Santa Sammi, or Two Versions of a Bolognese

As Jeremy, Craig and I were enjoying our recent feast of treats from Whole Foods Market, and tasting their easy-to-prepare gnocchi [NYOH-kee], I started pontificating about the different styles of this classic dish.

Many people know about the dumplings, which are readily available in grocery stores. But there is also a Roman version, made of either farina or cornmeal, which is baked rather than boiled. I know - the little minutiae that take up space in my brain! Don't ever ask me anything practical, like how to jump a car battery. But I can chat for days about such esoteric matters as linguistics, art history, and regional cooking styles!

So anyway .... As we ate, I promised to make the Roman variety of gnocchi, which are akin to a cheesy polenta, to show the difference.  And here they are!

The substantial gnocchi require a topping that's sturdier than a marinara sauce, which is better suited to something delicate like angel hair pasta. And so it occurred to me that I should make a sauce in honor of Craig's dog, Sammi, pictured above as a puppy (he's now 13). His breed and the sauce I chose share a name and a place of origin: Bolognese [boh-lohn-YAY-say], from the city of Bologna [boh-LOHN-yuh].

Because the Italians are as obsessive about their food as the French are about their mother tongue - remember the Académie Française, devoted to regulating the language into submission, an impossibly Sisyphean task - there is an "official" version of Ragù Bolognese. According to Wikipedia:

In 1982 the Italian Academy of Cuisine (Accademia Italiana della Cucina), an organization dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of Italy, recorded and deposited a recipe for "classic Bolognese ragù" with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce (La Camera di Commercio di Bologna). A version of the academy's recipe for American kitchens was also published. The academy's recipe confines the ingredients to beef from the plate section (cartella di manzo), fresh, unsmoked pancetta (pancetta di maiale distesa), onions, carrot, celery, passata (or tomato purée), meat broth, dry wine (red or white, not sparkling), milk, salt and pepper. The option of adding a small amount of cream at the end of the preparation is recommended.

My version isn't an exact replica of the authorized one, but does feature all of the required ingredients: the pork fat, beef, vegetables, wine, tomato, and milk. And it's very, very good!

Have a lovely and very merry Christmas, with lots of good food! I wish you many blessings and much happiness ... :)

Be sure to stop by and visit on Wednesday, for my "Top 10 of 2012" post - the best things I've eaten all year!

Roman Gnocchi with Ragù alla Bolognese

Gnocchi
(adapted from a recipe for Roman Gnocchi in From a Monastery Kitchen by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette)

• 4 cups milk
• generous pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Heat milk, nutmeg, and salt in a large saucepan over high heat just until it's almost boiling; turn heat down to medium-low. Slowly stir in cornmeal, in small increments; stir for 5 minutes until thickened. One by one, stir in eggs; then stir in cheese.

Grease a 9"x13" baking pan. Pour cornmeal mixture into the pan, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill it and let it firm up.

Preheat oven to 425F. Cut into the cornmeal and score it into 2" squares; bake for 30 minutes or so, until firmed and golden at edges.

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons bacon fat
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 large carrot, chopped fine
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• generous sprinkling freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups milk

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the bacon fat over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, carrot, and celery; cook for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and Italian seasoning; cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and are just starting to turn golden.

Add the beef and pork; brown the meats, then drain the mixture. Add the wine and the tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add a generous splash of milk, stir in, and cook for 5 minutes. Add more milk in this same fashion, every 5 minutes or so, until all the milk has been incorporated. Cook on low heat for 15 more minutes.

To serve: Place 4-5 gnocchi onto a plate and top with sauce, then top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Beef Stroganoff - Progresso Recipe Starter

I received a very generous gift last week, that couldn't have come at a better time. Progresso has a new line of products, called Recipe Starters; they're prepared sauces which only need the addition of meat, vegetables, maybe a pinch of this or that ... et voilà! Dinner is served.

In the height of the final crush at work before the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, which just ended last night, and the upcoming Yom Kippur and Sukkot), I've worked long hours and 6-day weeks. Dinner has not exactly been a priority! Potato chips and blue cheese dip had become standard fare. Yeah, I know better; I have lots of fruits and vegetables on hand, I have a beloved crockpot ... it just wasn't happening.

So along came the big box of dinner assistance - yay!!! I sauteed, chopped just a bit, stirred, and sat down to a lovely hot dinner of Beef Stroganoff. Jeremy helped me to polish it off, and we both ate very well with minimal fuss.

I still love my chips 'n' dip, but a hearty, substantial meal was really, really nice ... :)


Our giveaway winner for tickets to Saturday night's CRUSH Birmingham, the fundraiser for The Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, is Paul Kittle - Mazal Tov!!!


Check 'em out on AnnArbor.com:
Yesterday: Brown Sugar Baked Bananas
Today: Raspberry Coffee Cake


Beef Stroganoff à la Progresso

• 1-1/4 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 roasted garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 ounces small white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 18-ounce can Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy Portabella Mushroom Cooking Sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• generous splash of Tabasco sauce
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• prepared noodles, for serving

In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef over medium heat; drain.  Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms; saute until vegetables are tender.

Combine Progresso cooking sauce, salt, pepper, mustard and Tabasco sauce; pour over ground beef and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, to thicken sauce a bit.  Stir in sour cream and cook 5 more minutes.

Place noodles onto a serving platter, then top with stroganoff.

Serves 4-6.

Red Chorizo Chili and an Invitation

Come join the frivolity at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's annual Chili Cook-Off! It's being held on Sunday, February 12 from 12-3 p.m. at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. They're looking for more participants, and now is the time to sign up if you'd like to be a competitor.

This is one of the best events I go to, with lots of food, fun, festivity, a bit of foolishness ... and beer! Chili and beer - what else do you need on a cold winter afternoon?

So register to bring a large pot of your very best chili, as well as some festive decor for your table (I used mardi gras beads strung with rubber chickens last year), and compete with the best chili artisans we have to offer in this area.

Come show off for the judges ... 'cause I'm one of them!

Show me what you've got! Vegetarian chili with lots of vegetables? Chili made with beans or without - the never-ending debate? Chili made with chicken or pork? Chili that will sear my lipstick off? Chili that's thick enough to eat off a corn chip? Chili with a secret ingredient? C'mon - bring it!

If you'd like to get registered as a contestant, email Suzi at manager@a2ct.org. She's wonderful - she'll offer you a hearty welcome and send you all the information you need.

If you're not up for the challenge of competing but want to attend, mingle and schmooze, you're more than welcome. You can come to the cook-off and buy samples to support the cause, but there's no need to make reservations for that part. Just be sure you put it on your calendar now, so you don't forget.

The Cook-Off is loud and it's lots of fun - go email Suzi and get registered!

And in the meantime, here's a great recipe to warm you on a cold evening and inspire your own visions of award-winning chili. Jeremy thinks it's the best chili I've ever made; good thing I'm judging this year and not competing with this entry, huh?


Red Chorizo Chili

1/4 pound fresh chorizo
3/4 pound ground beef
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 large green onions, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 ounces tomato paste
6 ounces chili sauce
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
generous splashes cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 cup beer
miscellaneous accompaniments (sour cream, cheese, corn chips, etc.)

In a large saucepan, brown the chorizo and ground beef over medium heat; drain, then return to saucepan. Add yellow pepper, all 3 types of onions, corn, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin seed and salt; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to medium-low; cook for 20 minutes.

The chili is great served immediately, but - of course! - even better if you can wait a day or so to let the flavors blend.

Serves 4-6.

Runza Bites for the Michigan-Nebraska Game

One of my favorite blogging buddies - Jenn of Jenn's Food Journey - grew up in Nebraska, is a tremendous football fan, and is one of the kindest, friendliest, most vivacious people! Her joy and charm shine through in her posts, which you'll see as you keep reading.

On Saturday, #20 Michigan will welcome #17 Nebraska to The Big House; this will be Nebraska's first visit to Ann Arbor as members of the Big Ten. So, in honor of what will undoubtedly be an excellent match-up between these two teams who are both coming off wins last week, Jenn and I are celebrating by doing guest posts on each other's blogs!

You can find my recipe for Cheesy Cornbread at Jenn's Food Journey. It's easy to make, moist but still crumbly, has great flavor, and is perfect for tailgating; it's great with chili, salads ... almost anything.

And Jenn has offered a fabulous recipe - from her amazing mom, no less, who is an exceptional cook! - for a quintessential Nebraska food.

I'll let Jenn take over from here ... :)


Hello all you lovely Food Floozie followers! I'm Jenn with Jenn's Food Journey and I am very excited and honored to be doing a guest post here on Mary's blog. I adore her and her yummy posts, so this is sort of like having your favorite band/artist ask you to jump up on stage and play a few riffs on the bass guitar with them!! When she told me her idea of having me guest post on her tailgating post day in honor of the Nebraska/Michigan game, I didn't hesitate one minute. "Of course I'll get up on stage and jam with you.. you're a rock star!!"

Ok, feet back on the ground - we can now talk about food :)

I grew up in a small (very small) town in eastern Nebraska. In Nebraska, you only know one thing this time of year: HUSKER football!! And there is nothing like being in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska on a college football Saturday, let me tell you. Growing up I took pride in being a Husker fan - I still do.

There was only one time in my life when I cheered for another college football team and you know who they were? Any guess at all? Well, this might surprise most people, but it was the mighty Blue, the Michigan Wolverines!! Seriously ... I would not lie!! I think it had something to do with their colors more than their actual football team, but I can honestly say I was a fan, if only for a brief moment. So this post is even extra special to me!

One thing you can get at Memorial Stadium is one of my all time favorite things from Nebraska: a Runza sandwich! (YUM!) Unless you have lived in Nebraska, Kansas, or Iowa, I don't really expect you to know what I'm talking about, but Runzas are these deliciously warm yeast bread pockets stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, onion, cabbage and spices. It is a food that definitely defines growing up in Nebraska, so I thought what better thing to share with you than a smaller little three or four bite version of this for your next tailgating event.

I simplified things by using refrigerated pizza dough and, in all honesty, there wasn't that much of a difference in the final product. The dough wasn't as sweet as the dough for the real thing, but hey, sometimes a little less sweet isn't always bad!

So here's to the Huskers and the Wolverines - may the game be filled with excitement which only college football can bring!!! And thank you once again to Mary - Hope you all enjoy this tasty little treat straight from my home state!

Runza Bites
(Adapted from a recipe passed down to me from my mom)

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)
3/4 lbs ground beef (80/20 or higher)
1/2 a sweet onion
1/2 a head of cabbage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Directions:

Roughly chop the onion and cabbage. Place the onion in the food processor and pulse until minced; place on a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and set aside. Place the cabbage into the food processor and pulse until shredded. Dump onto plate or piece of wax paper and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink in the middle, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the olive oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute until softened and just starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the butter and the shredded cabbage. Heat until cabbage starts to wilt (stirring occasionally), about 3-4 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir to combine. Return the beef back into the skillet and stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Sprinkle some flour onto your counter and lay out the pizza dough. You'll want to roll it a bit thinner with a rolling pin - roll to about half its thickness. Cut 3"x3" squares. Place a tablespoon or more of the beef mixture into the middle of the square and fold edges over and seal. Place onto a greased cookie sheet; continue until all squares are full.

Preheat oven according to pizza dough package directions - I set mine at 425 degrees F for 14 minutes. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until pockets are golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes (inside contents will be hot) and enjoy!