Meat Sauce

• Place a large skillet on high heat. When the pan is hot, brown the ground beef and sausage on medium high heat, breaking up the meat into small chunks. In about 10 minutes, when they are browned, remove the meat from the pan.
• Add diced celery, carrot, and onion into the pan drippings. Saute on medium for at least 10 minutes. Then add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the meat back into the pan of sauteed vegetables. Then add in tomato paste and saute on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add in red wine and allow to reduce until the mixture is almost dry, about 5-10 minutes.
• Then add in milk and allow to reduce until the mixture is almost dry.
• Then add in crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Allow to simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes. Then set aside.

Prep Vegetables

• Cut off ends of zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers. Thinly slice zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers. Place sliced zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers onto a sheet pan and toss with oil. Then roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until they have softened. Set aside.

Assembly

• On the bottom of a 10.5" x 7.5" rectangular baking dish, place a large ladle of meat sauce. Evenly spread on the bottom. Then add a layer of zucchini
  
• Evenly spread a layer of ricotta.
  
• Evenly spread a layer of meat sauce.
  
• Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  
• Add a layer of eggplant and bell pepper.
  
• Evenly spread a layer of meat sauce.
  
• Add a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
  

Baking

• Place a tent of foil to the top and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, making sure that there is a space between the foil and the cheese.
• Take the foil off and broil cheese for the last 5 minutes of cooking until cheese is golden brown.
• Allow to cool for at least 1 hr. Then slice and serve.

• Using a whisk, whisk in miso paste into 1/2 cup of hot water. When the miso paste is well dissolved, add into a large pot. Add in the chicken broth, instant dashi, and the rest of the water. Bring the pot of soup to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add salt, instant dashi, or fish sauce, or miso paste as needed.
• When the broth comes to a boil, add in all of the napa cabbage. Simmer on medium for another 5 minutes. After the cabbage softens, add in trumpet mushrooms and enoki mushrooms. Allow to cook on medium heat another 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through.
• Then add in shrimp, tofu cubes, and glass noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Lastly add in the thinly sliced beef and allow to cook through for another 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
• Mix together dipping sauce: soy sauce, chili crisp, sugar, and vinegar. Dip each hotpot item into the dipping sauce and enjoy.

• Fill a steamer pot with water and heat on high heat until water is boiling.
• Mix together the black bean sauce: sesame oil, black bean paste, ginger, xiaoxing wine, and sugar. Set aside.
• Place fish filets on a small plate that can fit inside the steamer. Optional: add slices of silken tofu on the bottom of the plate. Then spread the sauce evenly onto the surface of the fish filets.
• Place the plate of fish onto the steamer basket. Close the lid and steam 8-10 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Check the fish after about 8 minutes. Poke the fish lightly to see its juices. The fish is done with the juices run clear.

Mix Sauce

• Mix together dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, xiaoxing wine, water, and corn starch. Set aside.

Stir Fry

• Season pork with salt. Allow to sit 5 minutes.
• Heat pan on high heat. When pan is hot, add in oil. Stir fry pork 3 minutes until slightly browned. Remove pork from pan. Add in garlic, onions and serrano chile. Saute 2 minutes until slightly softened.
• Then add in pork, basil, and sauce mixture. Stir fry another minute. Then serve with steamed rice.

• Fill a large steamer pot with water. Steam eggplant for 15 minutes until softened. Then remove and set aside.
• Mix together spicy bean paste, soy sauce, sugar, and sambal chile sauce. Set aside.
• Heat sesame oil in pan. Add in garlic and ginger. Saute 1 minute.
• Add in eggplant and stir fry gently for 1 minute. Then add sauce mixture and stir fry for another minute. Add in green onion. Then remove from heat and serve.

Parboiling Pork Bones

• Bring a large stockpot of water to boil on high heat. When water is boiling, place all pork bones into the water. Allow to boil on high heat for 5-8 minutes, or until no more blood/impurities appear in the water.
• Discard the water from the bones. Wash the bones of any foam or impurities.

Making the Broth

• Place pork bones and 1 gallon water into a large pot. Bring this pot to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to medium for a simmer. Add in carrots and salt. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 1.5 hours.
• Then add Napa cabbage and tomatoes. Simmer another 15 minutes until both are softened.
• Add fish sauce. Add additional fish sauce and salt to taste.
• Serve hot. The meat from pork bones can also be eaten, usually with a dipping sauce like nuoc mam or soy sauce.

Chimichurri

• Add in capers, caper juice, garlic, green onion, parsley, cilantro, oil, black pepper, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice to a food processor. Blend for 5-10 seconds, or until smooth and oil has emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Optional: add in red chili flake. For best results, allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Salmon

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat dry salmon steaks. Season evenly with Old Bay seasoning and black pepper.
• Heat a cast iron skillet on high. When pan is hot, add in oil. When oil becomes shimmery, add in salmon filets and let them sear 3-4 minutes on each side.
• Then place cast iron skillet into oven and allow to finish cooking for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve with chimichurri Sauce

• Place broth and water inside a large pot. Turn heat to high until liquid reaches a boil. Add in carrots, celery, onion, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves. Turn heat to medium and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Prepare meatballs. Place ground beef, shallots, garlic, garlic salt, seasoned salt, red pepper flake, pepper, green onion, milk, and egg into a large mixing bowl. Use hands to mix together all ingredients for meatballs. Knead meatballs for 5 minutes, lifting the mixture and using force to toss it back into the mixing bowl. Repeat at least 5 times until mixture begins to stick together. Set aside.
• Begin forming meat mixture into meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter. After all meatballs have been formed, drop meatballs into the soup and allow to cook until their color turns from pink to light brown ~10-15 minutes.
• Season soup to taste with garlic salt, seasoned salt, oregano, and cumin.
• Once meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, taste for seasoning and add salt, seasoned salt, pepper, and/or garlic salt to taste.
• Spoon into individual bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.

• Roast garlic at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes
• Add roasted garlic to roasted bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, toasted almonds, olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and red pepper flake.
• Using a food processor, blend until the sauce is smooth like the texture of pesto. Scrape down the sides for even blending.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once water is boiling, place shrimp into boiling water and allow to boil for 3-5 minutes until just cooked through. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel shrimp and chop into bite sized pieces.
• Add chopped shrimp into a large mixing bowl. Add in diced tomatoes, onion, pickeld serrano chiles, serrano chile, and cilantro and mix together. Add lemon juice, lime juice, and salt.
• Wear plastic cooking gloves. Using your hands, squeeze the ceviche mixture and mix around approximately 1 minute. This allows the flavors of the ingredients to combine.
• Place ceviche in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, taste for seasoning and add salt or lemon juice as needed. Serve with fresh avocado and tortilla chips or tostadas.