The Lederman Kitchen

Michelle absolutely loves mussels.  In fact, we spent a good hour walking around the beach in Cannes on our honeymoon seeking out a restaurant that had Moules Mariniere on the menu.  It was the tail end of mussel season so a lot of places ran out already.  We finally found the perfect spot for lunch and Michelle had her moules and frites. I have made mussels plenty of times before, but now every time we have them at the house it reminds us of our lunch on the beach in the French Riviera.  It may not seem like a quick weeknight meal, but the whole dish comes together in about 15 minutes.   To recreate your own Cote d'Azur classic, you will need: 2 lbs of mussels 2 cloves of garlic 2 shallots 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon tarragon 1 tablespoon of butter 1/3 cup chopped parsley Bread to soak up the sauce (you're going to the store to buy mussels already, you might as well get a nice fresh baguette whil...

After the first homemade pasta trial I had to leave town for a week.  Not only did I have to leave my new wife, but I had to leave my leftovers as well!  I finally was able to make round two when I got home.  We decided to make a somewhat classic spaghetti ragu, except I opted to make a half whole wheat pasta this time around.   The ragu is pretty straight forward and is a great dish for a Sunday since you need about an hour and a half to make the sauce.  For the ragu, you will need: 6 tablespoons of olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 large cloves of garlic, minced 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary 3/4 lb of ground beef 1/2 cup of dry red wine 3 tablespoons of tomato paste 2 1/2 cups of canned whole plum tomatoes salt and pepper I used the Dutch oven to make the ragu, it really is the perfect pot for simmering.  Warm the oil over medium-low heat.  Then add...