Recent Posts
Authentic Bolognese Sauce
Authentic Bolognese Sauce
Originating from Bologna, Italy, authentic bolognese sauce has these required components: a mirepoix, ground beef and pork, tomato and paste, white wine(not red), beef stock, and milk. Unlike what you’d think of when you hear of Italian food, there is no garlic, basil, or oregano. Traditionally, bolognese sauce is served with tagliatelle, but spaghetti, bucatini, or any heavier pasta will work. The main difference between a bolognese and a ragout is the type of meat used and the time it takes to simmer the sauce. A bolognese uses ground meat; taking anywhere between 2-4 hours to simmer. A ragout uses beef and pork ribs and other braising meat; taking at least 6 hours to simmer.
Ingredients
- 2 olive oil
- 1 medium carrot small dice
- 1 rib celery small dice
- 1 small yellow onion small dice
- 8 oz ground beef
- 8 oz ground pork
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 3 cup canned tomatoes
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb tagliatelle, spaghetti, bucatini cooked al dente
- parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté for 10 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef and pork. Cook until browned; about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine. Cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits. Add in the canned tomatoes and beef stock. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.
- Uncover and stir in the whole milk.
- Stir in the cooked pasta. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Menudo
Menudo
Menudo is a Mexican soup made from beef tripe, and sometimes cow feet, in a red chili pepper broth with hominy; topped with cilantro, onions, and oregano. Said to be the ultimate hangover cure, the heat of the soup will wake your drunk ass up. Traditionally, there is no beef shanks in the soup. I added a couple to give the soup additional meat and to enhance the broth’s flavor.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs honeycomb tripe washed; cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 2 beef shanks
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- water
- 3 cup white hominy drained and rinsed
Sauce
- 3 guajillo chilies
- 2 arbol chilies
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 cup water
- salt to taste
For Serving
- white onion finely chopped
- cilantro finely chopped
- Mexican oregano
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Add in tripe, beef shanks, onion, garlic, and bay leaves to a large pot. Add in enough water to cover 6” above the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4 hours.
- While the tripe is simmering, allow the dried chilies to soak in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Add the chilies along with the rest of the sauce ingredients to a blender and purée.
- Add the sauce and the hominy to the pot. Season with salt to taste.
- Simmer for 30 more minutes.
- Ladle the menudo into a bowl. Top with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Cornish Pasties
Cornish Pasties
To be a true Cornish pasty, they must meet the following requirements: The pasty has to be made in Cornwall. They can only contain beef, potato, rutabaga, onion, salt and pepper. No other meat, no other vegetables, no other seasonings. The ingredients must be raw when the pasties are assembled and then slowly baked to produce the traditional Cornish pasty flavor and texture. The edges of the pasties must be sealed by crimping them in traditional Cornish fashion.While I have failed with not living in Cornwall, England, the crimping, and the addition of beef gravy; the taste is 100% there. I’ve been making pasties for over 30 years since I was a child, and do consider myself an expert in this field. They do take a bit of work to make, but are well worth the effort. Any leftover pasties can be frozen and reheated in the oven.
Equipment
- food processor
- rolling pin
- pasty press
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb sirloin tip, top round, or top sirloin trimmed; cut into 1/4” cubes
- 1 lb potatoes peeled; cut into 1/4” cubes
- 8 oz rutabaga cut into 1/4” cubes
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- unsalted butter diced into cubes
- 1 large egg beaten
- beef gravy for serving
Pasty Dough
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 oz butter chilled; diced
- 4 oz lard chilled
- 2/3 cup ice water
Instructions
- Mix together the beef, potatoes, rutabaga, onion, flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Add the flour, salt, cold butter, and cold lard to a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Slowly add in the ice water. Pulse until incorporated.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface. Cut into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll a dough portion to an 1/8” thick.
- Lay the rolled dough over the patty press. Scoop a cup’s worth of filling into the center. Add a tbsp of diced butter over the filling.
- Fold over and crimp. Alternatively, if you don’t have a pasty press, take a plate and place over the rolled out dough. Using a knife, cut around the plate to get a circular piece of dough. Scoop the filling and butter in the center. Carefully fold one side of the dough to the other and crimp with a fork.
- Lay the pasties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each pasty with the beaten egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.
- Ladle over a scoop of beef gravy for serving.
