Pasta Bolognese My Way

Before I get my gears oiled for some fall cuisine I wanted to satisfy a craving I've been having the last few days. Here is the recipe for my twisted non traditional version.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground buffalo
5 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 tbsp quality dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon Huy Fong Brand sriracha sauce
1 1/4 cups good quality dry chianti wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes- Some swear by San Marzano tomatoes but a good crushed tomato made with romas or plums works just as well. When tomatoes are in peak season grab some campari if you can for the sauce. These little guys have an amazing flavor.
2 tablespoons tomato paste no salt added
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound dried pasta, I used small shells
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil leaves, lightly packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus extra for serving


1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground buffalo and brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and sriracha. Cook for 1 minute. Pour 1 cup wine into the skillet and mix well. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

2. As your sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to bowl, add a couple pinches of salt, and then the pasta of your choice.

3 As the pasta cooks add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the leftover 1/4 cup chianti to the sauce. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

until thickened. Salt to taste at this point. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired level bur remember do not over salt! Add the sauce to the pasta and 1/2 cup Asiago cheese, toss well. Serve hot with rosemary butter toasted bread.

Contemplations

I have been trying to find my place in the world of cooking. Long contemplation of quieting and doing something else that brings in more bread have occupied my mind. Does the stove win the match this time around? Then I see a smiling face biting into something I created and it refreshes my vision. It is what I love.

Food is what I think about when I wake up and before I go to bed. Not in the sense of what I want to cook next but what I am yearning to learn. Its hard for me to see myself in a static kitchen pumping out the same boring dish hundred of times in a shift. I want variety, robust flavor, and knock your socks off tongue teasers. This is what I hope to find on the outside but going deeper I saw that something even more magnificent exists. What I truly yearn for is the experience. Now some would say go get a job in a kitchen somewhere. See how they do things and get a feel for the business. All I see are factories pumping out the same mediocre plates to all those desensitized folk with no sense of what great food is. Experience in my book is not producing fuel to sustain human daily activity. It is simply working side by side that frail, short Thai woman with broken English pounding and grinding down fresh ingredients to create curry paste. How about that cranky grandmother rolling out her pristine pie crust that will eventual house fresh rhubarb awesomeness? We cant forget that lady who says use a little bit of this, a little bit of that and then the food makes you lapse into a coma of pure bliss. Now that is experience. I have had my far share of these moments but I am always looking for more. Hoping someone will see my eyes light up with child like joy over a scrumptious chocolate bar. I have been getting to know Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of Prune, and how she brought people and food together from her book. It was ultimately her life experience that brought her customers not extravagant culinary training from the top chefs in the world. The world became her teacher. So with all this in my head I push forward on my journey. I remind myself that the voyage is just as important as the end result.

Im not trying to win a popularity contest, become "The Next Food Network Star", trump Rachel Ray in her magazine sales, or have thousands of subscribers. The purpose? To share my passion for great tasting food and to bring people together through sharing experience. I hope all of you who have been following my progressions see that food is more than fuel, it feeds the soul!

Twisted Part 2

This next dish in our twisted Italian inspirations is something rather simple but so delicious. Paulie O's spicy Italian sausage is the star yet again in this dish. These sausages are perfectly crafted and pack an amazing flavor punch. We all know that sausage, peppers, and onions go well together so that's what we built upon. We thought an open faced sandwich would be a great and easy meal. This scrumptious temptation uses toasted sour dough, fontina, mozzarella, and a fresh hummus mix to bring it all together. Here is a beauty to behold!

For extra spice I added a little sauteed jalapeno to my portion. Enjoy!

Twisted

For the month of September our theme was Italian cuisine. While the traditional idea of Italian is a delicious way to please your palate but as always I have put my own twist to things. The first dish we have on the menu brings flavors of Mexico wrapped with an Italian bow. The inspiration behind this dish came from a pasta I picked up at my local farmer's market. Chipotle and black bean fettuccine made its way into my hands. With a hint of smoke, spice, and black bean earthiness this pasta set the corner stone for an amazing dish. The protein we wanted for this creation was a bone-in pork chop rubbed with special spices and pan seared to perfection. Now what to coat the pasta with? Well I wanted something creamy and healthy so no heavy creams or cheeses here. So I looked through the isles at the market for about 30 minutes and then it hit me. Use avocado as your creamy base and build from there. So we took roasted poblanos, garlic, bell pepper, fresh ground cumin seed, fresh diced tomato, fresh diced onion, sea salt, black pepper, and pureed it all up. To give it an even richer and deeper flavor we took the left over juices from pan searing the chops and added it to the mix. This is how it turned out!