Northern Italian cooking is built for long meals, cold weather, and patience, which is exactly the sort of food you want when settling in for hours of competition. From Lombardy and Piedmont to Emilia-Romagna and Liguria, these regions favor slow braises, creamy risottos, rich broths, and breads meant to be torn and shared. Whether you're feeding a crowd or committing to a cozy afternoon
For those of us that grew up with Boomers as parents, the quality of dinners isn't always looked back on fondly. Coming of age in the time of the microwave and Hamburger Helper, then becoming parents during the backlash against fat and salt, Boomers developed cooking habits that blended boxed and frozen convenience foods alongside sides of steamed or boiled (and usually) unseasoned vegetables to make sure it was "healthy."
A beef stew is one of those amazing dishes that delivers layers and layers of flavor while relying on a fairly basic set of ingredients: onions and garlic, carrots and potatoes, beef and wine, salt and pepper - you probably wouldn't even have to make a shopping run! In fact, the most demanding ingredient when it comes to cooking a stew is patience: our old-fashioned beef stew sits on the flame for two and a half hours.
You've heard of dinosaur-shaped frozen chicken nuggets. Now, get ready for dino ribs. These huge cuts come from the steer's plate primal section and totally dwarf baby back and short ribs (think 8-12 inches long and two pounds per individual rib). They're the beefy equivalent of the comically large, handheld turkey legs of stereotypical Medieval table spreads. On the palate, dino ribs are rich, savory, and smoky - a profile reminiscent of brisket.
A bright and beautiful bowl of homemade tomato soup delivers comfort in every spoonful. There are plenty of ways to make a basic recipe your own, whether it's by adding ingredients to boost the protein or fiber content or a clever choice of toppings to provide some extra crunch, creaminess, or flavor. Of course, there are also plenty of mistakes everyone makes with tomato soup that can seriously disrupt the smooth mouthfeel with an unwelcome chunky consistency.
