RECIPE MAGIC!

LIVELY, LUSCIOUS PASTA BOLOGNESE


Bolognese Ragu with sun dried tomatoes and chorizo, it's another reminder of why Fall & Winter are deeply delicious seasons. Let's face it, we're all cutting carbs. And shaving off a bit of our weekly meat consumption, too. But when we crave both, it's always best to make the classics. This Bolognese recipe is the pitch perfect pasta with ground beef, a little lift from Spanish chorizo and the sensuous flavours of sun dried tomatoes. To finish, add generous drizzles of the freshest harvest extra virgin olive oil. Bolognese needs sturdy, thicker pastas (never spaghetti). Pappardelle, rigatoni, tagliatelle, tortellini are great options. It's a simple recipe, takes no more than 20 minutes to prep, then a three hour bake in the oven. No need to stir, or watch. Just take some time off, and then come home to a feast! 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 link Spanish-style chorizo, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tbsp Garlic olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste* 
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 cup Sherry Reserva red wine vinegar (or alternative fruity red wine vinegar)
1 large can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 tbsp sugar
2 bay leaves
1 Parmesan rind (if on hand)
1 lb (package) pasta (long wide/thick pasta like tagliatelle or bucatini; or firm tube pasta like penne or rigatoni)
Parmesan for serving

*For homemade sun dried tomato paste, place 270 ml jar of sun dried tomatoes in seasoned oil in food processor. Add 1 tbsp water if necessary. Process until smooth. 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a Dutch oven heat olive oil. Add chorizo slices, stirring occasionally, until warmed, releasing their own oils. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add garlic and onions, then cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add beef, break up, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Then stir in the tomato paste, sun-dried tomato puree, and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes until a little sticky. Slowly add wine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves, Parmesan rind (if using) and chorizo. Cook to a low boil. Cover and braise in oven for 3 hours. Remove from oven. Remove bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Stir gently to blend. Remove extra oil with baster as necessary. Set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse pasta. Serve pasta in a bowl or plate with rim, then ladle Bolognese sauce over and serve with the best Parmesan and extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Note: For our Bolognese sauce, we've borrowed pretty heavily from David Lebovitz's recipe who in turn borrowed it from Danielle Oron's cookbook: Food You Love But Different. It's glorious!