A Food Grinder, A Burger Fail, and A Luscious Ragu alla Bolognese

After purchasing some ground beef from a reputable grocer, in which I discovered bits of bone and God knows what else, I pledged to grind my own meat from now on! So, last weekend I purchased the food grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer,

various cuts of beef per Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook where he gives a detailed tutorial on meat grinding, and made his version of a hamburger.

Well, the meat grinder worked very well, but apparently I didn't get the perfect ratio of meat to fat (should be about 80/20% for a juicy burger), because my burgers turned out to be hockey pucks! ****! I'll keep working on it and fill you in when I figure it out perfectly.

After my burger fail, I still had about 1 pound of my freshly ground lean beef blend (sirloin, spare ribs, and chuck), so I decided to make "Ragu alla Bolognese." Bolognese is a rich thick meat sauce originating in or around the city of Bologna in northern Italy. Ingredients for this traditional sauce include ground beef, pork, and sometimes chicken livers, slowly simmered with the classic soffrito of carrots, onions, and celery. White or red wine is used to deglaze, then beef broth is added and some milk. The sauce sometimes contains tomatoes, which is hotly debated! When making a Bolognese, it is best to use a lean grind of meat and to let the sauce simmer and simmer and simmer for hours. In addition, it is always served with the regions specialty pasta of an egg-rich tagliatelle or lasagna, never durum-rich spaghetti which is from the south! Apparently it doesn't matter which Nona you ask, everyone says their version is traditional and the best! In fact, in the "Classic Pasta" Issue #110 of Saveur, they included six different recipes for this luscious meat sauce! Either way, set aside a lazy day and enjoy this hearty and lovingly made pasta dish with your friends and family! They'll love it and you'll never buy jarred or frozen again! In fact, make extra and freeze it yourself!

Ragu alla Bolognese

Serves 4 (as main course) or 6-8 (as first course)

Ingredients:

For the sauce

2 oz thick-cut pancetta, 1/4" dice (or 2 oz thin slices, diced)

2 small carrots, 1/4" dice

1 celery stalk, 1/4" dice

1 yellow onion, 1/4" dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 lb (250 g) ground (minced) beef

1/2 lb (250 g) ground (minced) pork (or use all beef, if preferred)

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) red wine (I like Chianti in this recipe) (Serve the remainder with the pasta!)

1, 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped (I prefer San Marzano, if available)

1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus extra, if needed (I like Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)

1 cup (8 fl oz/500 ml) whole milk

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 fresh bay leaves

For serving

1 lb (500 g) fresh egg pasta (tagliatelle, fettuccine, or pappardelle)

1 cup reserved pasta water, if needed

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated, for serving

Directions:

For the sauce

In a large, wide, heavy-bottomed nonreactive pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When melted and foam begins to subside, add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally  until all the ingredients are very tender, about 30 minutes. They should be a rich golden brown and smell like caramel. (If they begin to brown too much, reduce the heat and add a spoonful of water to slow the cooking.)

Add the ground meat(s) to the pan and stir well. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring often to break up the meat lumps, until the meats are lightly browned, crumbly, and their juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes. (Don't let the meat get crisp or dark brown, or they won't absorb the other flavors in the sauce, affecting the desired creaminess of the finished dish.)

Deglaze with the wine, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, breaking up with a wooden spoon, 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste, the broth, the milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bay leaves. Heat until small bubbles begin to form on the surface, then reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. (If the sauce becomes too dry, adjust with extra stock.)

Taste after the first hour of cooking and add the additional tomato paste, if desired. Partially cover the pan and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, smashing the meat and vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon (helps make sauce creamier), adding more stock if it becomes too dry, for about 1-2 more hours. When ready, remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust the seasonings (salt, pepper, nutmeg), if needed. Skim off any grease on the surface. Cover and set aside.

Finishing the dish

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat, adding some of the pasta water if needed. Every strand should be evenly coated. Serve immediately, passing the cheese at the table, if desired.

The Magic Bean

In France, January 6 is "La Fete Des Rois," which translates to "Festival of Kings," also known as Twelfth Night and the Epiphany, when the biblical three kings came to pay homage to the newborn Jesus. It is celebrated by sharing a "Galette des Rois," or "Kings' Cake," with family and friends throughout the month of January. Just like the song The Twelve Days of Christmas! Galette de Rois is a delicious, flaky pastry made with buttery puff pastry and filled with frangipane (almond cream paste), and includes a hidden "la feve" (originally a dry bean, or "magic bean"), and is sold with a silver or gold paper crown to perch on top. The person who gets the feve in their slice is declared the King or Queen and is allowed wear the paper crown! It is also customary that the youngest child at the table go hide (e.g., under the table) where they can't see the cake. The oldest person then cuts the cake into slices, the child comes back and chooses who will get each slice, just to keep things fair!

Galette des Rois is also known as a Pithivier, named after the town Pithiviers in northern France, where it apparently was created. The distinction between the two is the feve or magic bean. This recipe from Laura Calder, who seldom lets me down, was surprisingly easy and turned out beautiful! Just remember to keep everything as cold as possible. My only comment is that I thought it could be a little sweeter, so next time I will try using store-bought almond paste (sold in cans) instead of the ground almonds. I used the traditional dry bean and I saved a paper crown from our Christmas Crackers. My kids loved their Galette des Rois  (they each ate two slices!), and my youngest got a kick out of hiding under the table, in addition to finding the magic bean and getting to wear the crown! It truly is a tradition worth trying!

Galette des Rois (Kings' Cake)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the tart

2 sheets puff pastry, about 1/4" thick, chilled

1 egg, lightly beaten for sealing the pastry

Sifted icing sugar, for dusting (or a few spoonfuls of apricot jam, heated until runny) (I used apricot jam!)

For the almond cream

1/3 cup/70 g butter, softened

1/2 cup/70 g icing sugar

1/2 cup/70 g ground almonds (or almond paste)

1 egg

1 tablespoon dark rum

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 magic bean

Directions:

For the almond cream

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the almonds, then the egg, rum, and vanilla extract. Beat smooth with a fork. Cover and chill until firm, for at least an hour.

For the tart

Lay an 8" round plate on one sheet of cold puff pastry and go around it with a knife.

Do the same for the top round, but then roll this one a little with a rolling pin to make it slightly larger than the bottom round. (I found 8 1/2 " to be about right!)

Lay the smaller round of chilled pastry on a baking sheet. (I lined mine with parchment paper and highly recommend it.) Spread the chilled cream over, leaving a good 1" margin all around the edge. Hide a bean somewhere in the cream. Brush the border with egg wash (one egg white mixed with a smidgen of water).

Lay on the top round of chilled pastry and lightly press the edges to seal. Score the edge all around with the blunt side of a knife to seal.

Make a cross in the center for steam to escape and draw spirals out to the edges for decoration.

Brush with egg wash all over the top, avoiding the edges, so that they'll puff up easily. Chill in the freezer until very firm, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees/230 degrees C. Bake the cake until puffed up high and dark golden in color, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with a thin coating of icing sugar and blast under the broiler or melt with a blowtorch. You can also brush with melted apricot jam for a glaze.

Merry Christmas with a Spanish Twist!

My best friend moved to Madrid this year. Although I miss her, she has inspired me to indulge my love of all the cuisines of Spain. Over Thanksgiving, I made tapas for a very small gathering and it was fabulous! Not only did it simplify the holiday, but everyone could partake in whatever they wanted! Perfect! There is one tapa I make over and over, "Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese!" Not only is it easy and delicious, but it reminds me of Santa hats! So cute!

Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Serving size is 2 peppers per person

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely diced shallots

1 scallion (white part only), thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons aged Spanish sherry vinegar

1 can (13.75 ounces; 16 peppers) piquillo peppers, drained

3 ounces low fat soft goat cheese (I use full fat!), softened (I don't measure the cheese. Just fill each pepper until full.)

Olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

Whisk shallots, scallion and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice open the top of each pepper to create a pocket. (I've never bought piquillo peppers that weren't already sliced at the top, making this step unnecessary.)

Spoon the cheese into peppers, dividing it equally among them.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the peppers, flipping once, until the cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds each side. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with the parsley and thyme. Drizzle dressing over peppers and serve.

Slightly adapted from Jose Andres.