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Mr. Creosote's Diner Fried, boiled, smoked, seared or sautéed, this is the place we discuss our favorite foods and their preparation. Grab a knife and fork and dig in!

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Old 03-28-2018, 12:09 PM   #1
PCaponi
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My recipe for a meat ragu.

WARNING: This can take up to five hours to make.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, about half a cup
medium yellow onion
two stalks of celery
two medium carrots
garlic-optional
tomato paste-half a cup
3lbs of ground meat, 80/20 mix
2lbs of Italian sausage
kosher salt
one quart of brown stock
one bottle of chianti
3 to 4 cans of crushed tomatoes

And lets us begin.

Chop your onion, celery and carrots in a small dice. If you have a food processer, even better. Add them all and turn them into a pulp. in a LARGE pot add your olive oil and veggies. Season with kosher salt. Once they are soften, add your garlic. I do not use garlic for this, but it is your call. Add your tomato paste and stir until everything is caramelized.

Remove the sausage from the casing and chop it up until it is the size of your beef. Add the beef and sausage. Keep turning it until the meat is slightly browned. Make sure that the water from the meat has evaporated.

Now the slow part.

Add enough beef stock to just cover. Turn your heat down to a simmer. You want the stock to evaporate. You just want the flavor. Once the beef stock is gone, add your chianti. Enough to cover. Again, simmer on low heat. Now, this is the difference. Reduce the chianti by half. You want that flavor. Add your crushed tomatoes.

Red pepper flakes are optional.

Let it simmer for another hour.

I prefer to let it sit over night so the flavors really come together.

Pasta recommendations:

This is a heavy sauce, (I know some call it gravy). I recommend a hollow pasta. Rigatonis, penne, or a thick pasta. When your pasta is cooked, add the ragu and put it back on the heat. Keep stirring. The heat will help the pasta absorb the ragu.

True Italian tradition says that sauce should just coat the pasta. If you prefer more, reserve some sauce and add on top after plating.

I always ask my guest to try it before adding cheese. I us a pecorino/ramano.

Manga!
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Old 03-28-2018, 01:20 PM   #2
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Since it doesn't contain added sugar, it might work on my low carb diet. Pasta with it? unfortunately no. The two things I miss most are noodles and sandwiches.

Most people take those for granted. Try giving them up for two weeks and you'll have a whole new appreciation for them. Eating out at any place but a steakhouse is a challenge. Seafood, if you can afford it inland, is your best bet. Even then, it has to be grilled or baked. Breading is out of bounds.
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Old 03-29-2018, 05:58 AM   #3
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No Pasta! I'm sorry but that has been deemed to be cruel and unusual punishment for an Italian. Lol!
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Old 03-29-2018, 06:39 AM   #4
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If it makes you feel better, it takes all of the fun out of Chinese food too.
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Never attribute malice to that what can be explained as stupidity.

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