Saturday, February 25, 2012
PRAY TELL, WHAT SHALL I HAVE TONIGHT? I KNOW LINGUINI BOLOGNESE A LA SWANSON CHICKEN
My friends at other blogs love to see red, the red I make for them. So tonight I made my mom's Bolognese sauce, also known as succo or ragu. However, I had to use a gimmick in it, that of Swanson canned Chicken as I had no ground beef. Poor Italians always make do with what they have! Other ingredients are carrots, celery, onion, garlic, olive oil, Bay leaf, basil and parsley. I added some Merlot to it as well--well, it was delizioso as I stick my index finger into my cheek and turn. Pray tell, are you seeing red too? If you've ever seen Fr. Z's blog, you know he loves to do this too:
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano , my favorite in the whole wide world:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
Love it Father! LOL!...especially the last photo. Now that's the way to do it! Looks delish too!
WoW Father, looks delicious! Is this the first time that you posted something outside of Catholicsm??
Hey, that Swanson's canned chicken white meat is pretty good. I use it in the chicken burritos and enchiladas I make. I make a couple of different fillings and sauces and the chicken works great!
Yes Vonito I was forced into!
Ppl CRINGE when I mention "canned chicken." But I agree, it is mighty fine.
Bene, bene.
But did Vendage provide you with any honorarium for product placement, Padre?
Not that there's anything wrong with Vendage Merlot (garden variety, supermarket staple), but there are reds,, and then there are REDS.
One might think you could have popped for even a coastal Mondavi or a Napa Coppola!
I see you are channeling your inner Fr. Z
Gallo Burgundy or Merlot. Six bucks a litre...Ripple Red for RCG when he visits. LOL!
Yes, do find a better wine next time. If Vendage is your starting point, this won't be difficult.
A finer wine certainly would be appreciated, however, keep in mind that we poor Italians who drink wine with every meal are quite content with cheap wine for daily consumption. Keep in mind too that my "succo" had Swanson canned chicken in it! That really doesn't deserve a fine wine to wash it down! But I must say that it was bono! In fact I love cold spaghetti (linguini) and just had some a minute or two ago (yes it is 8:15 AM) and I just love it!
Spaghetti (Linguini) is always better the next day, aging improves it greatly!
This thread really deserves another post, but my Vendage Merlot did have a cork on the bottle, not a screw top, although the cork was synthetic, what kind of gimmick is that? Last summer I was in New Orleans with a priest friend of mine eating at Brennans. We ordered a bottle of merlot, but didnt' want to spend an arm and a leg on it so I got the cheapest on the wine menu. The waiter came over with the bottle, showed the label to me and then proceeded to uncork it publicly. Unbeknownst to me and my friend, the bottle we had ordered had a screw top! And yes, as the waiter screwed it off and it made that crack sound, everyone turned and looked at us poor slobs! I must have turned different shades of red which those on other blogs hate seeing.
I like this sort of post. I think it fits very well into the blog. After all we are enjoying the fruit of God's creation with friend, and Christ used a meal for his greatest lesson.
How long did you cook the Bolognese? I have always been intimidated by the cook time, although I will barbecue meat for 12 hours, I guess it's just scary.
rcg
Fr. Allan,
Next time you're out CA way, drop by. Now I'm not sayin' that the ways of the sommelier take a little longer to make their way down south, but the cork v. screwtop has truly become a "non-starter" issue, kinda like arguing over cappa magnas v. rainbow hued stoles- it more or less ignores the content of the bottle.
BTW, loved the humble little glass holding the Vendange; truly Italian.
My sauce never tastes as good as my mothers, but here goes:
1 onion, large
1 normal carrot
2 or 3 gloves of garlic, not minced but simply cut (as much or little as you want)
1 celery stalk
fresh parsley, finely chopped
fresh or dried basil
salt and pepper
olive oil or regular oil
lean ground beef (one lb?)
one can of tomatoes (chopped)
one can of tomato sauce
on small can of tomato paste
place olive oil in sauce pan, heat gently, finely chop onion, carrot, celery and place on stove over medium heat, place garlic in and put lid on until all is cooked to being soft, but be careful not to let the olive oil burn.
Then add the ground beef and allow it to cook with lid on on low heat. Then add tomatoes, sauce and paste and mix, allow it to simmer a bit, then add parsley and basil finely chopped. Add salt and pepper to taste (I also like a little bit of pepper flakes for a hint, only a hint, of heat--but purely optional).
then cook on a low heat, with lid cracked for up to 2 to 4 hours, stirring frequently.
I also find that after you've cooked it, depending on how long you want to, that if you turn the stove off and leave the lid on and led it sit on the stove for a few hours, that an aging goes on that makes it taste even better, just warm it up prior to placing it on your pasta, but not too hot.
And don't forget the bay leaf and add some wine if you wish.
You have the same "zester" as me! I use it for cheese and it works wonders! Buon appetito e benedizion! You are a man of many talents! <><
Post a Comment