Marcella Hazan’s bolognese sauce

This is the best bolognese sauce I’ve made to date!  Andy loved it.  He said “fire” and “the best” while he shoveled it into his mouth.  I agree with him.  I researched bolognese and found a plethora of recipes.  So how to choose?  I ended up picking one of Marcella Hazan’s recipes because several bloggers and articles said hers (and specifically this one of hers) was the best.  I was hesitant because I’ve only made bolognese with red wine – and in this calls for white.  And well, now my vote is in too.  Enjoy –

This serves 4-6 people depending on your pasta/meat ratio.  I doubled it and froze some for a later delicious date.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2/3 cup chopped celery
  • 2/3 cup chopped carrot 
  • 3/4 pound ground beef chuck (or 1 part pork to 2 pounds beef)  
  • Salt, fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • nutmeg 
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up with their juice
  • 1 1/4 to 1 pound pasta
  • freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano 
 

Directions

Place the oil, butter and onions in your pot on medium heat and cook until the onions are a translucent.  Stir often so as not to burn the onions.

Add the celery and carrot to the pot and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes – until soft. 

Place the ground meat into the pot and add a healthy pinch of kosher salt and grind a bunch of black pepper.  

Cook stirring here and there until the meat has lost its raw red color.

Add the milk and reduce to a simmer – continue to cook and stir  until the milk has bubbled away completely.  

Next add a tiny grating of whole nutmeg (if you have – or measure out grated) – approximately 1/8 of a teaspoon.  A little goes a long way here. 

Add the wine and let it simmer until it evaporates.  

Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil.  Once boiling reduce to the slightest simmer.   Marcalla says “when the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface”

Simmer, uncovered for at least 3 hours.  This is important.  The flavors will meld and the sauce will deepen in flavor.  Stir occasionally.  If your sauce looks dry add a half cup of water here and there – and continue to cook and simmer.  At the end you should cook until all the water has evaporated.

Re season with salt and pepper.  And really – don’t be shy about the salt.  Use kosher salt and keep adding bit by bit to taste.  I find that most home cooks underseason – being afraid of salt.  And yes, if you are following a low salt diet – then I get it.  But at restaurants we use salt really liberally.  And it truly brings out the flavor of your dishes.

Cook pasta and drain – add a tablespoon of butter (if you choose) and then mix in the sauce – serve with cheese on the side.

Yum.


french onion soup meatballs

I love French onion soup so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  So glad I did.  The caramelized onions, rich beef broth and little tasty meatballs are the makings of this perfect dish.  “Delicious” said Rob today at lunch as he ate his leftovers.  “Mmm mmm so good!” I said exuberantly to Rob and Sylvie to which they indulged me with kind smiles. 

The first time I made the meatballs with a mixture of ground turkey and chicken and used a beef/chicken/turkey stock.  I used less butter than the recipe called for but left most everything else as is.  The second time I used just chicken meat in the meatballs and beef stock.  This time I cut the cheese in half (inside the meatballs) and also put less on top figuring you can add more cheese if you like on your own.  They were equally delicious.  Really.  Well obviously the more cheese the better (if you like cheese).

Both times I did not have gruyere cheese and substituted parmesan.  But really gruyere would be great.  I just flaked on it.

In terms of stock – and this is for all recipes, purchase the richest stock/broth/bone broth you can find and afford.  Or make homemade.  The freezer section has some great options these days and yes, I know pricey but this will really make a difference.   Bonafide provisions makes good broth and I see it often in stores.  Brodo also has great stock.  If your stock tastes bland – or you only have boxed broth then I have a small trick.   More than gourmet is a product that I really love.  They sell little packets of glace stock (that’s what they call it).  The glace is chicken, veal, or beef stock and reduced so much that it lands in this little packet in the palm of your hand.  You can actually make a broth from this little packet by and adding water.  But I use it to enrich my broths and stocks – I don’t use the whole packet I use just a bit and mix it in and taste, and readjust.  A teaspoon might help, or 2 teaspoons.  In this case I added a little bit of the beef  and although my broth was tasty, this put it over the edge into scrumptious.  

The kids put it over noodles and Rob and I had with a cauliflower/veggie rice.  At lunch he heated up leftover butternut squash and ate it all together and just loved it.  I just ate mine as is – and slurped the remaining liquid right out of the bowl and into my mouth.  That is when I declared my happiness.  

I found this recipe at delish.com – if interested check out the comments at the bottom of their recipe for changes, additions and thoughts.  I’m always interested in how others change a recipe to improve it or just make it their own.  They also have a 1 minute video that shows how to make this all come together so check that out too.  

You can make the meatballs in advance and make the sauce closer to dinner to break up the time.  I listen to an audio book while I cook so it is very enjoyable.  I recommend it.  

I DOUBLED THE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

  • MEATBALLS
  • 1 pound ground chicken (or beef or turkey) not the leanest versions or these will be dry  
  • 1/2 cup gruyere cheese (or less depending on your diet and level of deliciousness that you want)
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko but anything will work)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped parsley (I didn’t add, didn’t have don’t love)
  • 1 egg
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (if table salt, use a bit less but get some diamond crystal in the house please)
  • ground pepper
        SAUCE:
  • 2 tablespoons butter (recipe calls for 4 and that would be delicious but 2 was enough for us) 
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced 
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups beef broth (read the 4th paragraph above for more info if you skipped it)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme – which would be great.  I didn’t have so added some dried.
  • 1/2 cup shredded gruyere
 

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 425, line a baking sheet with parchment, or foil (grease the foil with olive oil so meatballs don’t stick)
  • Assemble meatballs, In a large bowl combing all of the ingredients and mix gently to combine.  Don’t overmix
  • Form the mixture into meatballs.  You can decide on the size – the bigger they are the longer they cook.  Mine were prob about 1 1/2 tablespoons but next time I’ll make smaller
  • Place on baking sheet and bake until golden and cooked through – if medium sized this should take about 25 m – but check before and continue to check the meatball temp and cook until 165 reads on a meat thermometer
  • If they haven’t browned much feel free to pop under the broiler for a minute – I find them more appealing with color (and there is less color with less cheese)
  • Make the sauce – in a large skillet melt the butter and add the onions and cook until VERY soft and golden.  This is KEY.  The recipe states 25 minutes but I prob kept those onions slow cooking for 40m and when I read the comments on the original recipe,  people caramelized them even longer.  I start on medium heat but eventually to low and stir them often.  You don’t want to burn the onions.
  • Add garlic and cook until fragrant 30 secs or so (don’t burn the garlic it’s very bitter) 
  • Add broth and thyme and season with a little salt and pepper
  • Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer and bubble until slightly thickened 10-15 m.  Taste the reduction now and reseason for salt and pepper.  Add the glace (mentioned in f4th paragraph above) if you have it and want to.  
  • Add the cooked meatballs to the skillet and sprinkle with gruyere and cover and cook until meatballs are warmed through and cheese is melty – this can take 5-10 minutes depending on how hot your meatballs are.
  • Sprinkle with thyme and serve. Yum. 

thai fish curry

This curry is a new favorite of ours –  I made it with flounder which was not the best choice as it fell apart a bit.  I managed to take a lovely photo but next time I’d try with a firmer fish like cod or haddock or cod.  I found this recipe in an older cookbook of mine.  Periodically I go through my books and donate a bunch that I rarely use.  This one though, The Mediterrasian Way, I always hold on to.  It is weird because the concept of the book is Mediterranean and also Asian.  The recipes are not mixed –  no fusion here.  Just simple healthy meals that are spicy and flavorful.   

Prep the ingredients before you cook as it all comes together fairly fast and easy.  Serve with rice or cauliflower rice – or over a bed of baby spinach (that will soften when you add the hot curry) or add extra veggies and eat just like that. You can also add the fresh spinach at the end – and that is also when I add peas and tomatoes and any veg that doesn’t take long to cook.  

I will give you the basic recipe here – but as you can see from the photo, I used haricot beans, baby Bella mushrooms, peas and tomato.  But have fun and make what you enjoy.  If you want your fish to have a little color to it, just pan sear right before you place it into the curry broth.  I didn’t here – but I know if I was cooking for a reluctant fish eater, I might because for some reason fish with color is a little less intimidating.  Maybe…

 

Serves: 4

medium to fairly easy

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons oil ( I used olive oil) book calls for canola or peanut 
  • bell pepper, sliced
  • 32 green beans (I did not count – but here if you need it) 
  • 2 cloves garlic, more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass  (I used a lemongrass puree as discussed in the cod in coconut broth recipe)  
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 cups coconut milk (use full fat if you can handle it)
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 4 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • four to five 6-ounce firm whitefish fillets (snapper, cod, haddock) each cut into thirds
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil (I didn’t have any but would be delicious)
  • kosher salt or Maldon Salt
  • pepper  

Directions

Prep all ingredients and set up by the stove. 

  • In a large skillet – heat the oil over medium high heat and then add the pepper and green beans – stir here and there, until the pepper has softened – about 4 minutes (I used the mushroom instead of the red pepper) 
  • Add the garlic, lemongrass, ginger and turmeric and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute.  
  • Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, sugar and Chile powder and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes 
  • Add the fish and spoon the sauce over the fish to coat, and simmer, covered for about 8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.
  • Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, basil, and season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

a note on cilantro

Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs - but it is one of the dirtiest

Grit can ruin dish – so to clean it:

  • Fill a bowl with cool water, take the leaves off the stems (don’t be too particular, stems can be in there too) and place into the bowl of water.  
  • Use your hands to stir around.  Remove the cilantro by picking it up out of the water.  You will see dirt and grit at the bottom of your bowl.  Repeat this until the water is clean. 
  • Do not pour into a strainer because the dirt will rinse right on top of the clean leaves.  As you can see, there is a lot of grit and dirt at the bottom.
  • Dry the cilantro in a clean dish towel or paper towels.  Then chop as you desire!

Gianni Calogiuri Fig Vincotto Vinegar

Not certain what I would do without this vinegar.   It is great right out of the bottle – haha – no – I don’t actually do that, although truthfully I do lick my fingers sometimes.  If on a desert island I might just have to bring it – with one of the salads above and some ice cream :). 

 

As you can see above it is wonderful on my salmon salad and my steak salad.  I basically make a variation of this salad almost every day for lunch.  Today it was leftover chicken.  I add herbs too and usually a diced apple.  If I don’t have a leftover protein I’ll add a fried or boiled egg and add a few pistachios.  Mmmm.  Oh, and cheese is especially good on that steak salad.  I’m sure most of you know all of this and I’m just rambling. 

So, I drizzle this all over, add a tad of good quality extra virgin olive oil, Maldon sea salt and pepper and well….scrumptious.  I’ve been using this vinegar for many years now and I do not tire of it.

It is also great drizzled on roasted brussel sprouts.  Greg likes it mixed with honey and then drizzled on the sprouts.  I used to buy this at a local specialty store but now I can get it online.  Just google it and there are several choices – not just Amazon!

cod in coconut broth with lemongrass and ginger

This is my third attempt preparing a fish dinner (since the kids left) and it is a recipe finally worth writing about.  I added a ton of extra vegetables so it looks more complicated than it needs to be so please don’t be intimidated.  I will give you the basic recipe with the option to add more vegetables.  I love Thai flavors, lime, cilantro, lemongrass, ginger and fish sauce.  This all comes together so nicely – the broth is flavorful and highlights the flakiness of the cod.  I found this recipe in Foolproof Fish – America’s Test Kitchen – a cookbook that my mother suggested when I mentioned how little I know about preparing fish.  The book is beautiful and filled with recipes as well as substitutions and tips on cooking methods.  So give it a try if you think you might fancy it.  I don’t get payment btw!

I used a lemongrass puree that I found in the vegetable aisle of my local supermarket because I couldn’t find fresh lemongrass.  

Fish sauce is sold at most supermarkets these days – if you can’t find you can easily order online. 

You can use light coconut milk, but the broth will be noticeably thinner and less rich.  

This recipe serves 4 and you can substitute black sea bass, haddock, hake or pollock.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil – I used avocado oil, the author writes vegetable oil, but I think most oils work ok
  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
  • 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch long matchsticks
  • 1 (10inch) lemon grass stalk, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and bruised with back of knife (or use the lemongrass puree I used about a dollop the size of a quarter)
  • 4 (6-8) ounces skinless cod fillets – about 1 inch thick – or a little thicker is fine – 
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper – or to taste
  • 1/3 cup canned coconut milk (well shaken)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts (if you like!)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves (find info here for a note on cilantro)
  • 1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced thin (or less depending on your taste) If you don’t have serrano chile substitute with a red Fresno chile if possible.  Otherwise, improvise for some heat – I used dry serrano chile and minced.
  • As you can see in the photo, I added cooked corn, zucchini and squash ribbons, peas and tomatoes.  But completely unnecessary.  If interested though, I cooked the corn first and then I sautéed these vegetables a bit before I added them to the broth.  Maybe 5 minutes…really depends on the veggies you add.

Directions

Set up your mis-en-place (ingredients):

Clean and slice leeks, mince garlic, peel and grate the ginger, wash, peel and cut carrots, bruise the lemon grass, squeeze the lime, crush the peanuts, wash the cilantro, cut the chile

  • Heat oil in a 12 inch non stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. 
  • Add leek and a bit of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned about 5-7 minutes. 
  • Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds (don’t let it burn it will taste bitter).
  • Stir in water, carrots, and lemon grass and bring to simmer.
  • Pat cod dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  
  •  Nestle the fish into the skillet and spoon some cooking liquid over the top and bring to a summer.  
  • Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife or registers 135 degrees, this should take 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your cod.  Cook longer if fish still looks opaque.  
  • If adding extra sautéed vegetables, you can add them to the skillet at this point.  
  • Transfer fish to individual shallow bowls, discard the lemon grass and divide leeks and carrots (and extra veggies if you used) evenly among the bowls.
  • Off heat whisk in the coconut milk, lime juice and fish sauce and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • Ladle broth over fish and sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts and Chile.  Serve with lime wedges.  So good! I’d like it right now!

ground turkey taco meat

Andy made this turkey taco meat last week (above – the two pics on the right) and several times last fall.  It’s versatile and easy and oh so good.  I made it last week for me and Rob – and it was good!  I had it in iceberg lettuce and a salad the next day. 

 The taco meat also tastes great on top of rice, in a taco salad bowl, as a topping on baked potato, as well as for tacos.  Any which way you can add guacamole, salsa, chopped cucumbers, chopped pineapple, red peppers, sour cream or greek yogurt…and more!  

He and I often add veggies to the dish – we might cook them separately and double the spices and liquid – mushrooms are great in there – or a bunch of frozen peas at the end.  Andy is partial to carrots as you can see.

This recipe calls for 2 pounds of meat but Andy usually doubles it while at school so he has a ton of leftovers.  When everyone was home I made 5 pounds.  It lasted 2.5 days!  Oh, and you can sub ground chicken or beef.  

Enjoy – 

Serves: a lot

Prep time: 10 m

Cook time: when it's done! But about 20 m

Easy

Spices

  • 4 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 4 teaspoons paprika
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your taste)

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground turkey meat
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • serve with chopped cucumbers, guacamole, salsa, greek yogurt (or sour cream) and chopped pineapple for some excitement.  

Directions

Mix all the spices together and set aside.

  • Cook the meat in a large skillet – use a little oil (2 teaspoons) if you are using a stainless pan. No oil necessary if you are using a non stick pan.
  • Cook turkey in a large skillet over medium heat – stirring to break up clumps. When the turkey is cooked (no more pink spots), stir in the spice mix and water. Reduce the heat and simmer stirring here and there until most of the liquid has been absorbed – maybe 10 minutes.
  • Stir in cider vinegar and brown sugar – simmer to let the flavors merge –
    If using beef then you may want to strain the beef of fat before you add the spices.
  • serve with guacamole