Recipes with bay leaves

A hearty pasta Bolognese with a slow-simmered ground beef and tomato sauce built on sauteed onion, pepper, and celery. Loaded with oregano and basil, finished with grated parmesan over your favorite pasta.

A thick and delicious soup that's made with great northern beans and a variety of spices.

Kashmiri lamb koftas shaped into spiced sausages, browned in whole cardamom and cinnamon, then simmered in yogurt sauce until tender and saucy. Aromatic Indian comfort food from the Himalayan foothills.

In this fabulous recipe, we use several kinds of seasonal root vegetables, braising them with red wine, let the whole dish become more tasty, you can serve it as a vegetarian dish or a side-dish with turkey, chicken or beef.

Bert Greene's peppered chili layers ground beef and beef shoulder strips with three different chiles (mild ground, caribe, fresh serrano). Slow-baked three hours with red wine, fresh tomatoes, and herbs. Kidney beans go in last. A serious cook's chili.

Oven poached pears in wine, whole ripe pears roasted upright in fruity white wine and honey with cinnamon, bay, and orange zest, then drizzled with the reduced syrup. An elegant, light, make-ahead dessert.

Beat the winter this year with a savory Chicken Pot Pie filled a variety of spices vegetables that can satisfy anyone's hunger!

here and there they call this soup green borsht or green krupnik.. very popular in Latvia but they cook it in different way than my proposition..

Cincinnati 5-way chili: cinnamon and allspice-spiced beef chili ladled over vermicelli, then crowned with beans, onions, and cheddar. Greek-influenced Midwestern original.

A very hearty version of my favorite soup. Add crushed red pepper to turn up the heat. It's delicious!! Perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day!

This recipe is a great comfort food. High in fiber, the assortment of mushrooms and the addition of garlic have immune boosting properties. It's a delicious and easy recipe to keep you warm and filled for this next week.

Italian-style chicken soup with tiny beef meatballs (polpettine), tender chicken pulled from the bone, carrots, and basil. Two proteins in one bowl: shredded poached chicken plus pinky-fingertip-sized meatballs.

Abilene Texas chili simmers ground beef and beans in a tomato vegetable juice base with paprika, cumin, cayenne, and Mexican oregano. Hearty bean-style Texas chili that feeds a crowd of 16.

Nice vegan soup. Interesting method, surprising a bit. I used fresh oregano. Thanks.

Roasted red bell pepper soup blended velvety smooth with cream, Creole seasoning, cumin, and a squeeze of lemon. Ready in 20 minutes with corn and tortilla strips on top.

Baby portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms and tomatoes make this ragu taste super delicious. Mix it into spaghetti or use it to make lasagna, and it will deliver the maximum yumminess.

There are hundreds versions of this very Polish soup. Here you have an original proposition of mine. I used to cook it on the base of my favorite duck and chicken stock. The cream is a must to create wonderful pink color. Optionally you may add a quarter or a half of hard boiled egg to your bowl. By the way, I change my recipe sometimes, for instance by adding dried California prunes instead of sugar, or by adding some white vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Chunky California beef and bean chili made with cubed round steak, scratch-cooked beans and fresh-toasted cumin. Three peppers and a jalapeño build layered heat in this lean, hearty bowl.

Austrian quick pickled red onions in an apple cider brine with bay leaf, allspice and peppercorns. Bright pink, sweet-tart and warmly spiced. Pile onto dark rye with paprika cheese, burgers, or fish tacos.

A lovely rich tasting lentil salad. High in protein, fiber and low in saturated fats.

A garden vegetable spaghetti sauce loaded with peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, slow-simmered with garlic and a big handful of herbs. A meatless, freezer-friendly marinara for using up the garden.

Wow, the pot roast came out so flavourful and the gravy was also very tasty. We thinly sliced the leftover, used in sandwiches and wraps. Bravo!

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

Candied dill pickles transformed from store-bought dills into sweet-tart spears with sugar, vinegar, bay, and cloves. The Southern grandma trick that turns ordinary pickles into addictive snacking.

The Cincinatti Chili is, would you believe, an alternative to spaghetti sauce. It's mild and sweet (the cinnamon does that), and won't burn anyone's mouth unless you serve it boiling.

A traditional Scottish soup made with smoked haddock and King Prawns. A Delicious winter warmer.

Cuban-style picadillo with capers, pimento-stuffed olives, burgundy wine, and a touch of nutmeg. Ground beef braised in a savory-sweet sofrito. Serve over rice with plantains.

This thick and rich carrot soup originates from the Cafe Royal in Dallas, Texas. Perfect for the royal baby in all of us!

Side ribs are cheaper than back ribs - there is lots of bone, but you can still get nice portions of meat.

Marynowane pieczarki are Polish pickled button mushrooms in a vinegar marinade with black peppercorns and bay leaves. A classic zakaski appetizer served chilled with bread, cured meats, or vodka.

These sweet and slightly sour pickled pears are soft and melt in your mouth. Serve it with grilled meat, sausages or hot dogs. A delicious and refreshing side dish.

A Chicago style beef for your slow cooker. Super easy and tastes great.

This soup was such a comfy dish that was just perfect on a cold winter day. The combination was so hearty and it was also very flavourful. Not too hard to make, and I will be making this soup again soon.

A quick and easy velvety smooth tomato soup without any added cream. Perfect and classic with a grilled cheese sandwich.

I have been making Thanksgiving dinner for 14 years and have made turkey several different ways. This turkey recipe is now one of my top two favorites! It was perfect for a non-Thanksgiving turkey craving. I saved the drippings to make gravy for open-faced turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes the next night. Delish!!! Thanks for making turkey fun during the "off-season"!

Barbecued chicken legs slathered in a homemade sauce of tomato, chutney, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, and lemon. Cut, marinate, then grill or broil with frequent basting for layered flavor.

Roasted garlic potato soup with crisp bacon, oven-roasted whole garlic heads, and russet potatoes simmered with onions and carrots. Lower-fat creamy soup with bold smoky-sweet depth.

Vegan lentil vegetable soup with mushrooms, potato, carrots, celery, and bell pepper, simmered in herbed broth. Half-pureed for body, lifted with fresh lemon juice.

This Indian dish is made with several kinds of spices, mustard greens, cauliflower and chickpeas; it's baked with basmati rice, topped with golden raisins and cashews. You can serve it as a side dish or a tasty main dish.

Four cheeses mixed with spinach is the cheese layers, baby portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms and tomatoes make this delicious ragu. The lasagna comes out cheesy, juicy and full of flavors.

A delicious French onion soup will for sure satisfy your tummy.

Cold weather chili simmers ground beef with sweet red peppers, plum tomatoes, kidney beans, and chunky picante salsa. A long-cooked, layered chili built for snowy nights when nothing else will do.

This delicious garden spaghetti sauce is packed with goodness and yumminess. It's thick, tasty and goes deliciously well with any recipe that calls for spaghetti sauce.

This creamy and earthy rich mushroom soup gets it's earthiness from shitake mushrooms and rich creaminess from cashews instead of cream for a healthier result than a cream based bisque. It sacrifices the fat to deliver flavor.

We bumped up the amount of shallots to about 1/2 cup and used a spicy curry powder. We also added a 1/4 cup of parsley, minced, added just before serving. Turned out great.

Traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe with tender brisket, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. The authentic stovetop method for St. Patrick's Day perfection.

Nothing says lovin like some spicy Louisiana cooking. I absolutely LOVE making this when I have the time. I'm toning down the amount of creole seasoning that I use, because I tend to be a little heavy handed with it. The amount is an approximate - season to your taste. Fell free to substitute cajun seasoning for the creole. It's all about personal preference. Enjoy!!

Caramelized onions and prosciutto bring the whole potato casserole dish to a higher level, and the flavor is rich and delicious. Serve it at your Thanksgiving dinner with your favorite main course.