This used to be my staples in my college days, this ragu can be stored frozen for up to a month! And because I often make them in huge batches, I don't have to think of making dinner after an all-nighter at the studio. I remember having to make an extra batch for my roommate and her boyfriend, as they would devoured my planned one month supply in less than two days! It was both a little annoying and a little warm and fuzzy feeling as my cooking had brought joy in the life of my friend. (they did buy new supplies for me to make more) I would make this and as the sauce simmer away, I would do my laundry, vacuum the house, clean the bathroom, iron my clothes and by the time my apartment was sparking clean, the sauce will be done and it will be the lovely lunch or dinner time! Nothing beats a nice warm bowl of pasta and rich meat sauce with a side of refreshing salad on a cold winter night in Providence!
It has been over four years since I last made this sauce, partly because I was under a depression, partly because I just didn't feel like eating or making this much food. Looking back, I realized that my cooking had changed drastically during the that period of my life. From big pot of stews, or roasts or BBQs that can feed ten plus people, I just opted for one pan meal for one or two. Everything was just a hassle to do and I lost interest in entertaining friends and families. I felt that it was not worth it, my cooking wasn't that great and I received snarky comments from some freeloader, and I focused on that. It took me a long time to figured that those people do not matter in my life, and I began to take those people out of my life and feel that I can still make delicious food for those I truly care about.
Making this today, makes me feel better, I feel that this is just a fun and easy dish to make, and my family all enjoyed it. It brought back a lot of good memories, so I thought that sharing this with you can spread that warm feeling and full stomachs to the world.
My way of cooking is that I prepared everything before hand, chopped them up and arrange them in plates and bowls, because I am a little OCD, I also clean the kitchen as I cook. I just feel that it is easier to cook this way, and with rotating family members walking in and out of the kitchen and the puppy wandering around outside, I need a little order to satisfy my OCD.
First, on high heat, add a little olive oil in the pan, and add bacon, cook until the fat is rendered, then add garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Fry them until the onion is soft, but not burnt.
It has been over four years since I last made this sauce, partly because I was under a depression, partly because I just didn't feel like eating or making this much food. Looking back, I realized that my cooking had changed drastically during the that period of my life. From big pot of stews, or roasts or BBQs that can feed ten plus people, I just opted for one pan meal for one or two. Everything was just a hassle to do and I lost interest in entertaining friends and families. I felt that it was not worth it, my cooking wasn't that great and I received snarky comments from some freeloader, and I focused on that. It took me a long time to figured that those people do not matter in my life, and I began to take those people out of my life and feel that I can still make delicious food for those I truly care about.
Making this today, makes me feel better, I feel that this is just a fun and easy dish to make, and my family all enjoyed it. It brought back a lot of good memories, so I thought that sharing this with you can spread that warm feeling and full stomachs to the world.
My way of cooking is that I prepared everything before hand, chopped them up and arrange them in plates and bowls, because I am a little OCD, I also clean the kitchen as I cook. I just feel that it is easier to cook this way, and with rotating family members walking in and out of the kitchen and the puppy wandering around outside, I need a little order to satisfy my OCD.
First, on high heat, add a little olive oil in the pan, and add bacon, cook until the fat is rendered, then add garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Fry them until the onion is soft, but not burnt.
Remove the vegetables and bacon and set aside, then add the ground meat. Now, I'd say, use 1 kg of lean ground beef, but in this recipe, we used 500g of ground beef and 500g of ground pork to save some money, you can substitute the beef or pork with chicken, or lamb. (500g is about 1lb) The trick is, to fry those meat until the liquid is evaporated, and the meat starting to turn brown, this will create the best deep meaty flavor to the sauce. Don't add any liquid in until the meat is cooked through. Keep stirring!
Once the meat is cooked, put the bacon and veggies mixture back into the pot and add tomatoes with a can and a half of water. Throw in some wine and herbs and seasonings!
Just a note that the color of the sauce will vary depending on the meat you use, dark brown from pure ground beef or lamb, and lighter and more watery if you use pork or chicken. Now, I have heard that this dish can be vegetarian as well, by removing bacon and replacing the ground meat with chickpeas. Never tried it, but let me know in the comments if you have any modification to this recipe.
Once the meat is cooked, put the bacon and veggies mixture back into the pot and add tomatoes with a can and a half of water. Throw in some wine and herbs and seasonings!
Just a note that the color of the sauce will vary depending on the meat you use, dark brown from pure ground beef or lamb, and lighter and more watery if you use pork or chicken. Now, I have heard that this dish can be vegetarian as well, by removing bacon and replacing the ground meat with chickpeas. Never tried it, but let me know in the comments if you have any modification to this recipe.
Turn that heat to high until the sauce starts to bubble, then turn to low. Put a lid on it and forget it, coming back to stir every 30 minutes for about 2 hours. And voila! You have that delicious sauce to feed the whole family for days!
Ingredients
How to On high heat, add two tabs olive oil, add bacon and cook to render the fat. Add garlic, stir for about a minute, then add onion, carrot, and celery, cook for about 5 minutes (add mushroom if you like a little mushy texture), stir until the liquid begins to dry. remove the vegetable and bacon mixture. Add 2 tbs of olive oil, add the ground meat, season just a little with salt and pepper so the meat has flavor, cook until brown and the liquid has disappeared, there should be a nice sizzling sound. Cook for about 5-10 minutes depending on the meat and the amount of fat. Put the vegetables back into the pot, add the tomatoes and bring to boil. Add the herbs, wine, Worcester sauce and Maggie seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. Serve hot on thick spaghetti or penne, topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 10-12. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freezer for up to 1 month. Total cost 700 Baht Cost per serving (10 persons) at 70 baht per person includes 1 pack of spaghetti. |
Ingredients
How to ตั้งไฟสูงในหม้อใหญ่ ใส่น้ำมันโอลิฟ 2 ช้อนโต้ะ และตามด้วยเบค่อน ทอดจนน้ำมันออกมา และเติมกระเทียม หัวหมอ แครอต และขึ้นช่ายฝรั่ง ผัดประมาล 5-10 นาที พอน้ำผักเรื่มแห้ง ใส่เห็ด ผัดไปอีก 5 นาที ตักเบค่อนและผักและพักไว้ ตั้งไฟสูง ในหม้อเดิม ใส่น้ำมันโอลิฟ 2 ช้อนโต้ะ ผัดเนื้อที่เตรียมเอไว้ เติมเกลือ พริกไทยนิดหน่อยเพื่อให้เนื้อไม่จืด ผัดไปเรื่องๆจนน้ำจากเนื้อเริมแห้ง และเนื้อสุกหมด และเรื่มเปลี่ยนสี ประมาล 10 นาที ใส่เบค่อนและผักที่พักไว้กลับเข้าไปรวมน้ำที่ออกมาทั้งหมด เติมมะเขือเทศ และเครื่องปรุงที้งหมด คนไปเรื่อยๆจนเริ่มเดือด ปรับไฟเป็นต่ำสุด ปิดฝาแล้วค่อยๆต้มไปอี 1.5 - 2 ช.ม. คนทุก 30 นาที ทานพร้อมกับเส้นสปาเกตตี้ใหญ่ๆ หรือเส้น Penne โรยชีสพามาซานตามใจชอบ ทานได้ 10-12 คน เก็บในตู้เย็นได้ 2 อาทิตย์ หรือช่องฟรีส 1 เดือน ราคารวม 700 บาท ราคาต่อคน (10 คน) อยู่ที่ 70 บาทต่อคน |