orecchiette bolognese

ingredients:

ground beef
ground pork
bacon
garlic
shallots
onions
carrots
sweet basil
red wine
heavy cream
canned san marzano tomatoes
tomato paste
red pepper flakes
dried oregano
nutmeg
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
orecchiette

directions:

1.  prepare the mise en place.  finely mince the shallots, garlic, onion, carrot, and bacon.

2.  mix the ground beef and pork together.

3.  slowly render bacon bits in pot.  after bacon fat has rendered, turn heat on high and saute the ground meat.

4.  when meat is nicely browned, add in the carrots, garlic, shallot, onion, a pinch of chili flakes, some dried oregano, and season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

5.   after a few minutes, add in some red wine and the tomatoes.

6.  simmer the sauce on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.  then add a pinch of nutmeg, a splash of red wine, a dash of heavy cream, and the basil.

7.  while the sauce is reducing, cook the orechiette in salted water.

8.  drain the orecchiette and spoon into a big serving bowl.  top with the meat sauce, garnish with more basil and serve immediately.  (freshly grated parmesan optional)

giblet ravioli with tomato sauce, arugula, and white truffle oil

yes, yes, i know the word "giblet" sounds funny.  giblet ravioli.  it's good!  this is a great recipe to use up any leftovers from the previous recipe and change it into something different.

ingredients:

liver sauce, reduced so there's no more liquid (see previous recipe)
green pasta sheets (see previous recipe)
egg
garlic
arugula
canned roma tomatoes
1 can marinara sauce
white wine
red chili flakes
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
sugar

1.  roll out a green pasta sheet and brush egg wash over the sheet.  make raviolis by spooning a bit of the liver mixture about an inch and a half apart and top the liver filling with another pasta sheet.  press firmly around the edges and cut raviolis out.  i just used a glass tumbler upside down like a cookie cutter to cut the ravioli.  you're welcome to use a ravioli cutter, pizza cutter, whatever works.  set aside.

2.  in a large pan, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and saute garlic with some red chili flakes.  then add in the remaining chicken liver mixture and saute over high heat for 3 minutes or so.

3.  deglaze the pan with white wine.  stir sauce.

4.  add the marinara to the sauce and then using your hands, crush the roma tomatoes and add to the sauce.  let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.  season to taste with salt, cracked black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

5.  cook raviolis in a large pot of salted boiling water.  meanwhile, fold the arugula into the tomato sauce.

to plate:  carefully place some ravioli in the center of a white plate.  top raviolis with some of the tomato sauce and drizzle with white truffle oil.  top with some parmesan cheese if desired.  serve immediately.

the picture above shows the ravioli cut so you can see the filling.

quinoa vegetable soup

ingredients:

beef marrow bones
pork bones
chicken bones
veal stock
chicken broth
kale
yukon gold potato
yellow onion
garlic
carrots
celery ribs
baby portabello mushrooms
corn
roma tomatoes
tomato paste
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
red chili flake (optional)

directions:

1.  boil all the soup bones with veal stock and water.  lightly season with salt and black pepper.

2.  cook the quinoa in the rice cooker the same way you would cook rice.  use chicken broth instead of water.

3.  prepare your mise en place.  chop the garlic, onions, carrots, celery ribs, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, and kale.  cut the kernels off the corn and dice the potatoes into chunks.

3.  remove the bones from the stock.  add in all the vegetables except for the kale.  season with salt, black pepper, and some tomato paste.  (chili flake optional if you like spice)

4.  remove the meat from the pork and beef bones, especially the tendons attached to the beef bones.  chop up the meat and add it into the vegetable soup.  discard the chicken bones.

5.  cook the soup until all the ingredients have time to develop flavor.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.  cook the kale for a minute or two in the soup before serving.

to plate:

1.  put some quinoa in the bottom of a bowl.  ladle soup over quinoa and finish with a few grinds of black pepper.  serve immediately.

crab and shrimp vermicelli, roma tomato, roe filled fish balls, thai basil

ingredients:

crab paste in soy bean oil
shrimp paste in soy bean oil
fish balls with roe - you can buy them at ranch 99
eggs
chicken broth
roma tomatoes, cubed
bean sprouts
thai basil
scallions
cilantro
lemon wedges
rice vermicelli
noodles
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  in a big soup pot, heat up chicken broth and cubed tomatoes to a boil.
2.  beat 2-3 eggs in a bowl and add two huge spoonfuls of both the crab and shrimp paste. mix together.
3.  when the chicken broth is boiling, slowly pour in egg/crab/shrimp mixture. after egg mixture comes together and is cooked in the broth, throw in the fish balls and reduce heat to a medium flame. season with salt.
4.  heat up another pot of salted water and cook vermicelli noodles.
5.  prepare side accompaniments. blanch the bean sprouts, cut lemon wedges, pick basil leaves, chope the cilantro, and slice the scallions.
6.  when noodles are cooked, put a moundful in the bottom of a bowl. top with hot soup and garnish with side accompaniments. serve immediately.

 *you can dip with fish balls in hoisin sauce and siracha. it's reallllly good.