are as many Italian Bolognese Sauce recipes as there are Italian Grandmothers; and as many as there are Italian chefs, just including those in the United States. When you talk of all the recipes written in English we're talking ad infinitum.  Bolognese Sauce belongs to the Ragu family and originates in Bologna, Italy.  In fact in Bologna, Italy, it's not called Bolognese Sauce at all, but rather Ragu Sauce.  Ragu was introduced into the Italian cuisine in the late 18th century following the Napolean invasion in 1796 with the subsequent control of northern Italy by the French.  So though Bolognese is decidedly Italian, it's roots actually originated in France before the Italians made it their own.  The French do love their sauces! Bolognese (Ragu) Sauce is a meat based sauce for pasta- and of course the variations are endless. Prior to the French Napolian occupation, the Italians ate their pasta in a broth- not a sauce.

My search to find a Bolognese Sauce to call my own was rather a search for efficiency. I know, I know, I know- that sounds a whole lot more like Don than it does me- but he does seem to rub off on me over time.  And our family is EXPANDING!  Why with 7 children and 8 soon to be 9 grandchildren (and I predict this number will go higher) what we need is an Italian Grandmother who can cook for a crowd.  Well I'm certainly not an Italian Grandmother, but all of the kids and grandkids are just going to have to live with what they have.  

But back to the efficiency search.  When the kids and grands come to town there is plenty of preparation to do which doesn't leave much time for yet another search for a Bolognese Sauce recipe to use.  Besides I really want a recipe that's mine- the same recipe that is mine every time they come for a visit!  This one is it!  So let's gather the ingredients and start cooking!

Grama's Bolognese Sauce: adapted from multiple sources though I'd like to give special credit to Johanna, originally from the Philippines, now residing in Chicago.  You can find her here.  There's a bit of an Italian Grandmother in us all!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground Italian Sausage 

1 pound of ground lean beef

1/4 pound of Prosciutto, sliced into small strips (you can substitute bacon)

(Of course I get ours from our local meat market!)

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced thin

8 cloves of garlic, minced (we really, really like garlic!)

3 carrots, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 green peppers, diced

1/2 fennel, diced

1 cup of minced parsley, (add late in the cooking)

 2 large cans of diced tomatoes

3 Tbsp of tomato paste

1- 2 Tbsp of anchovy paste, optional

1/2 cup of sweet red wine

1/4 cup of heavy cream, (also called "whipping cream"), Optional

1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth to desired thickness, (I use vegetable, but could use chicken or beef.)

3 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning or combination of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.  (I use "dry" rather than "fresh"- but in summer I'd use the fresh from our garden.)

1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes, (use more or less depending on how much "heat" you want in final dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the meats in a large Dutch Oven. I love, love, love my cast iron with an enamel coating!

Drain the grease off and remove the meat from the pan.

Heat the olive oil in the pan.  

Add onions and celery and fennel.  Cook until onion is glistening in color.  

Add in the garlic, carrots, peppers.  Cook until slightly softened.  Return the meat to the pot. 

Add the seasonings. 

Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, anchovy paste and the sweet wine.  

Add enough broth for desired thickness.  Save the broth because you'll probably want to "thin" a bit as the liquid cooks away.

Bring the mixture to a light boil and then lower the temperature until the sauce is barely simmering. Cover the pot during cooking.

Cook for at least 2 hours- though don't hesitate to simmer up to 4 hours- just don't let it get dry and burn on the bottom, as this would totally ruin the taste! You can also cook in an oven heated to 300 degrees if this works better for you. Again the pot needs to be covered!

Add the cream and the parsley at the end of the cooking.  The cream will give it a slightly "pink" color- typical of Bolognese Sauces.

You can serve with the pasta of your choice.

Or if you'd like fry up Polenta...

And serve on top of this. 

I like mine with a good bottle of Chianti!

Enjoy!

Spring Harvest: Pickled Asparagus!

It is spring in Ohio.  In fact it has been spring in Ohio for quite a while now, even when it really should have been winter. But the weather has been like that this year.  Spring means Asparagus! I've read that it's been around for better than 20,000 years and that the Romans were even known to haul it up into the Alps to freeze it for use when it wasn't in season.  It's even rumored that it's an aphrodisiac which might help explain why "a young man's fancy turns to love...". 
I find that I start looking for it at the market when the weather turns just a wee bit warmer and the days a wee bit longer.  It's absolutely traditional to serve it at Passover- or Easter- along with "spring lamb" or "spring chicken". I like it roasted- or grilled- or even shaved raw for a salad.  It's perfect in a stir fry- or a pasta- on pizza- or in an omelet.  And even though you can usually get asparagus in other seasons besides spring, given our propensity for hauling our food from one corner of the world to another, it's just never the same as it is in the spring. But no matter how much you love asparagus there is only so much you can eat in any given spring.  
So why not "pickle" it for use year round!
Now I have to admit that until I met this beautiful woman, Don's Mom, my wonderful Mother-in Law and Grandma Lucas to 2 generations of children,

I thought that pickles were only something that came sliced in a jar to be used on a hamburger.  I was wrong!  Real wrong!  Now Mom didn't pickle asparagus, she pickled okra.  But we live in Ohio not Oklahoma and the okra we get is puny to say the least!  We did drive to Oklahoma one summer and brought back a half bushel or so of okra to pickle- but it's a long drive to Oklahoma just to buy okra and we have plenty of asparagus right here in Ohio.  Besides some of our children- and children-in-law- have more "northern roots" and prefer the asparagus to the okra.  As for me, Mom's pickled okra will always have the place of honor as far as I'm concerned. But back to the point. It's spring and there's plenty of asparagus to be had!


So let's get to pickling! Let's gather the ingredients.  Asparagus to be sure...

And vinegar (white) and pickling salt...

And of course the spices you plan on using. You can be real creative here because I'm not sure there is any spice that you can't tuck into the jar when you're pickling.   We like Garam Masala...

But let's get to the details of this process!


Pickled Asparagus: Adapted from the Pickled Okra recipe from Nita Lucas, my Mother-in-Law. You can also get more details on "pickling" from the book The Complete Book of Pickling by Jennifer MacKenzie. I picked my copy up at the Bennington Bookstore in Vermont one summer and it is terrific.  I highly recommend!


Ingredients:
Asparagus- about 1 pound for each pint jar you intend to pickle if you want each pickle to have the pretty asparagus crown.  We use the bottom half as well so we can get 2 pints out of about a pound.  Of course if you have asparagus left over, it's no problem because you'll have plenty of ways you can use it!


2 cups of white vinegar for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.
2 cups of water for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.
2 Tbsp of pickling salt for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.


For each pint jar:
2 whole cloves of garlic
2 dried red peppers
2 Tbsp of whole seed Garam Masala


Directions:
Break the tough ends off the asparagus.  Now cut the asparagus into lengths about 3/4 inch below the surface of the pint jar.  Place the asparagus in the jars, pretty side up!


Bring the vinegar, water and salt to boil.  Boil until all the salt has dissolved and then about a minute more. 


Add the garlic cloves, peppers and Garam Masala to the jars with the asparagus.  


Using a pickling funnel pour the vinegar, water, salt solution into each jar leaving about 1/2 inch on top.  A pickling funnel is a wide mouth funnel and sure makes the pouring easier! You can see one here.

Place the lid disk on each pint and then screw on the lid band- be careful and don't tighten too much.  Stop when you'd have to add even the tiniest bit of force to close tighter.


Bring a big pot of water to a roaring boil.  When the water is boiling vigorously add each jar to the "canning bath".  It's helpful to have canning tongs. 


Leave the jars in the "bath" for 10 minutes and then remove.  You'll hear a little "pop" when the jar seals.  Check each jar to make sure it's sealed (you'll feel a very slight indentation in the middle of the lid).  

Store the jars in a cool, dark (not in direct sunshine) place.  Since we live in Ohio our house has a basement and that's where we store them.  Though the "book" says they last a year, we've kept ours longer than that.


I serve them "plain"...

Or chopped into deviled eggs (make sure and use the "juice" as well as the asparagus).

Enjoy!

Ethiopian Doro Wat- My Way: Chicken or Tofu with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

The first time I had African cuisine was in San Francisco with Don about 19 years ago.  Our good friend from high school, Steve Sizemore, took us to an Eritrean Restaurant.  Now I have to tell you there were not ANY African restaurants in Oklahoma and I'd never heard of Eritrea, a small country in the Horn of Africa just north of Ethiopia.  In the 25th century BC, the ancient Egyptians called the small country "Punt", meaning God's Land.  Many scientists believe that it is from Eritrea that the first anatomically modern humans first began to "scatter" to the ends of the earth.  The second time I had African Cuisine was at an Ethiopian restaurant in Washington DC- with Don of course!  Because Eritrea borders Ethiopia now- and in fact was part of Ethiopia for 40+ years ending only after a 30 year civil war that ultimately resulted in the independence of Eritrea- the cuisines are very similar.


The recipe we're cooking this blog is a very loose adaptation of "Doro Wat"- that translates into Chicken Stew.  This recipe actually adapts easily for a vegetarian dish using tofu so we're going to include that as well.


Now I would like to comment- to any that have not actually had the pleasure of dining on fine Ethiopian Cuisine- that this is a very loose adaptation.  Genuine Ethiopian Cuisine is cooked to a consistency that enables it to be "pinched" with a sourdough pancake called an Injera rather than eaten with a fork or spoon. You'll definitely need a fork for our adaptation. Also Doro Wat is always with chicken- not tofu- nor with any vegetables.  Like I said I took many liberties.  I think you'll love it!


One more thing to note before we start cooking.  This recipe calls for a spice seed, Fenugreek, that I'd never used- and in fact had to order from "Amazon" since my local sources didn't carry it.  I even tried an African grocery store -(this store from the west side of Africa- Senegal) without success.  But I was determined!  I must tell you that Fenugreek has a reputation for many magical qualities.  It has been know to increase libido by 25%, increase lactation, control diabetes, and decrease arthritis pain.  It will forever be our secret whether or not we had any "health" benefits, though I can assure you that neither of us are lactating!  Don says he couldn't tell the difference in the taste so it is certainly an optional ingredient.  


But enough of that- let's gather the ingredients and start cooking!

Doro Wat for Four: Very loosely based on the Doro Wat in  A Spicy Perspective


Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breast, cubed
OR
1 package of Firm Tofu, cubed


4 Tbsp of Olive Oil


3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups of Green Beans, ends removed and cut in half
1 large Onion, diced
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced


1/2 stick of Butter
1/2 cup of Red Wine
3 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
(If the mixture is too "dry" add water a little bit at a time.)


1 tsp of Salt
1/4 tsp of ground Red Pepper
2-4 Tbsp of Garam Masala (essential!), can use ground or whole seed (I used a combination of both.  I used whole seed when I roasted the sweet potatoes and used ground for the tofu and for the sauce.)
1 tsp of Cardamon
1/2 Tbsp of Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Tbsp of Thyme
1 Tbsp of Sugar
2 tsp of Fenugreek seeds, optional


Directions:


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  
Toss sweet potatoes in 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of whole seed Garam Masala.  Place in single layer on aluminum foil covered cookie sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, turning after 15.

Toss Tofu, very carefully so it doesn't crumble, with 1 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of ground Garam Masala and ground red pepper. Adjust amount of red pepper to personal taste. Roast for 40 minutes turning, carefully, after 20.


Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in large skillet.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add chicken (if using) and brown.  Add garlic.  Next add butter, wine and tomato paste.  Now add the spices, Garam Masala (ground), Cardamon, Fenugreek, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes and Sugar.  


Mix well.  Add the green beans.  It is at this point you could add water if mixture too dry.  Cook for 10-15 minutes until green beans are cooked.

Add the sweet potatoes (and Tofu if using rather than chicken).  Heat thoroughly.


Serve with brown rice.


Doro Wat with Chicken:

Or Tofu:

Invite the neighbors to join:

Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner: American Waffles!

Waffles originated sometime in the Middle Ages in what is now Belgium. They were thin wafers cooked on a "wafer iron" heated in the fire. They arrived to the colonies in the New World in the 1620s with the Dutch Pilgrims. It is even known that Thomas Jefferson bought a waffle iron in France during his long stay there during the Revolutionary war working to get the French on board for our new war against the English. Waffle parties were popular in those early times!  


Now the Belgium Waffle didn't actually arrive to America until the Century 21 Expo in Seattle, Washington in 1962 and then again in 1964 at the World's Fair in New York City. I actually went to this World's Fair in NYC during the summer of "64.  I don't remember the Belgium Waffles- but I do remember the Italian Gelato- and I have been in love ever since!  
Belgium Waffles use yeast- and have to be "started" the day before.  Well, we all know about the impatience of the New World so we like our waffles quick- none of that yeast for us.  We use baking powder- just like we do in our pancakes and our biscuits and our cornbread!  And baking powder is fast!


So let's gather our ingredients!

American Waffles for Two: Adapted from The Best of Waffles and Pancakes, A Cookbook By Jane Stacey


Ingredients:


Dry Ingredients:
3/4 cup of White Flour
1/4 cup of Pastry Wheat Flour (don't use regular wheat so just substitute white flour if you don't have Pastry Wheat- regular wheat flour won't give you the texture you're looking for!)
2 Tbsp of Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
1/8 tsp of Cardamon


Wet Ingredients:
1/2 stick of Butter (1/4 cup), melted
3/4 cup of Buttermilk
2 Eggs, Separated


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees to "hold" the cooked waffles while they wait for you to cook the remainder of the waffles.


Mix the dry ingredients together well.


Whisk the melted butter, the buttermilk and the egg yolks together.


In your stand mixer (you can do this with a hand mixer as well but it is really, really, really easy with a stand mixer!), whip the egg whites to "firm peaks".  (This means that when you lift the blades the egg whites form gentle peaks that stay gentle peaks. Soft peaks dissolve back into the other egg whites while stiff peaks are very "pointy".)

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.  Then using a rubber spatula gently, very gently, add the egg whites to the mixture.  Don't overdo this part because this is what give waffles the "lightness" that pancakes don't have.

Heat your waffle iron per instructions.  Pour 1/2 cup onto the waffle iron. This amount will vary from iron to iron so read the manufacturers instructions. If the batter is too "stiff" to pour add more buttermilk a little at a time.

Remove the waffle when the "beep" sounds...

And place on the rack of the preheated oven. Don't use a cookie sheet or the bottoms of the waffles will get soggy!

Serve with butter and maple syrup!

Or you can serve with berries and whipped cream!

Or you can even add 1/2 cup of "mashed" blueberries to the batter- and then top with blueberries for Blueberry Waffles!

Enjoy!

Cottage Pie for the Irish! (Includes Vegetarian Option)

I know, I know!  It's been quite some time since St. Patrick's Day and the first time I made this Cottage Pie.  But we've been busy cooking - and a bit of other "stuff" as well since then- and the time just seemed to zoom by.  But we're ready now!


But before we talk Cottage Pie- and the Irish- let's talk POTATOES! Wild strains of potatoes have grown through out the America's for many thousands of years.  They were "domesticated" for use as food by the Inca Indians in the Andes sometime between 8000 and 10,000 BC.  So potatoes have been around for a long, long, long time!  They were introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the later part of the 16th century after the Spanish conquest of the Inca nation.  They soon became popular in all of the European countries. Though initially primarily eaten by the wealthier member's of these countries it eventually became a main crop of the poor- especially in Ireland.  The potato could be grown on very small plots of ground- and often was the single crop for the poorest of the farmers.  Eventually it was the Potato Blight in1845 with resulting famine that created the largest migration of the Irish to the "New Country"  causing over a million of the Irish people to die and another million to immigrate to the new world.  When the Spanish brought the potato from the Inca's in the mid 1600's, they neglected to bring but one variety even though there were thousands that grew in the Andes.  This lack of biodiversity made the potato more vulnerable to disease which resulted in the Potato Famine 200 years later.  


Now to Cottage Pie!  The term Cottage Pie is known to have been in use since 1791.  It referred to the use of left over meat in a "pie" that had as it's crust the mashed potato.  This name predates the name "Shepard Pie" which is the same as a Cottage Pie but uses lamb.  The meat in Cottage pie can be practically anything- fish, beef, lamb, chicken- though most often it is beef or lamb! The name probably originated in England or Scotland but since the new world was introduced to this by the large Irish immigration to this country it seems so very, very Irish!


Now most often Cottage Pie has as it's topping the mashed potato- but then Don particularly doesn't like mashed potatoes layered across anything- likes his straight up with gravy on top sitting next to the meat.  I'm not sure I'd ever made Cottage Pie.  But then we were having company on St. Patrick's Day and though the desert selection was easy- Bread Pudding with an Irish Whiskey Sauce (now that is really, really, really good- I'll show you how to make some day!), it was a bit harder to decide on the entree.  And then I had it- Cottage Pie- with lamb!  I went on the search for recipes!


Let's get started cooking- so gather the ingredients!

Cottage Pie: adapted from Anne Burrell of the Food Network and Martha Stewart


Ingredients:


Pie Filling:
2 tbsp of olive oil
3-4 pounds of lamb or beef, cubed (The amount of meat depends on how much meat to vegetables you want your pie. You may also use 6-8 cups of a mixed variety of mushrooms if you'd like a vegetarian option.)
2 large leeks, sliced in thin cross sections
3 stalks of celery, diced
3-5 carrots, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 cup of red wine (I used a Spanish Red in tribute to the Spaniards who brought the potato to Europe)
2-4 cups of vegetarian broth as needed for desired consistency
1 tbsp Anchovy Paste (My secret ingredient!)
Thyme, fresh tied in a cheesecloth bundle
2 Bay leaves
Salt/Pepper to taste (start with a tsp of each and increase to your taste)
1 cup peas, added at the end
Flour and Cream to thicken after Filling has cooked if needed.  (I didn't need the first time so didn't add- I did the second and used 1/4 cup of flour blended with 1 cup of cream- I put the flour and cream in a small bowl and used a stick blender- and then added to filling. You could substitute milk if you didn't have cream on hand.)


Pie Topping:
2 baking potatoes, very thinly sliced. (We used a mandoline.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Dry meat with a paper towel.  
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and add the lamb when oil is hot. Brown on all sides. 
Add the leeks and cook until softened.  
Next add the celery and carrots and garlic and soften for approximately 5 minutes.  
Add in tomato paste and wine- Spanish for us!

Add the broth to desired thickness. Bring to gentle simmer.
Place in oven and leave unattended for 3 hours.  I checked every hour for desired doneness of the lamb.  I used a fork- and wanted the meat cooked well enough so that the fork prongs could easily pierce the meat. I was also checking that there was still enough liquid in the pot- add more broth if the filling is getting too dry.
Remove from oven when meat is done.  It is at this time that you add the flour/cream if the meat filling is too thin for the pie. You can let the filling "rest" covered on the top of the stove until you're ready to put the pie together.


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pie filling in a shallow baking dish (9x13). Top with the sliced potatoes.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes- until the top is nicely browned!

Serve!

Enjoy!

Let's Talk Brownies: Time for a Bake Off!

"There are as many brownie recipes as there are flowers in the meadow" says Laurie Colwin (author of both fiction and nonfiction as well as a regular contributor to Gourmet  and New Yorker), as she introduced the recipe she claimed was Katharine Hepburn's Brownies in an article called "A Harried Cook's Guide to Some Fast Food" in 1992.  This article had actually originally been printed in The Ladies Home Journal in 1975. Well I'm not sure how many flowers one might find in a meadow, but I can tell you for sure there is no end in sight when looking for brownie recipes!


Brownies originated in Chicago at the Palmer House Hotel at the end of the 19th century by Mrs. Palmer who needed a dessert for the box lunches for women attending a fair at the hotel. It was from this beginning that the brownie began it's journey to it's current leading position on so many folks list of "favorites"!


Well I will assure you this is not an exhaustive look at brownies- but we are going to look at four recipes- and even do a blind taste test using both chocolate lovers- and non-chocolate lovers!  I do believe I found my favorite- we'll see how this one rates with our other "tasters"! I have to warn you here that we can't really say which is the REAL #1.  Our first testing compared the Katharine Hepburn "A" Brownies to Expresso Kahlua Brownies while our second testing compared the Katharine Hepburn "B" Brownies to Caramel Brownies.  That said we each came out with a favorite!


Most of us easily recognize the two major types of brownies-" cakey" or "fudgy".  Now since I really only like the "fudgy" rather than the "cakey" brownies- and since this is my blog- we're only going to focus on the "fudgy" ones.  So if you're a "cakey" brownie sort of person you're on your own! We'll look at two recipes claiming to have originated with Katherine Hepburn's family- you got it- two recipes!  And then we'll try an Expresso Kahlua Brownie as well as a Caramel Brownie!  I feel certain after reading this blog each of you will go straight to the kitchen and bake your own brownies!


Let's start with Katharine Hepburn "A" Brownies. The source of this first recipe is from a "Letter to the Editor" in the New York Times- (you can find the letter here) written by Heather Henderson, a graduate of Bryn Mawr, Katharine Hepburn's alma mater.  Ms. Henderson writes a lovely tribute to Ms. Hepburn that makes you love Ms. Hepburn- if you already didn't.  It seems that as a young girl Ms. Henderson was a student at Bryn Mawr- the same college that Katharine Hepburn had attended.  Ms. Henderson reports becoming so discouraged in her studies her senior year that she told her father that she was going to drop out of school.  Now it just so happened that her father shopped at the same small grocery in New York City that Ms. Hepburn also shopped.  Ms. Henderson's father asked Ms. Hepburn if she might talk to his daughter about her studies and Ms. Hepburn agreed- and promptly invited the young girl and her father to tea at her apartment.  Ms. Hepburn served brownies.  Ms. Henderson did not drop out of college.  She writes in this letter  that she learned three things from Katharine Hepburn- "Don't quit. Be yourself.  Never put too much flour in your brownies."  Ms. Hepburn gave the recipe to Ms. Henderson.


You can add nuts to any of these recipes though I didn't.  I have some chocolate lovers that love their chocolate straight!


So let's get cooking!

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies "A": Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli of course!)
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1/4 tsp of salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of flour


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 8 inch square baking pan- use metal- with either parchment paper or wax paper. Bring the paper up two sides to make it easier to get the brownies out. Butter and flour the paper.  


Whisk the flour and salt together.


Melt the butter over low heat on the stove top.  When the butter starts to melt, sift the cocoa onto the butter.  Stir until butter is melted and cocoa is well mixed into the butter. Set aside.


Whisk the eggs until light yellow in color.  Add the eggs to the butter/cocoa mixture.
Add in the sugar and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture- be real gentle with the mixing- you want to mix by hand (I used a rubber spatula)- and stop mixing when the flour has disappeared. 


Spread the mixture into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.  Start checking after 20 minutes.  You really don't want to overcook brownies. If you happen to overcook them then cut the dry edges off and serve these as a "biscotti" with ice cream- and just cut the center of the brownies into squares.


Cool completely in the pan and then remove using the parchment or wax paper edges.  Cut into squares.

But brownies aren't just plain- often other ingredients are added for a different taste.  One of the most frequently mentioned "add-on" is coffee. Coffee actually enhances the flavor of the chocolate.  The next brownies are a more "grown-up" brownie!


So let's gather the ingredients!

Expresso Kahlua Brownies: Adapted from a food blog, Baker Street


Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces of chocolate ( I used 60% Cocoa)
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
3 Tbsp of instant espresso powder
2 Tbsp of Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 cup of pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With brownies you want to use a conventional oven setting rather than the "convection" setting if your oven has this setting.  The "convection" setting creates more even heating so the brownies won't develop the crusty exterior and the gooey interior- the perfect texture for a brownie.


Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan.


Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt)


Melt butter and chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat.  


In a large bowl (I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer), mix well the eggs, sugar, vanilla, espresso powder and Kahlua. Add in the chocolate mixture.  Last, gently add the flour mixture being careful not to overdo this.  Stop when you no longer see "white"!


Spread the mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Again do check beginning at 20 minutes so you don't over bake.  


Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Since I was traveling to Florida with these brownies, I layered them in a plastic container separating each layer with wax paper.  Kept this way brownies will last up to a week.  Brownies can also be frozen for up to 3 months if anyone can resist eating them before any thought is given to freezing them!

But just two recipes for brownies didn't seem enough- not given the abundance of "flowers in a meadow", so when I returned from Florida it was back to baking! Besides, Brandy and Will were to arrive from Florida (we were watching Mikayla while they went house hunting in Michigan) so they could be taste testers for two more renditions of brownies!


I was especially interested in the other brownie recipe attributed to Katharine Hepburn.  So we're back to Laurie Colwin and her article "A Harried Cook's Guide to Some Fast Food" from her book, More Home Cooking. The article that appeared first in The Home Journal before it was later published in Gourmet. This recipe had traction!  In this brownie recipe rather than using cocoa, chocolate is used.  I rather like this recipe because it is so, so, so, so easy- and so, so, so, so chocolately!  If you want perfect brownies, but don't want to work so very hard- this is the recipe for you. 
We'll end this brownie match-up with a "layered" caramel brownie. And who of course can resist a Caramel Brownie!

So let's get started!


Katharine Hepburn's Brownies "B": Adapted from "A Harried Cook's Guide to Some Fast Food" by Laurie Colwin

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
6 ounces of chocolate (I used a mixture of 70% as well as semi-sweet)
2 tsp of vanilla
1/4 tsp of salt
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup of flour


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Line a 9 inch aluminum pan with parchment paper- or aluminum foil. Grease and flour the pan.


In a saucepan melt the butter and chocolate together.  When completely mixed, stir in the vanilla, the sugar and the salt.  Mix well.


Add in the eggs.


Finally, add in the flour. Remember- don't overdo this. Stop when you don't see "white".

Spread into the pan. and bake for 30 minutes (again begin to check after 20 minutes so that you don't overcook).


Cool completely in the pan before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.

The final brownie was a Caramel Brownie- rather like a caramel sandwich-  layer of caramel sandwiched in between two layers of brownie.


So let's get started!

Caramel Brownies: Adapted from the food blog, Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:


For the Brownies: (Notice that these are the same brownies as Katharine Hepburn's "B".)
1 stick of butter
6 ounces of chocolate  (Again I used a mixture of 70% and semi-sweet- the chocolate I had on hand- feel free to use your favorite!)
2 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of flour


For the Caramel:
7 ounces of caramels
1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/6 cup of heavy cream


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.


Melt the butter and the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.  Add in the vanilla, sugar and salt. Mix well.  Add in the eggs. Again, mix well.  Finally, add the flour, mixing only until you no longer see white.


Spread half of the mixture into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Melt the caramels with the cream.


Cool the bottom brownie while you melt the caramels. 


Spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie.

Top the caramel layer with the rest of the brownie mixture.

Bake the Caramel Brownies for 15-20 minutes. Again watch carefully so that you don't over cook- the idea is to get "soft, gooey" brownies. And these brownies will always win the "soft, gooey" award!

Now let's reveal how the brownies where rated by our tasters.  In our "LOVE CHOCOLATE" group were Brandy, Will and Becca (Becca is our delightful next door neighbor- home for spring break from her freshmen year at Ohio State University).  In our "DON"T LOVE CHOCOLATE" group were Don, Ann and Mark Lampe (our neighbors, the parent's of Becca).  Brandy, Will and Don definitely picked the Caramel Brownies, though they remained fond of the Espresso Kahlua from the first test.  They loved the "gooey" texture of the Caramel Brownies as well as the taste.  For Ann and Mark the favorite was the Espresso Kahlua Brownies from our first taste, though in the second taste they definitely preferred the Caramel Brownies.  Now Becca likes her brownies less "adorned" and choose the Katharine Hepburn "B" Brownies.  


As for me- well that is a lot of brownies to mix and taste.  And I have to admit I'm rather influenced by how easy it might be to "whip" up a batch of brownies on a whim.  With that criteria I have to say I'm with Becca.  Katharine Hepburn "B"!  Try them all- and see which one you like!


Enjoy!