Bolognese Sauce

I have been meaning to post this recipe for Bolognese Sauce for a long time. It's been sitting in my drafts for two years, in fact. Oops.

Ground beef mixed with tomato sauce this is not. There are no hard bits of ground beef here. I don't know how to describe it except to say that the meat is soft, but "soft meat" sounds wrong somehow. Just make it and you'll know what I mean. This recipe makes a lot of sauce. It freezes really well, and since it takes all day to make (are you still reading after I said that? Good- it's made in the slow cooker) it's nice that you have lots to show for it. I always have some in the freezer for a quick meal, and as soon as I run out I make some more.

The sauce is great on pasta, of course, but I love it best on spaghetti squash. It is lighter and actually more flavourful, I find and the squash adds another dimension of flavour. I've made it before and then mostly forgot about this weird and wonderful vegetable until a girls weekend in October. One friend brought meatballs with tomato sauce and another made spaghetti squash in place of pasta. Even those who were sceptical went back for seconds and we didn't even need to make the back-up pasta. 

One Year Ago: Chocolate Lollipops

The Scoop on Chia

Schnitzel, Spatzle, and Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Two Years Ago: A Tale of Two Banana Breads

 Open-Faced Steak Sandwiches

 

Three Years Ago: Home Made Gifts 

 Man-Sized Salad

Baked Fish and Chips 

Olive Bread

Birthday Menu

Chai Tea Mini Cupcakes (with a must see baking fail)

SPAGHETTI SQUASH RECIPE

SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE

from Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1/2 celery rib, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 1/2 lbs ground pork
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3 cups dry white wine
• 2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, pureed in a blender until smooth
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cook about 30 seconds. Add meat, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, breaking up meat, until crumbled into tiny pieces and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the milk, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, thyme and bring to a boil. Transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Cover, set the temperature to high, and bring to a boil.

Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce is very thick, 7 to 8 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: Sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days, frozen up to 2 months.


Recipe can be made partially ahead of time by completing all steps prior to putting sauce in the slow cooker- refrigerate sauce in pot overnight, then bring to a boil again before transferring to slow cooker.


Place slow cooker on a counter or on the stove away from cabinetry as a lot of steam will rise from the sauce as it cooks.


If you will be out of the house for longer than 7 or 8 hours, set the lid halfway off the slow cooker rather than removing it entirely, then simmer for 10 to 11 hours.

Spanish Tapas

Last week my dad and I went to a Spanish Tapas cooking class at Liaison College. Amazingly, I haven't ever cooked Spanish food. In addition to cooking Spanish food for the first time, I also ate an olive and beef liver (not together). I'd rather eat the liver again before than the olive, to be honest.

Tapas, if you aren't familiar, is basically small bites of food originally served in bars. You know, so you can still get home after drinking. Common Spanish ingredients are garlic, saffron, almonds, smoked paprika, and sherry. We made Chili Garlic Shrimp, Meatballs with Romesco sauce, Chicken Livers in Sherry Cream Sauce (except if was beef liver instead as they couldn't find chicken livers anywhere), and Caramelized Onion Soup. My favourite was the soup, and luckily this was the dish that my dad and I were assigned.

First we watched a demo of each of the four dishes, then each group cooked one of the dishes and everybody got to take home a portion of each dish. It's always interesting getting a group of strangers in the same room. We all gathered around the demo table and as the chef chopped and cook we could ask questions about what he was doing. You knew that some people were asking a "question" that they already knew the answer to, just to show they know stuff. Those are the keeners. I was not one of them (I swear!).

Aside from discovering I really like Spanish food, I learned a couple of neat tricks from the chef. There was a lot of garlic happening and the chef doesn't like using a garlic press, which I usually use, as it squeezes out too much juice and can overpower the dish. He peeled the garlic and then smashed it with the side of his knife before chopping it (like how you would smash the garlic to remove the skin but smash it harder. I looked for a video on You Tube to include here about peeling garlic but they were all over a minute long! It's not that hard, trust me).

The other interesting thing was I had put a lid on the soup pot after adding the broth in order to get it to come to a boil faster. He came by and asked if the recipe called for the pot to be covered. It did not, and he said that was for good reason. Without the lid the soup will reduce as it comes to a boil. I hadn't ever thought of that. Patience is key here, obviously. Still working on that- I had to go busy myself watching other people prepare their dishes in order to stop myself from covering the pot.

I had planned to make the soup and meatballs for dinner last night, but it was so hot out that I couldn't fathom making soup. We ended up turning on the air conditioning and then of course a storm blew in and it's back to long-sleeved shirt weather again today. Go figure.

The meatballs are made with pork and are definitely different from your standard spaghetti and meatballs with the addition of a pinch of cinnamon and pine nuts. The romesco sauce with them is the biggest revelation though. I'd seen recipes for romesco sauce but never tried it. I expected it to be served hot and taste similar to tomato sauce. In reality, it is served room temperature or cold, and it tastes like a vinegary roasted pepper mayo. It is absolutely delicious and you'll think of lots of ways to use leftovers, I'm sure. We ate the meatballs as a sandwich with the sauce spread on the buns. Delicious.

The Sherried Onion Soup with Saffron is a little like  French Onion Soup, but it is pureed and definitely has a Spanish flair. The amazing thing is it is creamy and rich but there is no added cream. Yes, the onions are browned in butter, but it is the almonds that make it creamy. So, if it has turned a little chilly where you are too, or just feel like soup on a hot day some reason, I have included the recipe for the soup below.

SHERRIED ONION SOUP WITH SAFFRON

Serves 4

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• pinch saffron threads
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and finely ground
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp fino sherry
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds and chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Melt the butter in a large heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, stirring to ensure they are thoroughly coated in butter. Saute until onions just start to turn golden. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes, or until onions are soft and golden brown.

Add saffron and cook, uncovered, 3 minutes. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes. Pour in stock, sherry, paprika, and 1 tsp salt. Season with plenty of pepper. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Pour soup into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return soup to rinsed pan and reheat slowly, without allowing soup to boil, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if required. Serve immediately garnished with almonds and parsley.

MEATBALLS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Serves 6

MEATBALLS:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, fresh preferrably
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 pine nuts or blanched slivered almonds
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

ROMESCO SAUCE:

• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large slice white bread
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper, drained if from a jar
• 1/4 tsp each paprika and salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

In a bowl combine all meatball ingredients except olive oil. Heat 1 or 2 large pans (if using 1 meatballs will have to be cooked in two batches) over medium-high heat. Form meat mixture into 1-inch balls, ensuring not to compact mixture too much. Saute meatballs in oil until well browned on all sides until cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

FOR ROMESCO SAUCE: While meatballs are cooking, bring a small pot of water to boil. Core stem end of tomatoes and cut a small X in the bottom. Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice water. Peel and seed tomatoes. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and bread. Fry bread until golden on both sides. 

In a food processor, finely chop bread, almonds, pepper flakes, and garlic. Add peppers, tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper. Process to a smooth paste. Add vinegar and process to combine. With machine running, gradually add oil in a thin stream to make an emulsified sauce. Serve meatballs with romesco sauce for dipping.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Photo credit The Art of Doing Stuff

I was going to write a post about making chicken stock. But somebody else did it for me. Karen over at The Art of Doing Stuff makes stock exactly the way I do- up to and including measuring it into baggies and freezing it flat. So... read her post but remember I am also a genius cause I do it the same way.

Why would you make your own stock? Because it tastes better, you can use up scraps that would normally go in the garbage, and it's cheaper. Do you need any more reasons? How about it's easy and healthier because you control the salt and ingredients. And you will impress your friends because making homemade stock sounds chef-y but it's a matter of bringing some kitchen scraps to a boil, simmering for a while, then letting it cool. Easy.


Homemade Chicken Stock at The Art of Doing Stuff

One Year Ago: Korean Style Pork Tenderloin 

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes  

Two Years Ago: Hawai'i 

  Tomato Bruschetta + Fresh Pea and Feta Spread

Bulgar Salad

The snow is almost all melted. I even opened some windows in the house for a couple of hours yesterday. This makes me want salad. I made this tabbouleh-inspired salad for lunch yesterday and it was the perfect foil to the warmer weather.

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern bulgar, parsley, and mint salad. I added some chickpeas and black beans as I had some in the fridge that needed to be used up, plus some red pepper and cabbage. The dressing is a lemon vinaigrette that is my go to for any salad. Keep this one in your back pocket.

See that green stuff on top of the salad in the photo? Looks fancy, right? Those are pea shoots. These are a revelation. It's just sprouted peas- as in, if you planted them in the garden you'd get a big bean stalk. I didn't know you could eat them just after they've sprouted. They taste like spring. Tender, crunchy, juicy, and refreshingly pea-y. We got them in our food box delivered from Pfennings this week (remember this post about local food? Now that I live in the boonies, having it delivered is easier than driving into town to pick it up every week). I've been picking off leaves and eating them like candy all week. If you do one thing this weekend, go find some pea shoots. Bonus points if you grow them yourself.

Pea Shoots growing in their little tray of dirt. See the little peas they are sprouting from?

BULGAR AND CHICKPEA SALAD

2 servings

• 1/2 cup bulgar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 small head cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 carrot, sliced thinly
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 can black beans, drained (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• lemon vinaigrette - see below
• 1 small bunch pea shoots

Combine bulgar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Drain any remaining water and rinse bulgar under cold water. Combine with remaining ingredients. Garnish with pea shoots.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Add more olive oil if you prefer it less tangy.

• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil equal to the amount of lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• salt and pepper to season

Combine all in a jar and shake. Alternatively, combine all except oil in a bowl and whisk olive oil in a slow stream. Or use a blender.

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

So if anybody is still reading Four Seasons Kitchen, here I am! Sorry about the delay in posts- I haven't cooked or baked much or note lately; either because I don't feel like it or when I do, the results haven't been spectacular. I did cook one of my favorite meals this past Friday, but I haven't posted for so long that I forgot to take a photo before we ate! I will make it again soon and share... I know you'll all be waiting with baited breath until then.

I don't make up my own dishes very often. Or when I do, it's throwing together whatever I can find and it's nothing to write home about. Tonight, however, I made the best thing we've eaten for a while- and I'd still say that even if we hadn't eaten scalloped potatoes made from a box and cupcakes made from a mix last week.

I read Molly Wiezenburg's A Homemade Life this weekend and she made me want to cook almost recipe in there. This book is so good; each chapter is like a short auto-biographical essay prefacing a recipe on the at the end of the chapter. I laughed, I cried. A good book should do that, I think. Otherwise, why are you wasting your time reading something that doesn't move you to some sort of emotional reaction? Anyways, about the food. I really wanted to make Molly's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, but they take 6 hours in the oven and that would mean setting my alarm to get up at 1 am and turn off the oven. Plus, I wanted them now. I remembered a similar recipe in Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. That one is for roasted tomatoes that only take 25 minutes. Perfect. I followed that method, but not the recipe itself. Tomatoes done, I chopped up half of them, cooked some pasta, tossed it with some goat cheese and basil, and that was that. So good. Please make this now, and let me know in the comments if you loved it as much as us (yes, Tyler even liked a dish with goat cheese!).

ROASTED TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE PASTA

Serves 2-3

• 1/2 Roasted Tomatoes recipe (recipe follows), chopped
• 350 g dried penne pasta
• 70 g goat cheese
• a handful finely grated Parmesan cheese
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta in well salted water to al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Put pasta back into pot, crumble in goat cheese, add Parmesan, pepper. Add about 1/4 cup pasta water, stir pasta vigorously- you want the Parmesan and goat cheese to make a sauce with the water. Add more pasta water if sauce isn't saucy enough. Stir in basil and serve.

ROASTED TOMATOES

These can be used in pasta, on a sandwich, make a pesto type sauce, the possibilities are endless for these babies! They have a flavor boarding on sun-dried tomatoes, but aren't chewy and gnarly and overpowering like sun-dried tomatoes.

• 10-12 Roma tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Cut off the very top of the tomatoes where the stem was attached. Cut tomatoes in half. Remove seeds- I find it easiest to wash my hands really well and then stick my fingers into the halves to pop out the seeds over the garbage*. Toss tomatoes with remaining ingredients.

Roast on a baking sheet (I always cover baking sheets with foil so I don't have to wash them) cut side up for 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then use as desired. 

*I would say to keep the seeds and juice for some clever, less wasteful endeavor, but I've no idea what the heck you would do with them.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Potato gnocchi seems complicated to make. Cook potatoes, mash potatoes, mix the dough, shape the pasta, etc, etc. Ricotta gnocchi, however, is really simple and I think it tastes better- potato gnocchi is sometimes gummy to me. This is comfort food at it's best. We ate it twice last week because it's so easy and homey (I still haven't quite gotten the cooking bug back yet). Seriously, make this now before it gets spring comes along and all you want is salads and bbq. Or maybe that's just me.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

from The Kitchn

serves 4

• 1 (16-ounce) container of whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 - 1 cup flour

Set a strainer line with three coffee filters or paper towels over a bowl. Add the ricotta and let the cheese drain for about an hour. (This can be done several days in advance.)

In a large bowl, mix the strained ricotta, egg, cheese, and 3/4 cup of the flour until all ingredients are incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Check the dough by rolling a bit in your hand. It should be a bit tacky. If it clings to your fingers like bubble gum, incorporate more flour one tablespoon at a time until you reach a tacky, workable consistency. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

Before shaping, put a large pot of water on the stove to bring to a boil. Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour and set it close to your work space.

Sprinkle your hands and work surface with a little flour. Break off a tennis-ball sized piece of the dough and roll it into a thick log about 3/4-inch thick.

Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the log into 3/4" pieces. You can leave them as little 'pillows' as in the photo above or shape them into the traditional grooved gnocchi by rolling them off the back of a fork with your thumb.

Transfer this batch to the baking sheet and toss with flour to prevent sticking. Repeat rolling process with the remaining dough.

Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and half of the gnocchi. Gently stir the gnocchi to make sure they don't stick. Once they bob to the surface, let them cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander set over a bowl to finish draining.
Repeat with second batch of gnocchi.

Toss the gnocchi with sauce and serve immediately with sauce- I like a chunky tomato sauce as per below- and Parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi can be frozen as well- freeze gnocchis (that would the plural form of gnocchi, thank you very much) on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook gnocchi from frozen, they'll take a minute or two longer.

SIMPLE CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds- don't let garlic brown. Add a can of drained diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and some dried herbs if you like (or add fresh herbs at the end) i.e. basil, thyme, oregano. Cook until heated through.

Farm food pick up

I picked up my farm vegetables last night (see this previous post on my local food discovery). I went to the church where the pick up was being held, not knowing what to expect. I also realized that I had forgotten to bring cloth bags to bring the stuff home in, and I was pretty sure that plastic bags would get me shunned. I used a box in my trunk which was totally unwieldy and awkward but it did the job.

So here's how it works. You go into the church gymnasium, pick up your list of what you ordered from which farm at the front, and walk around to each of the tables picking up your order. Then they check your order, you pay and go. That is how it is supposed to work anyway. If you are me, you walk around aimlessly with a massive cardboard box, get frustrated that you can't find a few things (who knew that Jerusalem artichokes look like small potatoes?), go to the front to pay anyways, then the cashier has to run around finding things for you. I may be shunned after all...

I am very pleased with my veggies (and eggs) and honored them by making roasted root vegetables with lemon aioli for dipping. The list of stuff I got- almost all organic- and ailoi recipe follows. To roast the veg, I cut them into batons, tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them in a single layer on a baking sheet at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
4 huge red onions
2 small spaghetti squash
1 x 3L basket Gala apples
1 x 2L basket small sweet potatoes
1 lb Jerusalem artichokes
2 butternut squash
1 celeriac
2 bulbs garlic
1b parsnips
1 dozen free range eggs
= 33.75 total

LEMON AILOI
Adapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious.com

*This makes a lot- about 2 cups, and I even halved the recipe.

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tbsp water
• zest of 1 lemon, grated
  
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cups light fruity olive oil
• 1/2 canola oil
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
  

Mash garlic and salt in mortar with pestle until paste forms. Whisk egg yolks, 6 tablespoons water, lemon juice, and mustard in medium metal bowl. Whisk in garlic mixture. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 10 minutes total. Remove bowl from over water. Cool mixture to room temperature, whisking occasionally, about 15 minutes. Gradually whisk oil into yolk mixture in very thin slow stream; continue whisking until aioli is thick. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.