Ragu alla Bolognese

Bolognese sauce is one of those sauces that surprise you. It is made of ingredients that most people probably wouldn't put in a pasta sauce on purpose. Over the years this has become one of my absolute favorite sauces because it can be made so easily from pantry staples and basic produce that most people keep on hand. I love that I was able use storage carrots from my CSA in this dish, which is a nice change from braises or salads.

Bolognese Sauce:
1.5 lbs ground veal
1/2 lb pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium-large sweet onion
2 ribs celery
1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1 cup milk
salt
pepper

1 lb pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese

Brown pancetta over medium, high heat in stock pot, add ground veal and brown. In a food processor, process carrots, onion and celery. Add to browning veal and season with salt. When veal is totally cooked, begin to add the sauce from the San Marzano tomatoes, saving the whole tomatoes for the food processor. Process tomatoes and add to pot. Add red wine. Simmer 10-20 minutes. Add milk, simmer additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper at the end. You can always cook it down further if you have time, the times are just estimates. Serve over tagliatelle with Parmesan cheese. Makes enough sauce for about 1.5 lbs of pasta.

Osso Bucco with Saffron Risotto

Braising. It's probably one of the most flavorful ways to cook any kind of meat. The flavors are always deep and complex. This was my first time using beef shanks, it isn't easy to less common cuts of meat in this area. One of my goals has been to avoid getting into a chicken-groundbeef-porkchop rut, so I've been branching out between this year and last. The carrots were some monsters from my weekly share, everything else was just pantry staples.

Osso Bucco:
4-6 beef shanks
1 tbsp lard or oil
salt
pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, halved, and sliced
4 large carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
 1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup red wine
chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325. In a pan with fat or oil, brown meat 4-5 minutes, each side over high heat until brown and seared, working in batches, so as to not over-crowd the pan. Transfer to lidded roasting pan (you could use a crock pot, too) and in the same pan. Cook chopped vegetables with salt and pepper about 5-6 minutes. Add vegetables to roasting pan with meat and tomatoes and de-glaze skillet with wine, add to meat and vegetables. Add enough chicken broth to ensure the meat is 2/3 covered. Cook at least 3 hours or until tender on 325.

Saffron Risotto:
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp butter
3 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp saffron powder or threads

Cook rice with butter over medium heat until translucent. Add liquid 1 cup at a time, stirring almost constantly. When most liquid is absorbed add cheese and adjust seasonings. Add saffron and heavy cream, tasting and adjusting seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat and serve.

Pasta e Fagioli

Wednesdays are pretty hectic for me, and I had to do some grocery shopping to compliment my upcoming Italian-themed Easter menu. I still need to go back to the store, at least twice. I was looking for some Italian items that our store didn't have, and in the midst of my grocery store wandering, I decided to make pasta e fagioli for dinner tonight. I had never made it before but it is a quick, meatless meal if you are looking for one. It is the perfect pantry meal and I'm out of homemade vegetable broth, plus the canned tomatoes are too precious. However, the carrots from my CSA are in this dish!

Ingredients:
1 medium carrot  finely chopped
1 rib celery finely chopped
1 small-medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1c datalini
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh herbs (I used rosemary and thyme but I bet basil and oregano would be good, too)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart broth (I used Pacific Vegetable, feel free to use anything you like)
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce (you could use cooked down canned tomatoes, run through a food mill)
2-3 pieces of Parmesan rind
salt
pepper
olive oil

In a pot, heat olive oil, add carrots, celery and onion, cooking on medium until onion is translucent stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add broth, tomato sauce, herbs and Parmesan rind, bringing to a boil for about 4-5 minutes. Add datalini. Reduce heat when datalini is about half way to al dente and add beans and bring to a boil again, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. You can use water to thin it, but I purposely wanted mine thick. Shut off burner, adjust seasonings and allow to cool. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Personally, I could have done without the carrot, or  used grated carrot and maybe added in a 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan at the end.