Bolognese

Ok listen people. I'm not Italian, but I'll be honest and say that I kind of wish I was. Who doesn't love pasta and wine with every meal? Actually, didn't I say this about rice in my "I think I might be Asian" post? I digress... 

In my quest to make a good Bolognese, I looked at 100,000 recipes, and they each claimed to be the only "authentic" version on the web. *(read this in a monotone voice like the pharmaceutical commercials please...I make no claims about this being an "authentic" recipe, so if you happen to have the only authentic Bolognese recipe on earth and mine doesn't even come close to it, please don't yell at me) All I will say is that it's pretty darn yummy. 

I used Anne Burrell's recipe from the food network as a starting point, but modified it a decent amount. I also included heavy cream in my recipe as half called for some sort of cream or ricotta and half did not. I love cream, so I included it. I found that it rounded out the richness of this sauce really nicely.

I recommend making this in a large deep saute pan of sorts (see pics). The large surface area makes it easier to do all the reducing and sauteeing that is required in this recipe.

4 Carrots
3 Stalks of Celery
One large Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
1 Pound of Ground Beef
1 Pound of Ground Pork
1 Tbs. Porcini Mushroom Powder (this is totally optional, as I realize most people will not have this on hand.

It does however add a nice earthy flavor to your sauce)
2 small cans of Tomato Paste
2 Regular cans of Diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
3 Cups of red wine
1/4 cup of heavy cream (you don't have to add this, but why not?)

I wonder who will comment on this picture first?

Roughly chop the Carrot, Celery, onion and peel the garlic. Place all of these in a blender or food processor. Process them until a paste forms. Heat a large skillet or saucepan on high heat and place two tablespoons of Olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add your "paste". Season with Salt and cook until all of the moisture has evaporated and your paste is starting to brown. And for crying out loud (no really, you'll be crying from the onion fog in your kitchen) OPEN A WINDOW! and be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.

Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves, thyme and half of the basil and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you may need to add more, about 1 cup at a time. Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and taste frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook as directed.

In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the remaining basil and 1/4 of cream. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

Easy weeknight dinner

I made this pasta for the first time about a four years ago and liked it so much that I make it at least once a month.  This is pretty good for a someone who rarely makes the same thing twice.  I love this dish because it's almost as easy as making hamburger helper, but tastes just like a restaurant dish.  I have added and subtracted may of the ingredients at one time or other and it always turns out great, as long as you always include the Italian sausage.  And please do not substitute the Italian for any other sausage.  You will not get the flavor that you need for this dish out of any other sausage.  I would also recommend sticking with pork sausage, but that is because I can't imagine it any other way :-)

This is Cavatappi Pasta

Italian Sausage Pasta

1 pound of cavatappi pasta (anything curly or with grooves in it, i.e fusili, rigatoni etc)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Pound ground Italian Sausage, loose or casings removed  (I like the hot kind)

1 pkg of sliced mushrooms

1/2 of a medium onion, diced finely

1/2 cup of white wine
1 medium Can of crushed or diced tomatoes (I prefer diced)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, divided in half

Direction:

Cook your pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.  Do NOT rinse the pasta.  The starch that is on your pasta needs to stay there.  This will help the sauce cling to the pasta better once you combine your pasta and sauce.

Place your oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat.  Add the sausage and break up into chunks, cooking until it is almost done, but little bit of pink still shows.  Add in your onions and mushrooms and saute until the onions are translucent and sausage is cooked through.  Turn the heat down to medium and pour the wine into the pan and let reduce for two minutes.  Add the can of tomatoes and reduce until almost all of the liquid is gone, approximately three to four minutes.  Add the heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine and pour the sauce over the pasta.  Garnish with more Parmesan cheese as desired.

enJoy!

Keri's Birthday dinner...I think it was pretty successful

Keri is one of my dearest and closest friends, and her birthday was the perfect time for me to show her my love through food.  I personally believe that every celebratory event cannot be truly successful without great food.  I know that people and conversation are equally important in creating memories, but my gift is making happy tummies, and I'm always ready and hopeful of making that happen :-)

When I asked Keri if she had any requests for her birthday, this is what she said:  pasta with white sauce, chicken, artichokes, asparagus and mushrooms.  Great, there are 100 ways to do this, what will make this one special?  So off my imagination goes....Here is what I came up with;  you will want to plan ahead, as this requires the chicken to brine for 8 hours or overnight, but it's worth it.

Herbes de Provence

Let's call it "Pasta A'La Keri"
Linguine with grilled chicken in a white wine cream sauce.

 Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbs Herbs De Provence 

2 tsp Salt

Cream Sauce (can be made ahead and refrigerated):
4 cups of heavy cream
4 cups of your favorite chardonnay (don't cheap out here, the flavor is important)
2 shallots (small dice)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice (preferably fresh, as it has a more subtle flavor than bottled)

1 bundle fresh asparagus (trimmed)

1 Tbs Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg of baby Bella mushrooms (sliced, and of course you can substitute any mushroom of your choice)

1 Tbs butter

1 lb fresh pasta (I used Butonni fresh linguine that can be found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery)

1 can of artichoke hearts (preferably in water and drained)

Procedure:
Place your chicken breasts in a large zip loc bag.  Add enough water to cover them along with your herbs De Provence and salt.  Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

For the cream sauce: Place the Tbs of butter in a medium sized skillet or saucepan and place over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add your shallots and garlic.  Saute until the onions are transparent.  Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce the wine until it there is about a 1/2 cup of liquid left in the pan.  Add your cream and bring slowly to a simmer.  Let reduce until the sauce clings to the back of your spoon.  Should be the consistency of gravy, but not as thick as an Alfredo sauce.  Add the lemon juice and salt and set aside.

Remove the chicken and pat dry.  There should be some of the herbs still clinging to the meat, do not wipe them all away.  Prepare your asparagus by trimming, washing and coating with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill chicken and asparagus over a medium heat grill until cooked through.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook as directed.

Saute the mushrooms in a small saute pan with butter and salt until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.

Here comes the magic:

Plate your meal by making a nest of pasta, lay your chicken breast off to the side and garnish with the asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes.  Top with sauce and enjoy!

This is where we should have
been eating this meal