Bolognese often gets cheated of its deliciousness when only made with ground beef. I've avoided Bolognese for this reason. However, after having Barbara Lynch's version at Sportello, I was immediately converted. This is her recipe with a few revisions (no chicken livers!!). It was one of the most unbelievable pasta dishes I've ever had and I couldn't believe it came out of my kitchen! This sauce takes time - like 3-4 hours. So, make sure to have the ground meats in your freezer for the next big snow storm. This is soooo worth the time.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stalk and leaves, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 lbs each of ground veal, pork and lamb
3/4 small can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream - this is a MUST
olive oil
1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the ground meat in batches, letting each brown a little before adding more. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until no longer pink. Break up the meat so that there are no lumps and it's in small bits.
3. Pour off most of the fat. Add the the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for two or three minutes until the tomato paste cooks through. Add the bay leaves.
4. Add the wine and increase the heat to high and boil, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost gone.
5. Add the broth and the tomatoes, and basil. Bring to a boil and then lower to a gentle simmer. You should see a little bubble but not a boil.
6. Cook uncovered until the sauce is thick, dark and rich - for at least an hour, but better for two or three...the longer the better. If it gets to thick or dry, add a little more broth, or wine.
7. Add the cream about 15 minutes before serving.
*I think this is best served with Mafaldine pasta. Also good with Tagliatelle. Garlic bread is a must!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Wilted Romaine Salad with Bacon
This salad is a great way to use some extra bacon fat. It goes perfectly with the Bacony Buttery Roasted Chicken Breast with Mushroom Sauce. Not the healthiest salad but man is it good!!
3 hearts of romaine, chopped intact so lettuce chopped in ribbons
4 slices of crispy bacon, chopped
2-3 TB bacon fat
1 TB sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
dash of black pepper
1. Put the lettuce and bacon bits in a bowl.
2. Over medium high, heat the bacon fat, sugar and vinegar until it bubbles and the sugar dissolves. Remove from eat and let it cool slightly
3. Pour over the lettuce while warm. Mix well and serve.
3 hearts of romaine, chopped intact so lettuce chopped in ribbons
4 slices of crispy bacon, chopped
2-3 TB bacon fat
1 TB sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
dash of black pepper
1. Put the lettuce and bacon bits in a bowl.
2. Over medium high, heat the bacon fat, sugar and vinegar until it bubbles and the sugar dissolves. Remove from eat and let it cool slightly
3. Pour over the lettuce while warm. Mix well and serve.
Bacony Buttery Roasted Chicken Breast with Mushroom Sauce
I wasn't sure what to call this. I wanted to make sure that the bacon was featured in the title because it's the key to this melt in your mouth dish. This certainly isn't the healthiest of meals but we need a good dose of fat once and a while. And I know that many folks don't get too jazzed up about chicken but I've made this twice now, once for Paddy and me, and once for friends, and it was unreal. DO NOT skip the brine and DO buy breasts WITH skin. You need both to achieve the juicy goodness.
It's best served with the Wilted Romaine Salad with Bacon...you'll need the bacon fat for your chicken and the salad dressing and they go really well together.
4 cups very cold water
1 lemon quartered and juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup salt
4-6 slices of bacon
4 boneless chicken breasts - skin ON
6 TB softened butter
8 sage leaves
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 TB flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
1. Combine the water, lemon, sugar and 1 cup salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes, 1 hr is better (add a few ice cubes if you brine for an hour).
2. Heat the oven to 425 with a cookie sheet inside. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until brown and crispy. Freeze for another use, save for breakfast tomorrow or use for Wilted Romaine Salad.
3. Pour most of the bacon grease into a container but leave a hefty coating in the pan. If your 4 breasts won't fit into the one pan, pour enough into a second pan as well. Also reserve 2-3 TB of bacon fat for the salad dressing. Set pan(s) aside.
4. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly spread the softened butter around each breast and place two sage leaves under the skin of each.
5. Heat the pan(s) over medium-high heat until bacon fat is nice and hot. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, skin side DOWN. Cook about 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and brown.
6. Transfer the chicken breasts to the cookie sheet in the oven, skin side UP and roast for about 25 minutes.
7. While the chicken cooks and using one of the pans that the chicken fried in, reduce to medium heat. Add 2 TB of butter and a dash of olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms and cayenne pepper. Saute until onions are soft and mushrooms tender.
8. Turn heat up to medium-high and add wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan and reduce wine until almost evaporated.
9. Add flour and mix well, letting the flour cook for a minute.
10. Add chicken broth and mix well. Let bubble for a few minutes or until the sauce thickens.
10. Remove chicken from oven and serve with a hefty portion of sauce on top.
Serve salad on the side.
It's best served with the Wilted Romaine Salad with Bacon...you'll need the bacon fat for your chicken and the salad dressing and they go really well together.
4 cups very cold water
1 lemon quartered and juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup salt
4-6 slices of bacon
4 boneless chicken breasts - skin ON
6 TB softened butter
8 sage leaves
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 TB flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
1. Combine the water, lemon, sugar and 1 cup salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes, 1 hr is better (add a few ice cubes if you brine for an hour).
2. Heat the oven to 425 with a cookie sheet inside. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until brown and crispy. Freeze for another use, save for breakfast tomorrow or use for Wilted Romaine Salad.
3. Pour most of the bacon grease into a container but leave a hefty coating in the pan. If your 4 breasts won't fit into the one pan, pour enough into a second pan as well. Also reserve 2-3 TB of bacon fat for the salad dressing. Set pan(s) aside.
4. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly spread the softened butter around each breast and place two sage leaves under the skin of each.
5. Heat the pan(s) over medium-high heat until bacon fat is nice and hot. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, skin side DOWN. Cook about 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and brown.
6. Transfer the chicken breasts to the cookie sheet in the oven, skin side UP and roast for about 25 minutes.
7. While the chicken cooks and using one of the pans that the chicken fried in, reduce to medium heat. Add 2 TB of butter and a dash of olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms and cayenne pepper. Saute until onions are soft and mushrooms tender.
8. Turn heat up to medium-high and add wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan and reduce wine until almost evaporated.
9. Add flour and mix well, letting the flour cook for a minute.
10. Add chicken broth and mix well. Let bubble for a few minutes or until the sauce thickens.
10. Remove chicken from oven and serve with a hefty portion of sauce on top.
Serve salad on the side.
Spicy Flank Steak with Grilled Polenta
Flank steak is my favorite steak. You have to marinate it for a good long while and with the right ingredients. My mom ALWAYS used soy sauce and...vermouth. It may seem like an unlikely candidate for marinade but there was always a good stock of it in the house - for the martinis - and it adds a distinct flavor and helps tenderize the meat. I often throw the meat in a velcro bag with the marinade before heading off to work in the morning. By the evening, it's perfect!
This recipe is great because you can either grill the steak or do it in a pan, which actually works well. We had to resort to pan frying our steak this winter after Paddy went to flip some burgers one night and found our grill engulfed in flames in the backyard. But that's another story for another time...
The other part of this is polenta. I don't bother making it on the stove, I buy the tubes of it at the grocery store and it's great grilled or fried stovetop. I just recently got into it, it's effortless and it goes REALLY well with this steak. Don't skip it!!
Marinade:
1 TB vermouth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-4 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
black pepper
1-2 lb flank steak
*marinate for at least one hour and better if marinated for the whole day
For the steak and polenta:
4 tsp canola oil, divided
salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tube of polenta cut into 8 slices
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco (it's worth getting for this)
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Combine 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt, cumin, chili powder and pepper and rub evenly over the steak.
3. Put your stove fan on!! Add the steak to the pan and cook for 6 min. on each side or until desired temperature.
4. Remove from pan and let stand for 5 minutes with some foil over it.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and add some more oil to coat the pan if needed. Add the polenta slices and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes, until softish and slightly browned.
6. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.
7. Serve the steak and polenta with slices of avocado and sprinkle with queso fresco and cilantro and a little salsa on the side.
This recipe is great because you can either grill the steak or do it in a pan, which actually works well. We had to resort to pan frying our steak this winter after Paddy went to flip some burgers one night and found our grill engulfed in flames in the backyard. But that's another story for another time...
The other part of this is polenta. I don't bother making it on the stove, I buy the tubes of it at the grocery store and it's great grilled or fried stovetop. I just recently got into it, it's effortless and it goes REALLY well with this steak. Don't skip it!!
Marinade:
1 TB vermouth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-4 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
black pepper
1-2 lb flank steak
*marinate for at least one hour and better if marinated for the whole day
For the steak and polenta:
4 tsp canola oil, divided
salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tube of polenta cut into 8 slices
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco (it's worth getting for this)
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Combine 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt, cumin, chili powder and pepper and rub evenly over the steak.
3. Put your stove fan on!! Add the steak to the pan and cook for 6 min. on each side or until desired temperature.
4. Remove from pan and let stand for 5 minutes with some foil over it.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and add some more oil to coat the pan if needed. Add the polenta slices and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes, until softish and slightly browned.
6. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.
7. Serve the steak and polenta with slices of avocado and sprinkle with queso fresco and cilantro and a little salsa on the side.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Paddy & Katie's Surprise Chili
1 1/2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano chili, diced
1/2 container baby bella mushrooms, large dice
1 large jalapeno, diced
1 1/2 large (28 oz) cans tomato (1 can diced, 1/2 can crushed)
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/2 lb sirloin tips, cut into 1/4 in. cubes
1/2 lb 85% lean ground beef
2 (hot dog length) links of andouille sausage
2 italian sausage links - removed from casing
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1/2 can Guinness
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 bottle Ipswich ale (for good measure - because one was open)
2 TB chili powder (or to taste)
1 TB chili flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
lots of salt and pepper
1 cup of corn
1. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot/dutch oven. Add the italian sausage and break up into small pieces as it cooks.
2. Add the sirloin and brown.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Give it a good dose of salt and pepper.
4. Add the andouille and let it cook for about 5 min.
5. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Add all of the vegetables and garlic, except the corn. Let it saute in the juices of the meat until soft.
6. Add tomato paste and incorporate well with vegetables.
7. Add the meat back to the pot and mix well.
8. Add the Guinness and wine (and Ipswich if you happen to have it :)
9. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. reduce to medium-high and simmer until the liquid is reduced to half, stirring every minute or so.
10. Add canned tomato, beans, corn, and spices.
11. Let it bubble for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
12. Cover and reduce to low. Let it simmer for another 2 hrs or so, stirring once and a while.
*serve with LOTS of melted cheddar cheese on top!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Homemade Ricotta
More cheese! I love ricotta and over the past couple of years I've been splurging on 'homemade' ricotta from the two Italian specialty shops here in Davis Sq. It makes such a difference - it's creamier, softer, and just has an overall marshmellowyness that the grocery store brands don't even come close to. The problem is - it's ridiculously expensive...and, it's not quite 'homemade' when it's made in someone else's home!
So, this is Barbara Lynch's recipe - it's incredibly easy, just takes a watchful eye.
**You need a candy thermometer for this - they're about five bucks at the grocery store or hardware store. You also need cheesecloth.
1 gallon of whole milk
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tb salt
1. Line a footed colander with two layers of cheesecloth and put it in your kitchen sink.
2. In a pot (spaghetti/pasta pot is the right size), combine all three ingredients and clip the thermometer to the pot.
3. Heat over medium-low heat and stir *continuously* until the temperature climbs to 140 degrees. Don't rush this by turning up the heat! It takes about 20 minutes. Not much will happen, just keep stirring!
4. When temp reaches 140, stop stirring and let sit until it reaches 175 degrees. This will take another 10-20 minutes. When temp reaches 175, immediately take off the heat - and don't let it get above 180. At this point, the curds form.
5. Gently scoop off the curds with a large spoon and put in the colander. Let it drain in the sink for about an hour until it's soft and spreadable. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will be.
Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. It will keep for up to a week.
So, this is Barbara Lynch's recipe - it's incredibly easy, just takes a watchful eye.
**You need a candy thermometer for this - they're about five bucks at the grocery store or hardware store. You also need cheesecloth.
1 gallon of whole milk
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tb salt
1. Line a footed colander with two layers of cheesecloth and put it in your kitchen sink.
2. In a pot (spaghetti/pasta pot is the right size), combine all three ingredients and clip the thermometer to the pot.
3. Heat over medium-low heat and stir *continuously* until the temperature climbs to 140 degrees. Don't rush this by turning up the heat! It takes about 20 minutes. Not much will happen, just keep stirring!
4. When temp reaches 140, stop stirring and let sit until it reaches 175 degrees. This will take another 10-20 minutes. When temp reaches 175, immediately take off the heat - and don't let it get above 180. At this point, the curds form.
5. Gently scoop off the curds with a large spoon and put in the colander. Let it drain in the sink for about an hour until it's soft and spreadable. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will be.
Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. It will keep for up to a week.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Pear and Scallion Ravioli
I recently took a cooking class at the Elephant Walk in Cambridge. It was fabulous. Nyep, the owner, is an incredibly interesting woman with a remarkable story. She brought us back into their kitchen and let us loose with a few of her delicious recipes. This sweet and savory ravioli was particularly tasty as it's a great appetizer or party nibble.
2 medium pears, unpeeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 cubes
2 TB olive oil, plus 1/4 cup of olive oil for frying
3 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 pack of wonton wrappers
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp water
1. Heat 2-3 TB of olive oil in a large sautee pan until hot. Add diced pear and a pinch of salt and sautee until soft - about 5 min. Add the scallion and sautee for another 10-15 min. until soft but not mushy. Remove from heat.
2. Beat the egg and the water to make an egg wash.
3. Put one small spoonful of the pear mixture onto each wonton and fold over, forming a triangle. Brush a bit of egg wash on the edges to seal.
3. Put the sautee pan back on the heat and coat with olive oil. Heat to medium high and fry each of the raviolis until they are crispy and golden on each side.
4. Place them on paper towels to drain the extra oil.
2 medium pears, unpeeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 cubes
2 TB olive oil, plus 1/4 cup of olive oil for frying
3 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 pack of wonton wrappers
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp water
1. Heat 2-3 TB of olive oil in a large sautee pan until hot. Add diced pear and a pinch of salt and sautee until soft - about 5 min. Add the scallion and sautee for another 10-15 min. until soft but not mushy. Remove from heat.
2. Beat the egg and the water to make an egg wash.
3. Put one small spoonful of the pear mixture onto each wonton and fold over, forming a triangle. Brush a bit of egg wash on the edges to seal.
3. Put the sautee pan back on the heat and coat with olive oil. Heat to medium high and fry each of the raviolis until they are crispy and golden on each side.
4. Place them on paper towels to drain the extra oil.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
