Meat Sauce Bolognese

A few days ago I really felt like making Italian food. This isn't a weird feeling for me, I love love love all Italian food, and the more often I get to eat it the better. But I decided to make it this week because my mom is out of town. She's in San Francisco with my aunt and uncle anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to our family! And while she's there she gets to hang out with this little nugget 

who is going to be a big sister very soon. Now don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but sometimes when she goes away it feels a lot like this. But I also miss her a lot and I know my dad and brother do, too. It's only been a few days, but the house looks and feels a little (okay, a lot) emptier.

Before she left, since she's amazing, my mom cooked enough food to feed the three of us for 2 solid weeks. It only took her 2 days to make everything. Yeah, I feel unaccomplished. But before we start on what she made, I thought I'd make something of my own. Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen has a bunch of really great recipes, so I decided on a bolognese sauce. It is absolutely one of my favorite types of sauces. And it's really easy to make, which is great when my mom is out of town because I don't have to call her a bunch of times with questions like where is that thing we used that time we made those things for brunch (she'd know exactly what I'm talking about, too)?

Unfortunately, while the sauce was cooking I ate some grapes. Normally that would be fine, I love grapes. But these must have been demon grapes or something because about half an hour after eating them I got so sick and was doubled over because it felt like someone was punching me in the gut. No one has ever punched me in the gut (does getting kicked into the corner of the couch by my brother count?) but I imagine that is what it would feel like. So my dream of having a nice family dinner with meat sauce and garlic bread was trashed. Instead I got to watch my dad and brother inhale multiple helpings. They ate all the garlic bread so maybe it was a good thing I couldn't eat. But that's okay, because there's nothing like watching someone enjoy a meal that you've made for them.

It took me half an hour to cut this. I greatly underestimated my chopping skills. 

WINE. This is also a great wine for drinking. I never know what a dry wine is, so I just open anything and it always tastes great. 

I really love mixing different ground meats together. I am usually a fan of substituting turkey, but for this dish the original meats are way better. The fattiness of the beef and pork amplify the flavor of the sauce so why would you want to deprive your tastebuds of that goodness?

Post-wine. I actually started the sauce in a non-stick pot, but I switched to a stainless steel one before adding the meat. One of the best parts of the sauce is scraping up the browned bits of meat at the bottom, and that doesn't happen on a non-stick surface. 

You can also use San Marzano canned Italian plum tomatoes. They have a great flavor and I probably would've used them if I had them. 

See you in 3+ hours.

Meat Sauce Bolognese
Serves 6 

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 bay leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (dried oregano is also great)
Water as needed
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Steps:
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat.
2. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook while stirring until the onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Season lightly with salt. **It's always best to underseason now and make up for it later.**
3. Stir in the beef and pork and break it up using the spoon. Cook until the liquid the meat gives off evaporates, about 10-15 minutes. Make sure you really brown the meat.
4. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and add the bay leaves and thyme (or other herbs). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat so it sits at a simmer. Let the sauce cook for 2-3 hours, the longer the better (in my opinion this is the hardest part). Add water periodically to keep the meat and vegetables covered. Give it a stir eery half hour. Some people like to skim the oil off the top of the sauce. But I just reincorporate it because that adds to its deliciousness.

Boil some pasta, grab some garlic bread and parmesan cheese, and enjoy.

Beans, Beans, They're Good For Your Heart

I love beans. Love 'em. Baked beans, fava beans, black-eyed peas (I had to check, but they're totally beans), chickpeas (which are also beans, damnit, why are all these peas beans), you see where I'm going with this.

And I already talked about how much I love Mexican food in my last post. I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the place(s) to go for wonderful (cheap) tacos. One of my favorites in NYC is Tacos y Quesadillas. It's a cart, but it has consistently been awesome every time I've gone. The hot sauce is *~hot~* so watch out, but it's perfect with the less spicy huaraches or carnitas taco. Also, on the last two trips I made to DC I had tacos. One time was Korean tacos but whatever they're still delicious.

ANYWAY, I digress, we were talking about beans. So the other day the weather was really gross and rainy so I wanted to make something warm and hearty. Like a chowder (pronounced "chowdah").  But since my mom had marinated an ancho chile-rubbed pork tenderloin, I decided on this super easy Rick Bayless recipe for Mexican Beans with Chorizo and Greens.  I've made it before and it was really great. The last time I used extra chipotle chiles because there were only a couple left and what was I gonna do with 2 tiny chipotles, but it was super spicy so I decided to (mostly) stick to the recipe this time. Both times I've made it I didn't use chorizo and just made a vegetarian version instead. I'm sure the chorizo adds a whole new level to this dish, but it's still really good without it.

I love garlic so much so I usually add more than the recipe calls for. It's never a bad decision.

The recipe actually calls for the chiles to be seeded. I've tried that before and it was a HUGE pain. Look at these things. And there are SO MANY seeds. They definitely contribute to the spice of the chiles, so if you're worried about spiciness try adding one chile at first, then tasting and adjusting the level after the beans have simmered. 

BEANS. Definitely be sure to drain AND rinse them!

Funny how these black beans are actually all different colors.. 

This is NEW from Trader Joe's. Instead of buying a huge bunch of Swiss chard this packet is a big time saver and is ideal when you can't get really great Swiss chard. TJ's also has a kale version of this. I recommend both. 

Microwave-ready Swiss chard

It shrinks to about a third of the size. If you love greens you can always add more. You can also use spinach if Swiss chard isn't your thing. But who doesn't love Swiss chard? If you don't, get out. 

 You can serve this as a side dish or over rice. I would add some tostones for good measure.

Mexican Beans with Greens (haha rhyming)
Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 15-oz cans black beans (or kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, stemmed and finely chopped
3-4 cups Swiss chard, sliced
Crumbled feta (or queso fresco if you're lucky), for garnish
Canola oil
Salt to taste

Steps:
1. Heat a little oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
2. Saute the onion until browned and add the garlic.
3. Stir for about a minute and then add the beans, chiles, and 1 1/2 cups water.
4. Let the beans simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the Swiss chard in a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and poke a few holes in the top. Microwave for 3 minutes, until it wilts.
5. Add the microwaved greens to the beans and stir. Season with salt to taste.
6. Serve and garnish with feta.