Al Forno’s Slow-Cooked Brisket
February 24, 2025Our friend Al Forno in Colorado posted a photo of his slow-cooked brisket and I texted to see if he’d share the recipe. A local friend, Poulet en Crote, had a birthday coming up and we had invited her over for dinner and a movie. Seemed like a perfect time to put Al’s recipe to the test. Along with the roasted vegetables Ditilini prepared, dinner was a hit, and so was the “movie” (two back-to-back episodes of Reacher on Amazon Prime). Notes I used a 4 lb brisket, fat side up. I cooked it for 4 hours, removed the brisket…
Kettle Beef: Food of My People
Kettle beef, I recently learned, is a regional dish of southeastern Missouri. Which is where I’m from — Cape Girardeau to be precise — but I couldn’t recall ever having it. So I asked my sisters, one of whom still…
Crouton’s Cafeteria Chili Mac
Ditalini put me in charge of the kitchen last night, so I decided to indulge myself in some good old comfort food. We’ve both been away, things have been hectic and disorganized, and a simple one-dish hot meal seemed like…
Crouton’s Mothers’ Day Shrimp & Kielbasa Boil
For Mothers’ Day, I decided to try my hand at a low country shrimp & sausage boil. It sounded like a lot of fun to make, and who doesn’t love a shrimp boil? I based my attempt on a recipe…
Crouton’s Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Total time, including prep? About 4 1/2 hours. And Donna loved her Valentine's Day dinner!
Crouton’s Easy Split Pea Soup
Relatively easy, that is! You can prepare it in the morning or early afternoon, then reheat and serve for dinner. Actual kitchen prep time is about half an hour; cooking time is about four hours. Notes There is no need…
Crouton’s Oven-Cooked Brisket
This Thanksgiving, I cooked our brisket in the oven. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and flavorful, and I'm going stick with slow-cooking briskets in the oven for a while.
Crouton’s Bucatini alla Amatriciana
A traditional dish from Rome and the Lazio region, usually served as the primo or pasta course of a full Italian dinner.
Crouton’s Pasta alla Puttanesca
This is my interpretation of spaghetti alla puttanesca (whore’s spaghetti), a simple yet robust pasta dish that’s easy to make with around-the-house ingredients (well, our house anyway). Don’t be squeamish about the anchovies … they add flavor to the dish,…
Crouton’s Cheesy Shrimp & Grits
We’re not Southerners, and until a few years ago knew not of shrimp & grits … or even grits for that matter. But we were exposed one night at a restaurant in downtown Tucson, and last night I decided to…
Ditalini’s Sautéed Scallops & Spinach Over Bucatini
This is one of our favorite one-dish meals: sautéed scallops & spinach over pasta, enhanced w/garlic & bacon.