I loved Clare's post last week about Steak & Guinness pie - what she feeds her man when the game is on. In our household, it is an event if a Steelers game is actually televised, and this is what I fed Husband today. I think he actually enjoyed it, even though I snuck in 2 finishing ingredients he doesn't like - Parmesan and balsamic. I was so full of meat sauce goodness I had no choice but to sit on the sofa and watch the game. Husband was sweet enough to do the dishes and make coffee; he even missed a touchdown while doing so. I'm so lucky.
This might seem like my adaptation of Rachel Ray's Veal Ragout, but it's totally different. I promise. I love any recipe that starts with bacon; of course you can leave it out, but you really shouldn't. It adds such a nice meatiness. This is a great dish for fall and winter, rich and warming. Recipe follows in the extended post.
Papperdelle with Meat Sauce - feeds 2-4, depending on appetite of those involved
1 4ounce package papperdelle, cooked according to directions (or rigatoni, or penne, or whatever you want)
2 strips good-quality, thickly sliced bacon, cut into small strips
1/2 large brown onion, small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground veal
1/2 cup red wine, plus more if needed
1/2 cup beef stock, plus more if needed
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano, or 1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tsp good quality, aged balsamic vinegar, plus more for garnish (I like this one, for these everyday purposes)
a good handful freshly and finely shredded, good quality Parmesan
salt
pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
Place the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook until almost crisp; add the chopped onions and red pepper and cook until soft and onions are transparent, about 7 minutes. Place the tomato sauce in the middle of the pan and stir to brown it just a bit and then stir into the onion/pepper/bacon mixture. Stir in the garlic. Add the veal and break it apart; season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until the veal is browned, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine reduce by about a fourth, and then stir (to do this, I like to move all of the meat and everything to one side of the pan and then add the wine to the dry part of the pan before combining everything; do the same thing with the beef stock). Add the beef stock and reduce by about half and then stir into the meat mixture. Add the tomatoes and juice, the bay leaf and the oregano and cook, stirring every 3 minutes or so, until the tomato juice has mostly reduced - you should have a "sloppy joe" kind of consistency (about 15 minutes). Taste the mixture and think - is it too tomato-y? Mine was, and I added about 1/4 cup more beef stock. Reduce until the mixture is again to the desired consistency. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over and stir. Add the cream and stir.
Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and add the Parmesan; stir to coat. Place the pasta in bowls and top with the meat sauce, or toss together; papperdelle is kind of fragile, so I like to do the tossing in the bowl. Sprinkle over a little more balsamic and salt and garnish with a little grate of Parmesan. EAT!!
