recipes 29, 30, and 31: TRIFECTA THE FIRST- bolognese

I'm finally back on the grid and moving on to the trifecta of trifectas! The first trifecta is bolognese. I HEART bolognese. Bolognese reminds me of my dad. I've never seen him order bolognese at a restaurant anywhere in the US of A, but... send him to Greece to see the odd unraveling of bolognese monomania! My dad is a picky eater. And as a result, my mom, my sister Colleen, and I get nervous when he ends up in a situation outside of his limited comfort zone of food, which is exactly what happened during a family vacation in Greece. Here's how it unfolded- night 1 in Athens:

Colleen: Mmmm... should I get the spanakopita or pastitsio or...
Mom: ...Or the moussaka...
Me: ...Or the tzatziki first and then the souvlaki?... What are you going to get, Dad?
Dad: radio silence... and silence... and silence.
Colleen: I'm going with the pastitsio!
Mom: Moussaka for me, please!
Me: Spanakopita and then souvlaki, thanks!
Dad: radio silence... and silence... and silence.
Mom: Tom?
Me and Colleen: Dad. Dad? Hey! Dad?
Dad: Okay, okay! I'll have the bol-ya-nese.
Me, Mom, and Colleen: The what?
Dad: Bol-ya-nese, please!
Me, Mom, and Colleen: The bolognese? First of all, you're saying it wrong. Second of all, why would you order that in Greece? Dad/Tom, you're embarrassing us a little!
Dad: Sounds good to me! Bol-ya-nese please!

Here's how it unfolded for the next six nights in Greece: see above with the exception of him concluding with a zesty: "I found what I like and I'm sticking to it!" He gets monomania about food when we go on family vacations. He also concluded every single meal on an Alaskan cruise with a single scoop of chocolate ice cream and a Foster's beer, which he insisted was a delicious combination of taste explosions. There will, however, not be a post about the mingling of chocolate ice cream and Foster's.

So... bolognese! These recipes are listed in ascending order of complication. Tristan thinks the middle one is the most delicious and if I was hard-pressed to pick my favorite, I would probably agree. The first recipe is an adaptation of my mom's "quick sauce." The second is an adaptation of Mario Batali's recipe called "Butcher's Ragu" published in Food and Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/butchers-ragu-with-fusilli. The third is also from the world wide web, but I found it awhile ago and I don't remember my source, other than the fact that the source had to do with wine as well.

CAVATELLI WITH "QUICK SAUCE"
Ingredients:
-ground beef
-good white wine
-good tomato sauce
-good cavatelli
-good grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1) brown the beef and drain off the fat
2) add lots of good white wine and simmer on very low heat until the wine is almost fully boiled off
3) add good tomato sauce and simmer on low heat until the sauce is the desired consistency (the longer the simmer, the yummier the sauce!)
4) serve with good cavatelli and good grated parmesan (please note all of the emphasis on: "good")

BUTCHER'S RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
-1/4 c plus 1 T good olive oil
-8-12 oz mirepoix (which is a fine dice of equal parts onions, carrots, and celery)
-1 minced garlic clove
-4 oz diced pancetta
-1 lb lean ground beef
-about 3/4 small can of tomato paste
-4 oz diced prosciutto
-1 c milk
-1 c dry white wine
-1 c water
-salt and black pepper
-1 lb to 1 1/2 lb of fresh pappardelle
-grated pecorino romano cheese

Instructions:
1) heat 1/4 c of oil in a heavy skillet
2) add the mirepoix and garlic, and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes
3) add the pancetta and beef and cook until the beef is no longer pink
4) add the tomato paste and cook for about 10 more minutes, while stirring
5) add the prosciutto, milk, wine, and water, and simmer for an hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

6) season with salt and pepper
7) cook the pappardelle according to package instructions (adding 1 T of olive oil and some salt to the pot) while the sauce is simmering

8) add the sauce and cheese to the top of the pappardelle. Y-U-M!

FETTUCCINE BOLOGNESE (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
-1/4 c olive oil
-1 medium onion, finely diced
-1 medium carrot, finely diced
-1 rib of celery, finely diced
-2 oz diced pancetta
-1/2 lb lean ground beef
-1/2 lb lean ground pork
-2 large garlic cloves, chopped
-3/4 c dry white wine
-1 c low sodium chicken broth
-28 oz can of peeled San Marzano tomatoes, diced, juices reserved
-1/2 t dried thyme
-1 bay leaf
-salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
-1/4 c light cream
-2 lbs fresh fettuccine
-freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1) heat 1 T of olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan
2) add the onion, carrot, celery, and pancetta and cook over medium heat
3) cook and stir until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 minutes
4) scrape the vegetable mixture into a large bowl
5) add the remaining olive oil to the pan and heat
6) add the beef and pork and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the meat is only barely pink
7) add the garlic and cook for one minute
8) add the wine and cook until it is simmered down, for about 8 minutes
9) stir in the drained, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, the reserved tomato juice, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper
10) bring the sauce to a boil, add the cooked vegetables to the sauce, cover partially, and cook over medium-low heat for about an hour
11) cook the pasta according to package instructions while the sauce is simmering
12) discard the bay leaf, stir in the cream, and cook until heated through
13) toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and top with the parmesan