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Northern Italian Meat Sauce Recipe

3 slices bacon, cut up

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal or ground pork

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cut up

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup snipped parsley

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup dry white wine

Hot cooked spaghetti

How to make Northern Italian Meat Sauce

In large saucepan or Dutch oven cook bacon till crisp. Add ground beef and ground veal or ground pork; cook till meat is browned.
Drain off fat.If desired, press undrained tomatoes through sieve. Add undrained tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, tomato paste, bouillon granules, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to meat mixture. Stir in wine and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or till desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving, stir 1/3 cup light cream or milk into the hot sauce, if desired.

I have been studying the Northern Italian region lately in an attempt to acclimate myself for my upcoming trip to Italy. That said, I wanted to see what the “big deal” was for Northern Vs. Southern food. I’m learning quickly that they are a much leaner and more vegetable based than the South. There seems to be a lack of the heavy feeling that the Southern food takes on. Being an aficionado of fettuccine alfredo myself, I still find that I don’t miss the richness in this recipe. In fact the bacon gives it that, forgive me for saying it, hint of grease, that makes this dish great.

I personally made the pasta myself when making this dish. It’s a formidable experience to do so, but well worth the effort when you want to learn something new. I think making the pasta brought a lovely lesson in and of itself. I think next time I will try ravioli with meat inside along with this sauce. The carrot and celery provided a lovely “beef stew” kind of feel to it, it’s definitely more home-style feeling than the spaghetti sauces I ‘ve had before. I used ground pork this time, enjoy yours with the veal option as well.

and the great part? you have a glass of wine while it simmers. Molto bene!

How to Cook a Steak

Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, garlic powder, onion powder and white pepper over your steaks 1 hour prior to cook-‘em-up time.

Get your cast iron skillet and drop a tablespoon of butter in the bottom. Place on oven at high – make the butter steam types of high!

Drop steaks in. Cook 90 seconds a side. Transfer steaks to a 250 degree oven and cook until done.

• 125-130 Degrees: Rare to Medium Rare
• 130-140 Degrees: Medium Rare to Medium
• 140-150 Degrees: Medium to Medium Well
• 150 Degrees and up: Well Done

Simple food done simply. Learn these things. They carry you through. Serve this with easy sides – sauteed mushrooms, baked potatoes. Good french bread. Enjoy!

Spice for the Soul

Taco Soup

2 lbs of ground beef

1 package of taco seasoning

1 package of ranch seasoning

2 cans of black beans, undrained

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 can of RoTel (any heat level)

1 can of corn

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper diced

Brown ground beef with onion and peppers until cooked through. Add remaining ingredients. Heat through.

Serve with this with tortilla chips and cheddar. Or with good Mexican farmers cheese, red onion and cilantro. Mexican crema is very good stirred in - even mozzerella.

I've added green chiles into this, also added chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Try new flavors, in a pinch I had peach salsa instead of the RoTel...there's always little tweaks!

Versatility Heaven!

Rice Salad

1 avocado, sliced
1 cup white rice, cooked
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of RoTel rained
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded


Mix all ingredients and serve.

This is an extremely good dish for leftover chicken or a 2nd stab at taco night. Very simple items. I've added some light sour cream, even ranch dressing instead of an avocado. Other good items are cotija cheese, corn, sliced jalapenos or roasted red peppers.

Why do we call it Swiss?

Swiss Steak

1 lb of thin round steak
1 onion sliced thin
2 green peppers, sliced into strips
1 bottle of chili sauce

Fry steaks in a pan. Add onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add chili sauce and add water to thin out.

This is another Mom recipe. It must, MUST, be served with canned peas and mashed potatoes. You spoon the sauce over those as well. Most of the time, this meal ends up being a mixed pile on my plate rather than something that is civilized. This is good ol' Northern comfort food.

As a kid I used to sit in the corner of the kitchen and watch my mom cook on a stove that was retro yellow color. It had a light on and as she pan fried the steaks I'd watch her. I still remember the sound of the mixer on the potatoes... it's a good memory of Mom and growing up. Enjoy!

Opa!

Pastitsio

1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
SAUCE:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain macaroni.

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, egg and Parmesan cheese; set aside. For sauce, in a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese.

In a greased 3-qt. baking dish, spread half of the macaroni mixture. Top with beef mixture and remaining macaroni mixture. Pour sauce over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I cannot tell you what a change up on lasagna this is! The spices make it a little more adult, the white sauce makes it a little more comfort food. I did this with a greek salad and thick ciabiatta bread and called it a night.

Don't know greek salad? Easy stuff - lettuce, black or kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini (i.e. the infamous peppers that come with the delivery pizza), feta cheese. Additionally, red or green bell pepper or croutons are nice.

However, if you really want to delve into greek cooking, and you should, there's not a dish I've hated yet - then try moussaka - which is very similar to this dish omitting the pasta and white sauce for eggplant and more tomatoes.

There's also the option to do spinach or roasted potatoes with this. I put a little seasoning salt and pepper, lemon juice and oil and let the potatoes go into the oven at a high heat until their done. Spinach with a little feta and sauteed onion mixed in is also a nice accompaniment.

Enjoy!

You Taste It. You Like it Eh?

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb round steak, cubed
1/2 stick of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 package of wide egg noodles, cooked
1 can of mushroom stems and pieces 4oz
16oz sour cream

Saute onion and steak until cooked through. Add remaining ingredients - stir to combine.

This is another Mom recipe. I can't remember the sides for this though. It varied. I remember my dad putting alot of salt and pepper on it. It was always in this huge pot on the table with her ladle. I have the plates that she served it on (I'm a huge plate shopping fiend) and have fond memories of smelling it cook.

Fill Your Boots

Calves Liver and Onion and Bacon

8-12 rashers rindless, dry-cured streaky bacon
700g calves’ or lambs’ liver, thinly sliced
25g plain flour, seasoned (1/5 of a cup)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the onion gravy:
25g unsalted butter (2 Tbsp)
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
600ml home-made or fresh beef stock (2 1/3 Cups)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp English mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Make the gravy. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onions and sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20-30 minutes until very soft and nicely browned.

Stir in the flour and cook for a few seconds, then slowly add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and thyme leaves. Season, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high. Grill the bacon until crisp and golden, then keep hot. Season the liver on both sides, then lightly coat in the seasoned flour, patting off the excess.

Put half the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Fry half the liver for 30 seconds each side, until browned but pink and juicy in the centre. Lift onto a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the oil and liver.

Before you say "OH MY GOD! Not LIVER!" try this. Seriously. I grew up on liver and onions as a kid. I love them. I know they have a taste to them that some people can't take. But there is nothing better than the smell of this cooking.

This particular recipe however is English and is fabulous. I never had the bacon portion as a kid, but the smoky flavor truly heightens the dish.

Side dishes for this are set - peas with a bit of mint and a knob of butter. And perfectly creamy mashed potatoes. Bit of heavy cream and again a proper knob of butter.

This is also fantastic the next day with a little butter on bread. It's a great sandwich as it's thin.

Enjoy this in the fall, it's a warmer!

Polished Polish

Halupki 1 cup uncooked instant rice 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 1 - 2 heads of cabbage 1 bottle of Heinz chili sauce 1 link of Polish Keilbasa sausage, cut into 2" pieces 2 cans of sauerkraut 2 T. vegetable oil Salt & Pepper Take off outer leaves of cabbage and boil about 12 - 15 leaves until soft. Drain delicately and set aside. Saute onion until soft in oil. In a bowl mix with uncooked rice and raw meat. Taking a cabbage leave, roll ground beef mixture like an eggroll. (See diagram at left). Repeat with remaining leaves and mixture. In a large pot, layer 1/2 a can of sauerkraut and 1/4 bottle of chili sauce. Lay halupki rolls on top of the sauerkraut, adding 1/2 link of the sausage in between. Layer more sauerkraut, chili sauce and more rolls, sausage. Top with the rest of the sauerkraut and chili sauce. Add 1 "chili sauce bottle's worth" of water to the pot. Let simmer until all is cooked through (at least an hour....but the longer, the better!!!) adding water as necessary if it dries out.

This is quintessential Polish food. My mom makes them. My grandmother makes it for Easter. It's at weddings with fried chicken. They have dinners of them at the church (see that woman above, picture clones of her en mass making these). This is Pennsylvania's version of the southern barbecue or chicken dinner. This is it. And it's fantastic. FYI, they are also called Golabki, I guess it depends which side of the tracks you're on!

At first, it sounds like it's an odd flavor combination - the acidity between the sauerkraut and tomatoes is quite alot. But for some reason it works. Please make sure to use full fat ground beef as the fat does tend to cut this and help it.

Oh man, how do you serve it? Most easily with mashed potatoes. (Little bit of milk, little pat of butter mixed in.) But on my Grandmother's easter table it's with fried chicken, pasta salad, salad, green beans, aforementioned mashed potatoes, etc...basically it's every which way!

This stuff makes leftovers BEAUTIFULLY. It's like gumbo, even better the next day!

For an "easier" but not as fabulous version, and probably sacrilege to my Polish/Czech ethnic standing, grab a crock pot. Forget the rolling. Precook your ground beef and rice and onion, mix it. Layer the sauerkraut, chili, cooked cabbage, ground beef, repeat. Like a lasagne. Leave it on all day and continue to add water. Shhh, just don't tell my grandma.

Pot of Gold

Irish Stout Beef Stew

4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (14.9 ounces) Irish stout beer
10 garlic cloves, sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen baby peas, thawed


Preheat oven to 350. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, toss beef with flour; stir in tomato paste. Add potatoes, onions, broth, beer, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Transfer pot to oven, and cook, covered, until meat is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in peas, and season with salt and pepper.

It's obvious who's recipe this is. And before the world's start to rain me with insults for liking the woman - she's my idol. I love Martha Stewart. Economically speaking, I can appreciate any woman who's worked her way into that sort of net worth. I mean come on, do you see her success? It's staggering? And who goes to jail and comes out even better? HELLO!

She can cook, clean, sew, craft, wedding, she can do it all. And she knew the market and grabbed onto it with gusto. I can't rave about her enough. For the purposes of this food blog, I'll let the recipe speak for itself.

This soup S C R E A M S Autumn Dinner on the weekend. It requires nothing more than a fantastic soft French bread and REAL butter and of course, a beer. It's simple and warms you. I love soups of all times, but today's reason is that I'm home sick and in bed and need tos tay awake so I can sleep tonight. So here I am, blogging.

Enjoy it. It's a heart and soul warmer.

Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

2 chopped green bell peppers
1 small (6 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 large (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 lb of ground beef
1 cup of instant rice, uncooked

Mix ground beef and rice (both uncooked) along with green bell pepper and large can of tomato sauce in a greased 8x8 pyrex dish. Spread evenly through pan. Top with small can of tomato sauce. Cover with foil. Bake @ 350 degrees until cooked through - about 45 minutes.

This recipe is another one of mom's. Must go with canned corn and butter bread. Don't even consider cutting carbs here. It's the only way to go. It also lends well to making ahead and freezing before you cook it. It works with ground turkey too if you want to cut calories.

This is one of those dishes from my childhood that I remember was a great fall dish. I remember sitting in the corner of my parents kitchen, watching mom cook. I remember the little yellow pot that she had to put the corn on to cook. I remember the little vintage-y white pyrex dish that she cooked the casserole in.

Dad sometimes brought mom the bread from the Mrs. Baird's store. Rianbow bread was a special thing. Forget flowers, that stuff was tops. We'd put margarine on that and rock out. On "special" occasions, we'd put garlic powder on and microwave the bread. As a middle class kid, that was pretty cool to us.

That yellow pan for corn. Mom got rid of it later. That was one of the pans I wanted when she goes to the big kitchen in the sky. I miss it already, it had a wobbly handle, but fit perfectly on the smaller burner. Shame it's gone.

Oh my my....Spasketti Pie

New York Spaghetti Pie

8 oz Spaghetti
2 eggs
1/4c grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2c chopped green bell pepper
1/3c chopped onion
1 lb. Italian Bulk Sausage
1 6oz can of Tomato Paste
1 c Water
4 oz sliced mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break spaghetti in half and cook in salted water until barely tender. Beat eggs, add parmesan, toss with spaghetti. Put the spaghetti mixture in greasted 10-inch pie pan. Melt butter or margarine in a medium skillet; add green pepper and onion, saute for 5-7 minutes. Do not brown. Add sour cream to vegetables, mix and spoon over spaghetti. Cook sausage; drain off grease. Add tomato paste mixed with water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon tomato sauce over sour cream mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut cheese in strips and arrange over top. Return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Note: Make two and freeze one.

*Cook spaghetti now or use spaghetti you have prepared and frozen.
Serves 6

Another Mom recipe. The picture this time is the actual page of the book that my mother has been cooking out of for years. I've already put dibs on this piece of literature when she dies. It's a nameless cookbook, but several of her dishes come from this book.

I have a fond memory of my mother putting taco seasoning into this dish on accident. I never read the recipe, but I don't even know why should would have been doing that. I remember there being a spatula and lots of giggling involved in the process. and her trademark "Ohhh, Lesley...look what I didddddd". Messing up recipes counts as cooking, the memories are classics for me.

No set sides for this one, we didn't have it a ton, as you can see it required quite a bit of prep. But if it were mine now, I'd say salad and bread. It's fantastically vintage housewife food - everything fits nicely into the pie and you can get yourself together just in your best dress prior to hubby getting home! ;)