Topic: italian food topic

[goncalo]

I'm dying to find a decent ragu/bolognese sauce/enhanced olive oil recipe. Any advice?

Also wondering if anyone knows of any good forum/blogs/[e]books for italian food

Thanks!

[Edwin Catflap]

Hi

This one looks nice, it's by the Irish foody that name dropped cr0

http://toastedspecial.wordpress.com/tag/pasta/

Ed

[Malc.]

Search out Heston Blumenthal's 'Perfect Bolognese'. I do a variation recipe based on it that I put together and it's a staple in our household now. I could post mine if your keen to try it.

[spiceyokooko]

I'm dying to find a decent ragu/bolognese sauce/enhanced olive oil recipe. Any advice?

I use a slightly modified Elizabeth David ragu recipe and the keys to a good bolognese in my opinion are minced chicken livers in with the beef simmered with a star anise and a small swirl of cream or milk at the end of cooking.

[goncalo]

Search out Heston Blumenthal's 'Perfect Bolognese'. I do a variation recipe based on it that I put together and it's a staple in our household now. I could post mine if your keen to try it.

Cool, if you have a link to the original one, please let me know. In any case, I would welcome hearing your recipe!

I'm dying to find a decent ragu/bolognese sauce/enhanced olive oil recipe. Any advice?

I use a slightly modified Elizabeth David ragu recipe and the keys to a good bolognese in my opinion are minced chicken livers in with the beef simmered with a star anise and a small swirl of cream or milk at the end of cooking.

That seems highly elaborate. I can't seem to imagine how a star anise would enhance a bolognese - any recipe?

Also, funny that you mention minced chicken livers. My grandmother always mixed pork and beef when making bolognese and the combination of the 2 meats was fantastic!

[Malc.]

In any case, I would welcome hearing your recipe!

You can mix around with meat, it works really well with lamb/beef or lamb/pork. Also, the longer you cook it, the better it gets.

Hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
500g lean minced beef
250g minced pork
500g fresh tagliatelle
5 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 med carrot, finely chopped

[goncalo]

In any case, I would welcome hearing your recipe!

You can mix around with meat, it works really well with lamb/beef or lamb/pork. Also, the longer you cook it, the better it gets.

Hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
500g lean minced beef
250g minced pork
500g fresh tagliatelle
5 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 med carrot, finely chopped

[Malc.]

Thanks Axe sounds delicious, apart from anchovies and I'll also ommit celery because I don't have it in stock. I trust the remaining ones will still do a great work.

Omitting either will effect the dish as both add a dimension of flavour that is important to it, especially celery which is essential in an Italian sofrito. You could use Worcestershire Sauce in place of the anchovies or use a little re-hydrated dried porcini and the hydrated liquid.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I discovered not too long ago, to my horror, that there are at least two different types of anchovies-in-oil sold in this country; the ones I normally buy (and love) in small pilchard-shape tins with a peel-off lid, and the others in a jar.  I unwittingly added the latter to a boiled egg sandwich and found they were, not to put too fine a point on it, absolutely disgusting.  I returned them to the farm shop whence they came, and Bev explained that what I had bought were /fresh/ anchovies, whilst what I normally ate were smoked.  Has anyone else encountered these two distinct varieties ?

** Phil.

[Malc.]

I've never experienced a smoked anchovy only the regular cured either stored in oil or salted. I don't know too much about them to really comment, i'm afraid. Wiki mentions the milder white version which is in vinegar, was this what you had?