Expedited Deliciousness, and no leftovers

I got a new cookbook for Christmas and you all need to go out and get it, stat. I start with a bias here because I've always been fond of Mark Bittman, but his new How to Cook Everything Fast is a whole new level. One of my biggest problems is that I'm just not a speedy chef, and when I make something new or interesting - or even something I've made many times before - we often end up with a later dinner than I'd like. So I was really excited to see this book - he covers many cuisines and basically just simplifies things. The book starts with helpful resources like substitution suggestions, and then he's off and running.

The other night, with snow in the forecast, I was craving Bolognese. Now anyone with a drop of Italian blood knows a decent Bolognese simmers for a good long time, and it was already mid-afternoon by the time I had this idea. So I checked HTCEF, and voila - Spaghetti with Nearly Instant Bolognese. I tweaked the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand and a few other things, but followed his process for the most part. The result, while a stray from traditional, was delicious. Not to toot my own horn...much...but I was kind of impressed with myself. The ingredients are things you mostly have on hand or can sub easily, making this a great late-afternoon-cold-weather-lazy quick dinner.

The slowest bit was the chopping, and Bittman recommends doing that while the meat simmers (or even, if you are already multi-tasking here, just pop them all in the food process for a sec). I chopped ahead of time but that's just my preference and it did add time doing it my way. This, like the baked chicken & squash soup menu from last week, has two things cooking at once so you can adjust a little as you see fit; the pasta is an approximate timeframe and if you're using a thinner pasta you'll want to wait till the sauce is reducing the wine before you put the pasta in the water, then do a quick salad while those two finish off. The cooking was so quick that I didn't get to take pictures, and then it was so good that leftovers went out the window too.





Meg's Nearly Instant Bolognese
Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Fast
Should serve 4...but don't expect leftovers with less people!

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
Olive oil
~1 lb ground meat (I used turkey because it was there, the recipe suggests meatball meats - beef/pork/veal, so whatever you have on hand should work)
1 small onion or equivalent shallots
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste (if you only happen to have, say, a can of diced tomatoes, that's fine too, and particularly with a drier meat like turkey you can use the whole can)
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup of cream (which I didn't have, so used a splash of milk)
Pinch of dried thyme
Dash of cayenne (optional; not enough to make it spicy - just enough to brighten the flavors, and people might not even realize it's in there)

Pasta (shape & size of your choosing)
freshly grated parmesan

Get the pasta water going (don't forget to salt it! This is an overlooked but important step and your noodles will thank you). Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high and add a glug of oil (about a tablespoon or two, not a ton). Once the oil is hot, add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a wood or silicone spoon. While that cooks, trim and finely the carrot, onion, garlic, and celery. As you finish each toss it into the pan to cook with the meat. Once everything is in there, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Once the meat is fully cooked and the veggies are softened (about 10-15 minutes), add your tomato product of choice, and sprinkle with the thyme and cayenne if using. Let it cook for a minute to heat through, then add the wine and scrape the pan as you stir it in. (NOTE: at this point, add the pasta to the boiling water if you are using a thick noodle like a fettucine that takes 10-11 minutes to cook.)

Let the wine bubble and cook until it has reduced (about halfway is the guide Bittman uses). Add your cream/milk at this point and turn the heat as low as it will go so you don't boil the milk. (NOTE: this is when to start cooking your pasta, if using a fine noodle, as you only have a few minutes of cooking left)

After a couple minutes you can turn the heat off under the sauce. Drain your pasta now. Bittman recommends tossing the pasta in with the sauce and serving that way; I prefer to plate the pasta and top with the sauce. Your call. Either way this is the time to add the parmesan, although full disclosure - I put the cheese on the table, and when we tasted the dish it was so flavorful we both completely forgot about the parmesan.

Buon Appetito!