Sunday, August 02, 2015

Mike Easton's 'Ultimate Bolognese'!


A random scan of recipes threw up a familiar name- Mike Easton. WOOT. The man and I loved Mike Easton's food at Il Corvo the last time we hit up the carbs in Seattle last December. I didn't really want to queue for it, but I would turn up earlier or at odd times to try my luck. That worked.

It was a no brainer to try out Mike Easton's recipe for the 'Ultimate Bolognese' on bon appétit. For good measure, we cross-referenced his suggestion to add chicken liver to the ragù. Zipped down to the butchery to grab all the required ingredients. The man ignored the use of minced pork, opting for a mixture of minced veal and beef, as well as chicken liver. Added loads of pimentos for that touch of spice. After stirring in everything over high fire on the stove, we left the pot in the oven to slow-cook for five hours. #impieCooks2015

Then the ragù was boiled down. Mmmm. Portioned it out for a box in the freezer and a box in the fridge. Cooking for two or three always requires creative usage of the freezer, especially if we don't want to do major cleaning of the kitchen every day. It's easy to thaw out sauces and toss a blob in the pan with the pasta for a quick meal. This is what I call 'instant noodles'. Heating a spoonful of ragù in the microwave oven doesn't quite work. It kinda makes everything taste like cardboard. Since the pasta has to be boiled, I might as well take out a pan, drizzle oil and toss everything in it. Much more joy in eating this meal. A plate of pasta with bits of ragù stirred in is probably as much meat as I would want to eat in a week.

I'm not fond of papardelle unless it's freshly made. Not about to buy a pasta machine to do it. So I stick to store-bought whole-wheat spaghetti or grains of farro and kamut. I'm not sure if that compromises the integrity of the recipe, but the plates churned out were fairly delicious. However, they're nowhere near the magic bowls at Il Corvo.

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