Weave a Thousand Flavors

Weekend Dinner Special ~ Sicilian Style Pork & Sausage Ragu over Pasta

Who doesn't love a good meat sauce!

The fact that this ragu is made not with beef but with pork, has wonderful dollops of Italian sausage and simmered for hours in red wine and crushed tomatoes, should be reason enough to get your blood pumping at the prospect of this ragu for Sunday dinner.

There's a reason this is Sunday dinner and not Monday dinner, per se. And that is because the meat needs to simmer for a solid two hours, till the meat is falling off the bone and the sauce thickens into this incredibly rich amalgamation of meat juices, wine and tomatoes.

You will however be amazed that such as short ingredient list can pack such a punch when it comes to the result.

Using an ever economical cut of meat such as pork butt (no relation to piggy bottom), the meat is cooked till it is falling off the proverbial bone, shreds easily and then simmered some more in the rich sauce. The surprising magic comes from the hot Italian sausage that adds incredible depth and flavor to the sauce and therefore mustn't be omitted. 

Heaped over pasta and finished with freshly grated aged Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, Sunday dinner just got a little brighter!

A Meat Sauce to Write Home About & A Baked Spaghetti To Make You Swoon

In the iconic Fan District in Richmond, Virginia lies the quaint Joe's Inn. Chances are if you've lived here long enough or have family who have, you've graced this eatery. 

It's a place known for its wood paneled walls, friendly service and hearty meals. And as a restaurant it's as neighborhood as they come.

But of all the brunches, lunches and dinners we've tucked away here, I find it impossible to get past Joe's signature dish -

Spaghetti A La Joe
Spaghetti baked with Provolone Cheese topped with your choice of Meat or Marinara Sauce

When it comes to meat sauces, this right here is King and though we never order it but once a year it makes a BIG impression.  You see it represents the superlative meat sauce - rich, hearty, heavy and of course, meaty!

I have been on the lookout for a meat sauce that incorporates everything I love about Joe's and I've found it! I just knew from going down the ingredients list, that this was 'it'. I refer to my fellow blogger veteran,  Thom's  Marinara Sauce for the Motivated. 

If you've paid any attention to Thom at all, there are two things you know lickety quick - the Man is probably one of the oldest bloggers in the community (well into his 70's) and the Man knows his meat! And he dishes it out slathered thick with his sauces & signature wry humor.

I guarantee you, if you pay Thom a visit at Barbecue Tips from Deep In the Heart of Oregon , not only will it satisfy your carnivorous urges but he'll have you rolling on the floor with his 'say it like it is' style.

I have reason to believe that Thom will agree  it has something to do with the fact that the older we all get, the more the need to cut out the BS!

After all, if you can't say it now, then when?

Anyway, Thom's recipe has been tucked away in the recesses of my mind for a few months now and it was time to put it good use. The thing about this recipe is that it's great for weekends with the family when you don't want to spend all day slaving over a hot stove and yet want some comforting, stick-to-your-ribs, delicous wholesomeness.

It makes best in large quantities and for a family like ours that means 1 batch gets used up now and the other goes into the refrigerator  - after all lunch boxes are calling!

Though I have used Thom's recipe almost to the letter, I've thrown in a few tricks of my own such as cooking all the meats together to save time and effort and allowing the sauce to cook 6-7 hours in the slow cooker. I think you'll agree the end result is pretty darn good - Yup, write home good!

So do yourself a favor and have a GREAT weekend - a 'stick-to-your-ribs' kind of weekend!

Easy Elegance ~ Seared Pork Medallions in a Dijon Mustard & Dill Sauce

Some nights are just meant to be special - Birthdays, Valentine's Days, Anniversaries and then there are the just 'coz nights.

As parents we don't get enough of these - the just' 'coz nights and we should.

Because taking the time off - nay making the time hopefully means that we talk and that means we air our thoughts, not just as parents but as people, as friends. Not forgetting to air our opposing points of view which  in turn hopefully makes us less crotchety as people which makes us less crotchety as 'better halves' which makes us less crotchety parents. Win-win.

So because it was Tuesday and for no other reason I decided to make these along with cheesy scalloped potatoes, a yam and rutabaga mash and caramel ice cream for dessert.

I set up the kiddies table next (and a good 5 ft away) from ours  and we sat on the grown up table along with a chilled bottle of wine and glowing candles. I even dabbed  on some Guerlain. And with Andrea Boccelli bellowing on the stereo we sat down to eat.

And despite the kids side glances and sniggering at the next table, it was nice.

Mr. Hubby even suggested that we do this monthly. I agree and we'll see how it goes.

But for now, a just 'coz night on a Tuesday is a good start.

Zingy Remoulade Sauce

 

There are a million versions of Remoulade sauce. It is essentially a jazzed up version of tartare sauce. The original being invented in France, it has taken a life all of its own and that's what makes it fabulous. 

We all have our own favourite versions and there's no right or wrong way to do it. You just taste as you go - a little bit of this & a little bit of that (isn't that a song?) But I think the one thing we can all agree on is that when it comes to mayonnaise based sauces and dips, this ones a keeper.

It is particularly good with fried seafood like deep fried oysters, on sandwiches and subs. I keep a jar on the ready in my refrigerator for those days when all rational thought has fled my mind and nothing seems to make sense for dinner. It's on those evenings that a little Remoulade goes a looonnggg way.......

On the subject of an Excellent Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is surely one of the culinary pillars of the home kitchen.  Though its origins lie on the shores of Italy, it has naturally developed into a mainstay for most western cuisines. 

We all have our own personalized family version of Marinara sauce buried in our recipe collections. These made all the more special by the stained, scratched out, tattered and dog-eared pages passed down from one generation to the next.

There is a wonderful tradition followed by our friends Carl and Michael in Sydney, Australia. Carl's family immigrated to Australia from Sicily many decades ago and this time of year, the entire family, kid's and all, descend upon his mother's kitchen in the wee hours of the morning.

The entire day is spent preparing pounds and pounds of fresh tomatoes to be canned with fresh basil,  as a foundation for sauces,  to last the entire year for the whole family!

Doesn't that sound absolutely fascinating?

I can't wait to do a  feature on this wonderful tradition that takes place over the next couple of weeks. So please be on the look out for it!

Traditionally, marinara sauce by definition is made with tomatoes, onions, and herbs. It has a fascinating history originating with the sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the Spaniards introduced the tomato to their neighboring countries.

It was particularly appealing to the cooks on board sailing ships, because the high acid content of the tomatoes resulted in a sauce which would not easily spoil before the advent of modern refrigeration techniques.

Isn't that neat? - that if it weren't for the lack of technology (for a change)  Marinara sauce might have never seen the light of day!

I usually make my marinara sauce when I fix my 'melt-in the-mouth' meatballs recipe so the star of my recipe are the pan drippings from the meatballs. (Refer to  the post - On the subject of Excellent Meatballs)

However, even when prepared without the pan drippings for a seafood marinara or a Lasagna, it is still wonderful and rich because of the long hours that it is slow cooked in its own juices with fennel and other spices.

We begin by doing a grocery run or raiding the pantry cabinet and pulling out 3 kinds of  canned tomatoes - a can crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Next we prepare the ingredients -

 

Onions - Peel & chop. Set aside

Garlic - Peel, discard skin & chop

Fennel seeds - Crush the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder for just a pulse or two or use a mortar & pestle.

Spices & Seasonings -  Gather the seasonings in a bowl, ready to use. Measure out the  salt, sugar, dried parsley flakes, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, turmeric and dried basil.

 

On medium high heat, in a saute pan,  heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and fennel seeds. Saute till the onions are soft and just golden brown. 

Open canned tomatoes with a can opener and empty contents into the sauteed onions. Add the spices & seasonings.  Stir and allow to simmer, bringing the heat down to medium.

 

If you are going to prepare Meatballs with Marinara sauce and stored the pan drippings from the baked meatballs, then pour the drippings into the marinara sauce.

The drippings will have some solids so give the sauce a good stir with a whisk to break these down.

 

Bring the sauce to a good simmer and cover with a tight lid. Lower the flame to very low. Cook the sauce  for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Cooks Note- The sauce as it stands is quite chunky which is fine if that's the way you like it but I like my sauce somewhere between chunky and smooth. So, I give it a 30 seconds pulse with an electric hand blender.

At this point it is ready for the slow cooker. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker if you are fixing Meatballs with Marinara sauce. Cook for 3-4 hours on the lowest setting.

I served the Meatballs & Marinara sauce over spaghetti cooked al-dente and a garden salad.  

What a fantastic dinner this turned out to be - with loads of freshly grated aged Parmigiana Reggiano cheese on top, fresh crusty bread and a glass of Pinot Noir.

The meatballs were moist, and a flavor explosion with every bite. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce...well it truly was spoon licking good!

Refer to the post - On the subject of Excellent Meatballs to go with this equally excellent Marinara sauce!

Cin Cin!

Recipe for

EXCELLENT MARINARA SAUCE

Serves 4

Shopping list

1 # 28 oz can crushed Tomatoes

1 # 14.5 oz can diced Tomatoes                       

1# 8 oz can Tomato sauce

1 cup finely chopped Onions

2 tbs fresh chopped Garlic

1 tsp crushed Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tbs dried Parsley flakes

1 tbs dried Basil

1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Meatball pan drippings (if applicable)

Cooking method -

On medium high heat, in a saute pan,  heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and fennel seeds. Saute till the onions are soft and just golden brown. 

Add all the tomatoes to the sauteed onions. Add the spices, salt, sugar, dried parsley flakes, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, Turmeric and dried Basil. Stir and allow to simmer, bringing the heat down to medium.

Add stored the pan drippings from the baked meatballs (if applicable), give the sauce a good stir with a whisk.

Bring the sauce to a good simmer and cover with a tight lid. Lower the flame to very low.

Cook the sauce  for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Cooks Note- If the sauce is too chunky for your liking, give it a 30 seconds whir with an electric hand blender.

Add the meatballs (if applicable) and the marinara sauce to the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on the lowest setting.

Enjoy with spaghetti cooked al dente or incorporate in your favorite recipe.

Do you have a favorite Marinara sauce family recipe or a story you would like to share with us? If so please let us know about it in the comments.We would love to hear from you!