Bolognese Sauce - Authentically from Northern Italy!

There are many versions of Bolognese sauce available. Most of them are variations of meat/tomato sauce recipes. They come no where close to being the real thing. A real Bolognese should not be tomatoey or red! It is brown in color. My Nonna and Aunt in Italy made the real thing! The best Bolognese sauce! I loved it so much, I remember how she took great care in showing me how to make it. I was only twelve years old at the time, but I never forgot the ingredients. It was the measurements I gradually forgot over the years. So I've played and played with the recipe and I think I've managed to finally get it right. Here is my version! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups diced Onion
3/4 cup diced Celery
2 1/2 lb Ground Beef or Veal or a mixture of both
3/4 cup Dry White Wine
1 1/2 cups Beef Stock
2 tbsp chopped Parsley
Parmigiano-Reggiano
3/4 cup diced Carrot
3 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 1/2 tbsp minced Garlic
1 cup milk
1 lb Pasta (cooked to al dente)
Olive Oil

ButterSalt & Pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter on medium until the butter is melted and blended. 

Stir in the chopped celery, carrot, onion, salt and pepper.
Cook until all the vegetables are nice and carmelized. 
Raise the temperature on the burner and then add all the meat,

Let it brown, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. 

Add the tomato paste and stir and blend it in. Let it cook for a few more minutes. 

Add garlic with wine and cook to reduce for several minutes.
Add the beef stock and turn heat down to low.
Cook, partly covered, and let the liquid evaporate. 
That's when to add the milk and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or so. 
Add a touch more milk as the sauce reduces.
Stir in parsley.
Season with sea salt and pepper before serving.
It is traditionally served on tagliatelli pasta or penne - a hearty pasta that can bear the weight of the sauce.  

Garnish with the real parmiggiano/reggiano cheese and serve. 

Chicken Breasts in Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Thai style sweet chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 boneless chicken breast halves (or you can use an equivalent amount of chicken tenders)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Pound chicken breast to an even thickness.

In a small bowl, combine the sweet chili sauce, mustard, and lemon juice, set aside.

Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat, when foam cooks down, add chicken breast.

Cook 5 minutes on each side.

Add 1 tbs. water and shake skillet to loosen browned chicken bits.

Push chicken to one side of skillet.

Add sweet chili sauce mixture.

Shake to coat the chicken with the sauce.

Cook until the sauce is reduced to just a glaze. (30-40 seconds).

Transfer chicken to a serving dish and serve with vegetables and rice.

Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole

This is a fantastic tasting lazy cabbage roll casserole dish.  A family friend used to make it for lunch during the horse shows we used to compete at.  The recipe was raved about by everyone.  Sorry, but like all handed down family recipes, the ingredients are never exact.  But no matter how much you use of any particular ingredient, you can never go wrong.

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Cook hamburger, bacon, and onions.  Don't drain.  (I always use extra lean ground beef!)

Cook 3 cups of rice to 3 cups water.  Let set and then mix in 1 large can of tomato soup.  Add to the hamburger mixture.

Place a layer of tomato soup in the bottom of a pan  Then put on 1 layer of bacon and 1 layer of cabbage.  Next place haburger and rice mixture over the cabbage. 

Put the rest of the cabbage on top.  Cover with tomato soup.  Place bacon on the very top.

Cook slowly (270 degrees for 4 hours and then 350 degrees to finish.

Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love mac and cheese on a cold winter day.

12 ounces of cooked noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black peper
2 cups grated Velveeta or Asiago or Fontina or Provolone (you get the idea)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
Parsley

Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Mix all ingredients and toss onto pasta.  Sprinkle with more cheese on the top.

Try adding some ham, broccoli, peas, mixed veggies, or anything else you think would go well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Beef Stew

This is my family's favourite beef stew recipe. And this is a great time of the year to have a big pot of it boiling on your stove.

2 1/2 pounds beef for stew
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup salad oil
1 large onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
3 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes in water or 4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 medium potatoes cut in chunks
8 carrots cut in chunks
2 turnips cut in chunks
1 10 ounce package frozen peas

1. Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Coat stew beef with flour. Reserve leftover flour. Heat oil in 6 quart dutch oven over medium-heat.

2. Brown meat all over in oil, a few pieces at a time. Remove pieces as they brown. Reduce heat to medium.

3. To drippings in pan, add onion and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring until onion is almost tender. Stir in reserved flour.

4. Gradually add water, bouillion/broth, salt, Worcestershire, pepper. Cook, stirring until mixture is slightly thickened.

5. Add meat; heat to boiling, stirring Reduce heat to low. Cover, simmer 2 1/2 hours until almost tender, stirring occasionally.

6. Add potato, carrot, and turnip. Over medium heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

7. Stir in frozen peas, cover and simmer 5 to 10 minugtes or untail all the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Mirella's Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts

This is a long time family favourite and very simple and healthy to make.

3 lbs chicken breast

Lemon Sauce:2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 to 5 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Place chicken breasts in a 9 x 11 casserole dish. Salt and pepper both sides. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Remove foil. Return to oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes.

Best Ever Meatloaf

It's pretty hard to go wrong when making a meatloaf. Here's my tried and true fabulous meatloaf:

Meatloaf:

2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup oatmeal or 3 slices of bread torn
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup shredded cheese (I usued an aged cheddar)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Topping:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf and form into two loaf pans.

Mix all the ingredients for the topping.

Set aside half of the topping.

Pour the remainder over the two loaves.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush more topping over the loaves.
Bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush remaining topping over the loaves.
Bake for another 15 minutes.

Sukiyaki Beef Bowl

This has been one of my family's favourite recipes for as long as I can remember. It's easy to make, and even if you change vegetables, it always turns out wonderfully.

I have to avoid the mushrooms due to a family alergy so I use frozen peas instead. I often include red peppers too. It's always tasty served on some hot rice and is a good keeper in the fridge.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound sirloin steak cut into strips
2 onions coarsely choopped
2 bunches green onion cut in 3 inch pieces
3 stalks celery cut diagonally
1 (15 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sloiced
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup soyal sauce
1 cup beef stock

Heat butter in frypan until foamy. Brown beef on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

To frypan add onions, green onions, celery, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Stir in sugar, soya sauce, and beef broth.

Simmer for 5 minuytes then serve with rice. Makes 3 to 4 servings.