Pasta Bolognese

   I'm not a marinara sauce kinda girl. I need MEAT in my tomato sauce! Getting a good bolognese in a restaurant is hard. So forget the restaurant...if you want it done right, you just gotta do it yourself. ;) This sauce is hearty, but not heavy. Savory, with a touch of natural sweetness. Deep, rich flavors that are so satisfying your family will be singing your praises for your efforts! Sooooo yummy!

 This unfortunately is not your quick, easy whip-up weeknight meal. But sometimes we all need something special to make us proud and our belly's happy. It takes some time and love to simmer and develop flavors, but the beauty is that (depending on how may you are cooking for) you can freeze the leftover sauce for later. The recipe I listed below made plenty for Chris & I. The recipe can easily be doubled as well. 

  Perfect with a nice salad, a glass of wine. Yes please!! 

Pasta Bolognese (serves 4-6) Inspired Recipe by Anne Burell

 

1/2 large onion or 1 small, cut into 1-inch dice

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice

3 cloves garlic

Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan

Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination

1/2 cups tomato paste

1 1/2 cups hearty red wine

1 cup crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

Water

2 bay leaves

1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle

1/2 pound bucatini

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish

Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

 Start by chopping your mirepoix (fancy French term for carrot, celery, onion). 

Toss your mirepoix and garlic into the food processor

Pulse the vegetables until you ALMOST get a puree (but with some texture)

 

Heat a large, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add your veggies, season generously with salt and cook at least 15 minutes or until they start to get golden brown and caramelized. 

  Add the ground beef and season again with salt. (It needs it! Trust me). Turn up the heat to high and BROWN the beef. About 15 more minutes. Breaking up the beef as it browns.

Next, add your tomato paste and cook it for anther 5 minutes. Then add your wine & crushed tomatoes. There is NOTHING that compares to a tomato sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes. Nothing. Seriously. Worth the few extra bucks.

 

  Add your thyme bunch and bay leaves then add about 2 cups of water.

 Simmer time! Turn the heat down looooww. You will want it to simmer at least 3-4 hours. Stirring occasionally, adding more water as needed. Makes the whole house smell heavenly!!

 This is where the flavors really develop. Just reduce, add water, reduce some more, add more water, etc.

 In the end you want the sauce to be thick (but not jammy or dry). Not watery sauce please! Think: slightly saucier than chili. Taste and add more salt if needed. (It probably will)

So darn good!

When your sauce is in the home stretch, this is where you will want to get your SALTED, boiling water for the pasta ready. (Please folks! Always salt your pasta water! Otherwise your pasta has zero flavor and what's the point of making this awesome sauce??)

 I decided to mix things up and use bucatini. It is like a thick spaghetti with a hallow center. Yes, I said this long noodle is hallow in the middle. Love it! I figured if I was going to all the trouble of making this kick ass bolognese, I could at least spring for a more sophisticated noodle :) But you can use spaghetti, angel hair, linguine or fettuccine.

Pick out your thyme & bay leaves. Disguard.

When the pasta is almost done, I heat a separate saute pan and toss the pasta with the desired amount of sauce. This is where I toss my parmesan cheese. Then plate it up! Top with more parmesan cheese, a healthy drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and maybe some fresh basil for garnish.

 Devour immediately

Pasta Bolognese (serves 4-6) Inspired Recipe by Anne Burell

 

1/2 large onion or 1 small, cut into 1-inch dice

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice

3 cloves garlic

Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan

Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination

1/2 cups tomato paste

1 1/2 cups hearty red wine

1 cup crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

Water

2 bay leaves

1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle

1/2 pound bucatini

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish

Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

 Start by chopping your mirepoix (fancy French term for carrot, celery, onion). Toss your mirepoix and garlic into the food processor. Pulse the vegetables until you ALMOST get a puree (but with some texture)

  Heat a large, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add your veggies, season generously with salt and cook at least 15 minutes or until they start to get golden brown and caramelized. 

  Add the ground beef and season again with salt. (It needs it! Trust me). Turn up the heat to high and BROWN the beef. About 15 more minutes. Breaking up the beef as it browns.

Next, add your tomato paste and cook it for anther 5 minutes. Then add your wine & crushed tomatoes. There is NOTHING that compares to a tomato sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes. Nothing. Seriously. Worth the few extra bucks. Add your thyme bunch and bay leaves then add about 2 cups of water.

 Simmer time! Turn the heat down looooww. You will want it to simmer at least 3-4 hours. Stirring occasionally, adding more water as needed. Makes the whole house smell heavenly!! This is where the flavors really develop. Just reduce, add water, reduce some more, add more water, etc. In the end you want the sauce to be thick (but not jammy or dry). Not watery sauce please! Think: slightly saucier than chili. Taste and season again with salt if needed (it probably will)

When your sauce is in the home stretch, this is where you will want to get your SALTED, boiling water for the pasta ready. (Please folks! Always salt your pasta water! Otherwise your pasta has zero flavor and what's the point of making this awesome sauce??)

 I decided to mix things up and use bucatini. It is like a thick spaghetti with a hallow center. Yes, I said this long noodle is hallow in the middle. Love it! I figured if I was going to all the trouble of making this kick ass bolognese, I could at least spring for a more sophisticated noodle :) But you can use spaghetti, angel hair, linguine or fettuccine.

Pick out your thyme & bay leaves. Disguard.

When the pasta is almost done, I heat a separate saute pan and toss the pasta with the desired amount of sauce. This is where I toss my parmesan cheese. Then plate it up! Top with more parmesan cheese and maybe some fresh basil for garnish. Devour immediately

Herby Buttermilk Dressing

 

Let's have a serious talk about why you are still buying bottled salad dressings...come on! I can probably think of 3, maybe 4 respectable bottled dressings and not one of them is a basic dressing like Balsamic Vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese, or Ranch. By far the 3 most popular American salad dressings and not one of these you should EVER buy in a bottle. Salad dressings are ridiculously easy to make and there's no saving even the best salad ingredients from a bad dressing. Am I right?? Of course I am. If you didn't believe I had any sort of culinary authority, you wouldn't be here reading this. ;)

This recipe is basically ranch dressing done WAAAAY right. I just can't get past bottled dressings!! I CAN'T!! This dressing has everything you love about Ranch dressing and leaves out a lot of the fat and calories you don't want. (And it just happened that way by chance...take one look at me and you can see I don't go for that low-fat with no flavor thing) I enjoy my food! 

 Herby, garlicky, creamy delicious dressing is absolutely killer tossed in a salad with a few bleu cheese crumbles, cherry tomatoes, avocado, maybe some shaved red onion....but something about this dressing with bleu cheese crumbles.....(hold please....dreaming about it......) 

Ahhh. There it is.

Chris & I are currently obsessed. Normally we are all over the vinaigrettes, occasionally we will splurge and I'll make my yummy bleu cheese dressing, but never ranch. I was just in a mood one day for something "Ranch-esk" (totally not a word) and this was sooo good. I will be making a large batch so I can give to my sister who also appreciates the importance of a quality dressing. Lucky her.

Herby Buttermilk Dressing (Makes about 1 cup)

1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat would work fine)

1/4 cup mayo (I used Olive Oil Mayo to save on calories)

2 Tbs chive, chopped

2 Tbs parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tsp dried dill (or 1 Tbs fresh)

2-3 garlic cloves

 3-4 Tbs buttermilk (depending on the consistency you want)

Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

Add all ingredients except buttermilk into a small food processor, or blender. Puree until smooth. Add buttermilk to reach desired consistency.

 

Check for seasoning. May need a bit more salt & pepper. It's ready to serve right away, but I like to let it sit in the fridge while I finish dinner so it can meld the flavors a bit. (Even better the next day!)

YUMYY!!!!!

 

Herby Buttermilk Dressing (Makes about 1 cup)

1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat would work fine)

1/4 cup mayo (I used Olive Oil Mayo to save on calories)

2 Tbs chive, chopped

2 Tbs parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tsp dried dill (or 1 Tbs fresh)

2-3 garlic cloves (depending on your taste)

3-4 Tbs buttermilk (depending on the consistency you want)

Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

   Add all ingredients except buttermilk into a small food processor, or blender. Puree until smooth. Add buttermilk to reach desired consistency.

  Check for seasoning. May need a bit more salt & pepper. It's ready to serve right away, but I like to let it sit in the fridge while I finish dinner so it can meld the flavors a bit. (Even better the next day!)