LULU PROFILE RECIPES

Steps:

• Fill a large stock pot two-thirds full with water and heat over high to bring to a boil. Once you see the water start to steam, add 3 Tbsp. salt. We know, we know: That looks like a LOT of salt. But salting the pasta water aggressively—it should almost be seawater-salty—is the key to making sure that every noodle is properly seasoned through and through, and is one reason why restaurant pasta tastes better than the stuff you usually make. While you wait for the water, start your sauce.
• Open a 28-oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes and drain contents in a colander set over medium bowl. (Whole peeled tomatoes are the only canned tomatoes worth buying, TBH. The diced ones sometimes have weird chemicals added to them to keep the chunks from breaking down. Gross.) Using clean fingers, poke a hole in the tomatoes and shake to drain liquid and seeds from the insides of each tomato, reserving liquid. Shake colander over bowl to separate the solids from all the juices and encourage liquid to drain; set aside.
• Smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife forcefully, so garlic breaks up into smaller bits; remove skins. If the cloves are really big, you might need to give them an extra smack to make sure they're broken up, but don't bother chopping—the garlic will infuse into the oil you sizzle it in and break down as the sauce simmers.
• Working next to your pasta pot, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. (We like using a Dutch oven or a large, high-sided skillet for cooking sauce and finishing pasta; it's kind of the only thing big enough to toss a whole pound of pasta in without noodles flying everywhere.) Add garlic and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until garlic is golden all over, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes, then add drained tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high. The idea here is to concentrate the flavor of those tomato solids before adding the liquid they came in, which will give your sauce a more complex, rounded flavor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are darkened in color, browned and caramelized in spots, and starting to break down, 6–8 minutes. Don't rush this part! If you aren't getting color, let it go for another few minutes. Mash with the back of the wooden spoon to form a coarse paste.
• Add reserved tomato liquid to pot and stir to combine. Season with a pinch of salt, throw in 3 basil sprigs, and reduce heat so sauce is bubbling at a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced and sauce is thick like applesauce, 8–10 minutes. If your water isn’t boiling yet, turn off heat under sauce while you wait. If it is, reduce heat to lowest setting and move on.
• Add 1 lb. pasta to pot of water and agitate with tongs to prevent sticking. Cook pasta, tossing occasionally, just until lower end of time range given on the package for al dente. If you're not sure if it's done, fish out a piece and take a nibble—it should still be slightly too crunchy to want to eat because it's going to continue cooking in the tomato sauce. Just before pasta is done, use a heatproof measuring cup to scoop out about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Using tongs, transfer pasta from stock pot into Dutch oven with sauce, allowing water to piggyback on pasta into sauce. (That's right, no draining!) Crank heat under sauce up to medium-high and pour in ½ cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. If you've never finished cooking pasta in a pan full of sauce, your life is about to be changed—this process is what ensures that every single noodle is completely coated and infused with saucy goodness, and is pretty much the main difference between a dish of "meh" pasta and one that blows your mind.
• Cook pasta, tossing constantly, until sauce is clinging to each noodle and any standing liquid is mostly absorbed, about 1 minute. You still want a saucy consistency, but not watery. If things ever start to look a little dry, just add another splash of that pasta cooking water; if they look too wet, just wait a bit for some more liquid to evaporate.
• Slowly sprinkle in half of the Parmesan cheese (you want the grainy stuff with the texture of shaky cheese, not Microplaned), tossing constantly, until it has melted into the sauce. Add more pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to loosen sauce if necessary—it should be plenty saucy while you're incorporating the cheese so it emulsifies into the sauce properly. You want the sauce to ooze but still be thick enough to coat the pasta.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. butter until melted. Finishing with a bit of butter is almost always a good idea—it makes the finished dish extra glossy and delicious. (Don't look at us like that—if you think pasta is diet food, you're kidding yourself.)
• Using tongs, divide pasta among bowls, then top with remaining cheese and basil leaves. Top with red pepper flakes and an extra drizzle of oil, if you feel. And there you have it: saucy, glossy Basically Spaghetti Pomodoro. Give yourself a pat on the back, and kiss the jarred stuff goodbye.

Steps:

• in a heatproof bowl, put all raisins together and cover with approximately 5 cups of boiling water to soften. set aside.
• mix the 2 packages of dry yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water. mix well and let sit.
• boil 2 cups of milk until scalded. turn down heat to medium and add the 3/4 cup of butter until melted. remove from heat and set aside.
• in a large bowl measure 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 of the container of cardamom. mix well.
• add the two beaten eggs to the dry mixture. then add the milk/butter mixture. gradually add 6 of the 8 cups of flour and the dissolved yeast.
• drain the raisins. add the raisins and citron to the mix. now add the remaining 2 cups of flour.
• time to knead the bread! i use my heavy-duty mixer as it is easier on my hands and back. if manual knead, place dough on floured breadboard and knead completely.
• once the bread is kneaded, place into a large pre-floured bowl and cover with a dish towel or cloth allowing it to rise for 1 hour.
• after the dough has risen, cut it into two loaves. place each into a pre-greased, pre-floured baking loaf pan.
• again, cover each loaf pan and allow to rise for another hour.
• before placing the loaves into a pre-heated 300 degree oven, cut the top of each loaf with an X design, or a fancy cut design of your choice, and brush with 1 beaten egg.
• bake the loaves for 45 minutes at 300 degrees. increase the heat to 325 degrees for the next 30-45 minutes (test after 30 minutes with a toothpick for doneness - make take longer, make take less depending on your oven temperature).
• remove the loaves from the oven and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
• let loaves cool completely before removing from pans.
• note: if you choose to omit the citron, which i do often, use 2 cups each of the golden and regular raisins instead.