Sundays at the Living Simply home are the one day when we can spend an entire uninterrupted day together. We love going to the farmers market in the village and then Fresh & Easy to do our grocery shopping for the week. I usually try to plan our meals for the week, so we know what groceries to get. But I never plan for Sundays. Sunday is the day when we make sure we have finished all of our food from the previous week, so nothing gets wasted.
This morning, I looked to see what we had left. I was greeted by slim pickings: no leftovers, just 1lb ground beef, carrot & celery sticks, an onion, eggs, bacon, a small piece of angel food cake and 4 slices of stale bread. We always keep staples in the pantry, like rice, pasta, pasta sauce, flour, sugar, cereal, etc. But we were still left with very limited resources. I momentarily ignored the need to plan our meals for the day, french-pressed my morning coffee, and turned on PBS for our Sunday morning cooking shows!
Lidia was in the middle of making something when I tuned in. She was putting carrots, celery and onions in a food processor. Then she added pancetta, and I thought,
I wonder if she's making bolognese? Bolognese!!! Of course!!! It turns out she was making stuffing, but the seed had been planted. I had almost all the ingredients I need to make a kick-ass bolognese sauce!
I have never attempted to make bolognese, but I know what the basic ingredients are, and decided I would take on the challenge. We picked up the few remaining necessary ingredients (basil, garlic, cream) when we went shopping. We found artisan rosemary bread & organic berries on clearance at Fresh & Easy. (FYI- Fresh & Easy reduces the price on food items that are about to expire. If you are planning on using the item the same day, it can be a wonderful way to save money.)
When we returned home from shopping we made a simple yet tasty brunch of eggs and bacon. Then we started to prepare dinner! As usual we used bread leftover from the previous week, to make croutons for the next week. If you have never made your own croutons, you are missing out. They are so easy and delicious. Just cut bread into small cubes, pour about 1 tablespoon of melted butter per slice of bread over the cubes and toss. Sprinkle salt and garlic powder to taste and toss again. Put the bread cubes on a cookie sheet and place in oven preheated to 400. You will know when they are done, usually 10-15 minutes. They get darker and your house starts to smell wonderful.
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| Homemade Croutons, Before & After Baking |
The base of the sauce is pretty easy and can be made in bulk, so you can freeze some for those busy days when you just don't feel like cooking.
Bolognese Base
1 lb ground beef (crumbled, browned & drained)
4oz Italian sausage (crumbled, browned & drained)
4-6 strips of regular bacon or 4 oz of Pancetta (crumbled & cooked, SAVE THE FAT)
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery (peel strings off for best results)
1 cup diced onion (sauteed til soft in 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat)
3-5 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced
6-10 basil leaves, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE, the cream is the glue that holds the sauce together)
All of the above ingredients (except cream) need to be put through a food processor or blender. I processed the meat first, set it aside, then processed the veg. Then I mixed them together. You can process the ingredients however you want, but I found the way I did it to be ideal. After you have mixed the meat & veg in a large bowl, add the cream and stir it in. The base is now complete! It is not the most visually appealing concoction (Mr. LS lovingly called it meat paste), but it is a necessary part of the journey to an amazing bolognese.
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Bolognese Base
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Once you have the base completed, you may freeze it and use it at a later date. Or you can finish making this sauce and enjoy it right away! To complete this sauce, all you need to do is dump the base in a large skillet and add some basic pasta sauce (pomodoro or marinara).
I used about half of a 25oz. jar, but you could use more or less, depending on your tastes. Stir over medium high heat until it bubbles. At this point, I added more cream, but you don't have to. Once the sauce is heated through and bubbling, remove it from the heat. There is very little water left in this sauce and it will reduce down to a very thick mix, too thick to be a good pasta sauce. It's finished! toss with your favorite pasta and then spoon a little more on top for good measure! If you want to get fancy you can garnish with fresh basil and parmesan.
If you have any room left in your tummy after this delicious meal, I suggest something light for dessert. We shared a fresh and cheery springtime treat thanks to those berries that were on clearance.
Spaghetti Bolognese has been a favorite of ours for many years, and I am so upset that I waited so long to try to make it myself at home. Don't make the same mistake I did, try it this week!
