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Mariel here. Like most people, when I receive promotional offers in the mail, I rip ’em right up. They’re insulting – how dare you waste my time with your meaningless spam! But I guess I was feeling generous one day and decided to read through marketing material from American Express. They were shelling out a cookbook from Food & Wine highlighting the best 2011 recipes for a paltry $3. I’m sad to report that I took the bait. Seven weeks later, a shiny hardcopy edition arrived on my doorstep and I have to say, it was full of some pretty interesting stuff. One lazy Sunday, I decided to test out a recipe from Mario Batali for something called Butcher’s Ragu. I admit I made a few measly tweaks – I swapped out water in favor of strained tomatoes, excised the smoked ham since I was plum out, and I used a blend of meats instead of ground beef – but since I’m not Italian nor am I a Batali-born offspring, I kept the changes to a minimum. I’d hate to upset the master. The results were exactly as rich and hearty as I’d hoped – and the dish was even easier than I suspected to prepare. Plus it saves beautifully for about 5 days in the fridge so I got a week’s worth of meals out of it. I served mine over whole wheat pasta, but it’s thick enough that it could stand on its own or it’d work as a topping on grilled Tuscan bread. It’d also be great layered in lasagna. But a word to the wise: although the cookbook was worth the $3, never will I ever respond “yes” to another AMEX offer. They now know they have a live one, so they inundate me every single day with a new offer. And yes, I called and went online asking them to stop. At least the bolognese was worth it. Looking for other heart-warming winter sauces? Check out this Beer-Braised Brisket Ragu, Penne alla Vodka, Creamy Portabella Mushroom Sauce, Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Sauce, and Mrs. A’s Tomato Ragu with Garden Veggies.
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Butcher’s Bolognese Makes 1Β½ quarts Serves 6 Adapted from a Mario Batali recipe in Food & Wine’s 2011 Annual Cookbook
Ingredients: 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – stock 1 large carrot, diced – $0.89 1 celery rib, diced – $0.69 1 large onion, finely diced – $1.19 2 garlic cloves, minced – stock Β½-lb thickly sliced prosciutto or pancetta, diced – $6.00 1-lb meatloaf mix – ground pork, veal and beef (you can also just all ground beef) – $4.99 ΒΌ-cup tomato paste – stock 1 cup milk – stock 1 cup dry white wine – stock 1 cup strained tomatoes (I use Pomi) – $2.79 Salt and pepper to taste – stock Freshly grated parmesan (optional) Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $16.55 Cost per serving: $2.75 Directions: 1. In a large heavy casserole or stockpot (like a Le Creuset), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. 2. Add the pancetta/prosciutto and the meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. About 8 minutes. 3. Reduce heat to low and add the tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so everything is evenly coated and rust-colored. 4. Add the milk, strained tomatoes and wine and simmer over low heat. If you’re using low-fat or skim milk, do not allow the mixture to boil or the milk will break apart and curdle. Stir occasionally and simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until thick and saucy. Taste periodically and season with salt and pepper. 5. Serve warm over pasta and garnished with fresh parmesan, if desired.
Pork, veal, and beef … interesting … I’m not pro-meat or anti-meat, nor pro-vegetarian or anti-vegetarian (nor?) … I like red meat just fine, but I think we do tend to over-due it. But I’ve been running a little experiment, and nearly every time, if something calls for just one meat, you will really wow people by using two. Not necessarily twice as much β just half as much of one kind, and the same amount of another. Quantity stays the same, but variety is increased by 100%, is what I’m trying to say. Chili, pizza, pasta sauce, you name it.
Love your price per serving calculations. Really helps bring home how easy it is to eat well without breaking the bank.
And the dish looks delish!
Cheers!
At least you have the bolognese π Which by the way, looks amazing!!!
Oh, the things we do for good cookbooks! The sauce looks great, and I’m sure Mario would encourage you to take his recipe and make it your own, as all cooks do.
I have my offer from AMEX sitting next to my computer. I was hemming and hawing about sending it in (the price is truly irresistible). I think I’ll forgo and let you post the best recipes and get them that way π If the rest are like the bolognese, I can’t wait to see them.
I would have done it – despite the additional trash for the next 50 years. The Bolognese looks great!
Thanks be to you for suffering through the spam to bring us this scrumptious recipe.
π Mandy
Great comfort food here!
That looks delicious! I hope Amex stops calling you pretty soon. How annoying. It does look worth the $3 you spent though!
All recipes are ripe for adaption. All good cooks know that. Even the famous ones. GREG
Glad you at least got a great bolognese out of the deal! π
looks wonderful, I could go for a bowl full right now π
The dish looks great…but I’ve had the same thing happen with Amex. I didn’t realize I had signed up to get a new copy each year til another cookbook showed up the next year. The premium price plus shipping pretty much eradicated the savings. I refused to play; I sent it back on their dime and insisted on a refund.
This looks totally delicious and you can’t go wrong with a Mario recipe!
Deeelicious! This is my kinda meal!