Miscellaneous Wednesday

You never know who will get in on this argument.

As I look to which recipe to re-boot for today, the choice was easy but it got me to pondering the age old question, is it sauce or gravy?  There are so many of you right now thinking "what", but truly this is the source of many a heated discussion, not to mention major brawls.  Of course depending on where you live always plays a part on the name of the red stuff that goes on top of the pasta every Sunday (and maybe a Wednesday).   Of course I have to admit this may not be the most common of practice as when I was a child, it may be more politically correct to call it sauce.  That said I know one grandmother (namely mine) who would not care and get up in your grill and call it gravy, face it "No one messes with my grandma".  





I have to be honest as long as you enjoy it does not matter what you call it as long as you enjoy.  All that said today's re-boot is a bolognese sauce,  which defies everything, since gravy technically requires meat, which this has, so why is it a sauce?  Oh well this is a discussion saved for yet another day, if I got you to smile, then all is good, I hope you enjoy.  

  

Checking out the blog for a recipe.

Today we take miscellaneous to a new level, there was about a question about where I was for help and a better bolognese sauce, well think today might be the day to help. Now how can I tie this into my journey simple a little fact I discovered.  From the website Uptake they list the top 97 of the best Italian restaurants in state of Hawaii, given how diverse the cuisine is I am so impressed.   The list is a restaurant guide for Hawaii Italian food, from the most popular to the most authentic.  http://restaurants.uptake.com/hawaii/italian.html


I would think that any of our H50 team could go out, or desire Italian, though their take on it may vary,  and Danny would be the first to bring it to their attention.  Today's recipe is taking a hearty sauce and taking a lighter twist on it.  I think that fits into the healthy beach lifestyle.  

Less than 1 burning pan

A little about bolognese sauce, is a full-bodied meat sauce originally from Bologna, Italy.  Traditionally this sauce contains  beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, wine, and sometimes milk or cream.  I based this recipe on Giada De Laurentiis' Turkey Bolognese, I did alter further it to make it a little more pantry friendly and you should have these ingredients on hand.  As the the set fire to the kitchen scale, another less than one pan.  

Turkey Bolognese

4-5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, finely chopped and peeled

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1lb ground turkey

3 cups marinara sauce

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound rigatoni

Freshly grated Parmesan

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and saute 3-4 minutes. Add the marinara sauce. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, stirring often. Stir in the basil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. 
2. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni  in a large pot of boiling salted water as per package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten as needed. Serve with the Parmesan

*This sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time, just cool completely before you transfer it to a container and freeze for future use. To re-heat just bring the sauce to a simmer before using.**

Today's blog is dedicated to Dina @hedwig2212, thank you so much for the question I really do appreciate it.  I hope this is a better alternative for you.  


If you have a question please feel free to ask me on the ask Kelela page, or on Twitter either at @cherylhofmann or @cherylsrecipe.