Lasagne Bolognese

Ingredients

Ragu:
1 large carrot
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
4 oz. pancetta
2T olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup red wine
2T double-concentrated tomato paste dissolved in 1cup warm water
1½ cups beef stock
salt & pepper

Besicamella:
8T butter
8T flour
4 cups milk, room temperature
1 tsp. salt
4-5 grinds fresh pepper
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Pasta:
1 pound fresh spinach pasta sheets
½ cup Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

1. Ragu: In a food processor, finely chop the onion, carrots and celery. Set aside.

2. Now in the food processer (no need to wash from Step 1), finely chop the pancetta until it resembles ground pork.

3. In a medium sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil; when warm, add the pancetta and cook about 4 minutes until some of the fat starts to render out. Add the vegetables and cook an additional 4-6 minutes until vegetables are soft.

4. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef; using a spoon, break the meat up into small pieces. Continue stirring and breaking the meat into very small pieces until the meat has cooked evenly, about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the red wine and cook about 2 minutes; add the diluted tomato paste and reduce the heat to a simmer. Every few minutes, give the sauce a stir and add a little of the beef stock so that the sauce stays moist. Cook the sauce for 1-1½ hours until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

6. Besicamella Sauce: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter; add the flour and stir constantly. Cook until light brown and smells like toast, approximately 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the milk while stirring. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until slightly thick, ( it should just coat a wooden spoon) approximately another 4-6 minutes.

8. Season with nutmeg, cheese, salt and pepper.

9. Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Working in batches, blanch a few noodles at a time for 1-2 minutes. Place the cooked noodles into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Remove the noodles from ice bath and place on a single layer on a kitchen towel.

10. Assembly: In an 8x10-inch baking dish, cover the bottom of the pan with thin layer of the besicamella then top with a layer of pasta sheets. Spread 2-3 spoons of the Besicamella on top of the pasta, then add 2-3 spoons of the ragú into a thin layer all over the pasta. Top with a handful of cheese.

11. Continue layering the pasta, besicamella, ragú, and cheese ending with pasta sheet on top. Spread with a little béchamel and sprinkle of cheese.

12. When ready to serve, preheat an oven to 350° F. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes until hot and slightly golden brown.

13. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

TIPS & TRICKS

• I like using a 8 X10 lasagne pan because you end up with 6 or 7 layers of pasta and sauce. But if you can use any size baking dish. You will just need to cut the pasta noodles to fit the size pan and may end up with less layers
• Ragú can be doubled and frozen. It can be also served with tagliatelle pasta noodles.
• Sauces can be made a day or 2 ahead and reheated over low heat before assembling. If the sauces get to thick, thin the besicamella out with a little milk and the ragú with little stock, then blanch the pasta noodles & assemble the lasagne.
• Traditionally this dish is made with green/ spinach pasta noodles but you can use just plain egg pasta.
• Uncooked lasagna can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Before serving remove from the fridge at least an hour to get up to room temperature.
• You can also freeze the uncooked lasagna. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost in the fridge over night.

Chocolate Pearl Cookies

Ingredients

1½-cup walnuts
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

¾ cup/6oz. butter, room temperature
¾ cup golden brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1tsp vanilla
1 egg

1 cup pearl sugar or confectioners sugar

1. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350º F for 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.

2. When cooled, place the toasted walnuts in your food processor, and process until they are finely ground, similar to course sand. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Set aside.

4. In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined.

5. Gradually add the flour- nut mixture, mixing just until incorporated, batter will look thick.

6. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours, or over night.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F.

8. Place the pearl sugar into a small container.

9. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, scoop a teaspoon of the dough into the palm of your hand and roll into a 1-inch ball. Then roll the ball into the pearl sugar coating it well. Place the cookie on to a baking sheet repeat with the remaining dough. Bake at 350º F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

10. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool. Place on platter and enjoy.

TIPS & TRICKS

• The dough can be made and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Once the cookies are baked, they can be refrigerated for a week. They can also be frozen.

• Pearl sugar is this amazing crystalized sugar that doesn’t melt at high temperatures. You can top your favorite cookies or muffins with it. You can purchase it at www.kingarthurflour.com

Carrot, Orange & Turmeric Soup with Shrimp

Ingredients

2T olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and medium dice
3 clove garlic, crushed
1T ground turmeric
2½ lbs. carrots, peeled, and cut into ½ inch dice
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1T orange zest
1 cup fresh orange juice (2 oranges)

2T butter
10 large shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
½ tsp. ground turmeric
salt & pepper
½ cup unflavored Greek yogurt
3T chopped chives

1.    In a large soup pot with a lid over medium heat, add the olive oil, heat, and add the onions and sauté 3-4 minutes until slightly soft.  Add the garlic and turmeric and sauté 1-2 minutes more. 

2.    Add the carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. 

3.    Add the stock, cover with the lid, and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 20-25 minutes.  

4.    Add the orange zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool somewhat.

5.    Puree the soup with an immersion blender or blender until it is smooth and creamy. Adjusted seasoning, as necessary.

6.    In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. With a paper towel pat the shrimp dry.

7.    Add the shrimp and cook until they start to turn pink, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle in the ½ teaspoon turmeric flip, toss the shrimp and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

8.    Reheat the soup before serving and ladle into soup bowls. Top with a dollop of yogurt, the shrimp and a sprinkle of chives. Serve immediately. 

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Soup can be made 2 days in advances.
•    Feel free to top the soup with more shrimp if you wish. 
•    I added 2 tablespoon of whole milk to the yogurt and placed it in a plastic squeeze bottle. Then squeezed it on top of the soup to give a fancy presentation. ☺