Nonna's Ragu

Be prepared to tantalize your tastebuds with the best ragu (or bolognaise sauce if that's what you prefer to call it) that I have ever tasted.  And I've tasted a lot.  I consider myself a ragu expert. Here is what you'll need.

This makes ALOT of ragu.  Feel free to halve of quarter the recipe but I like to always have some in the freezer.  Combined with some spaghetti or made into a lasagne this makes a quick and super nutritious meal.  There are so many tomatoes in this you can nearly smell the antioxidants.

Let's make some of this Italian loveliness.

Chop your onions and carrots into a small dice.  Peel your cloves of garlic but keep them whole and chop the parsley.  Now pop a giant pot on the cooktop over medium low heat.

Add the olive oil and throw in the vegies and parsley.  Fry slowly, you don't want to colour the onion or burn the garlic.  Keep cooking until the onion is translucent.

Add your minces to the pot and brown the meat.  This will take a while and by the time you are done your whole arm will be ready to fall off.  Nonna says it is very important to keep breaking up the meat as is cooks so you don't get any yucky lumps.  You want the meat to be really fine. This is what it looks like when it is done.

Next put in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, wine and allspice.  You don't need to use Wild Dog shiraz like I have (if David is reading this he will be crying hysterically at the thought of cooking with Wild Dog shiraz) but it was open and needed using up.  Just use a semi decent red wine.  I always think if you wouldn't drink it you don't want to eat it.

OK, back to the show.

This is my pot before I had managed to put in the last tin of tomatoes and the last jar of tomato paste.  I had to move it to two pots.

Now you need to bring your ragu to the boil and then reduce it to a very slow simmer and put the lid partially on, so you let a little steam escape but it doesn't reduce to fast.  

Let it cook, stirring the ragu every now and then.  You want to let it cook for about 3-4 hours.  Yes, I am serious.  Just let it simmer away while you do all your chores, watch some TV,  break up your squabbling offspring, answer phone calls from telemarketers etc.

This is mine after two hours.  It now fits in one pot again.

After three hours I added the chopped oregano.  If you were using dried you could add it with the tomatoes but because it is fresh I don't want to cook the bejesus out of it.

After four hours taste the ragu and season.  You'll need to add a bit of salt so don't be scared with it, just keep tasting and adding until it is seasoned enough.  If you are going to use it for lasagne maybe leave it a bit under seasoned, the cheese will add saltiness.  You also need to add a good slug of olive oil, don't worry, it is good for you. 

If you think the ragu is a bit runny remove the lid and keep cooking for a while.  I like to leave mine quite wet as it seems to lose a bit of moisture when you freeze it and I like it a bit runny, it is better for lasagne that way.

Now the ragu is ready for putting into containers and freezing.  Except for some that is going on spaghetti for our dinner tonight.  

And when you are experiencing the taste sensation of this ragu remember to give thanks to Nonna for enriching your lives through the sharing of her recipes.  Wait until you try her crostoli.  

Nonna's ragu

3 onions

3 carrots

3 cloves garlic

olive oil

parsley

1.8kg beef mince

500g pork mince

4x800g tinned chopped tomatoes

3x500g jars tomato paste

1 heaped teaspoon mixed spice

500ml red wine

oregano

salt and pepper

1. Finely chop onion, carrot and parsley.  Peel garlic cloves.

2. Heat 3 tablespoon olive oil over medium low heat.  Add onoin, carrot, garlic and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent.

3. Add beef and pork mince.  Cook until the meat is browned, breaking up any lumps.

4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine and mixed spice.  Bring to the boil and then turn down as low as possible to a very slow simmer.

5. Simmer for three hour, stirring occasionally.  Add chopped oregano.

6. Cook for another hour, stirring occasionally.

7. Add salt and pepper.  Add a good slug of olive oil. Stir and if ragu is still too runny simmer until it is the desired consistency.

Molten Chocolate Puddings

These puddings are the best ever because they are easy to make, you can make them ahead of time and they taste fabulous.  

Here is what you'll need.

First of all put the chocolate and butter together in a bowl or a jug and melt them.  I like to do this in a pyrex jug in the microwave but you can do it in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water if you like.  If you are going to use the microwave you need to use 50 percent power and go slowly.  If you burn the chocolate all hell will break loose and you will need to start again.

Once you have melted the chocolate and the butter you add the almond meal, castor sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Give this a good stir and set aside.

Next separate 3 eggs.  Place the whites in the bowl of a mixmaster (or kitchenaid if you are lucky enough to have one.  I am not.) Beat the eggwhites until firm peaks form.  They will look like this.

Next fold the eggwhites into the chocolate mixture.  Gently does it, you don't want to deflate the eggwhites and end up with flat puddings.

You then need to get 6 half cup capacity ramekins and grease them.  This is what they look like.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins.

Then pop them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, but you can freeze them for quite some time and they'll stay good.  I've kept them in the freezer for a month before and the turned out perfectly.

When you are ready to bake them preheat your oven to 220 degrees or 200 fan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top forms a soft crust.

Then serve with ice cream.  I like Sara Lee French Vanilla best but any vanilla will do.  They also look pretty dusted with icing sugar.  

Mmmmmm, they are so yummy.  All crisp and crusty on top and gooey, runny chocolate in the middle.  Go and make them right now.

Molten chocolate Puddings

130g dark chocolate

90g butter

2 tablespoons almond meal

2 tablespoons plain flour

1.5 tablespoons caster sugar

.25 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggwhites

Lightly spray 6 half cup capacity ramekins with oil.

Melt chocolate and butter together. 

Add almond meal, flour, castor sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Beat eggwhites until firm peaks form.

Gently fold eggwhites into chocolate until combined.

Spoon into prepared ramekins and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees or 200 fan and bake for 10-12 minutes until top forms a soft crust.

Mmmm, Pumpkin Soup.

The weather here in Gippsland is turning a little chilly, so now is the perfect time to whip up a bowl of steaming hot, super dooper yummy, full of a trillion vitamins pumpkin soup.  As one of my very good friends used to say, you'll thrive on it.

Here's what you'll need, all except the water.  I forgot to show that.  Sorry.

Chop up your onion and garlic, it doesn't really matter if it is a little chunky because it is all going to get mooshed up in the end.  Heat a big pot on low to medium heat and add the olive oil.  I used about a tablespoon.  Add your onion and garlic and fry until the onion is translucent being careful not to let the garlic burn.  If you let it burn it''ll taste awful so DON'T DO IT !!!

Add the curry paste, I use tikka marsala but anything would do.  I never added this until I had my gorgeous friend Ellen's soup who adds curry paste.  It tasted sooooo yummy, I always add it now.  Ellen is from a family of culinary geniuses, they could make spam taste gourmet, but back to the soup.

Cook the onion/garlic/curry paste mixture for about 2 minutes, until the curry paste is really starting to smell good.  Then chuck in the pumpkin, potatoes and carrot that you have previously peeled and chopped up.  Once again it doesn't matter how chunky it is but the smaller you chop it the quicker it'll cook.

Pop the lid on the pot and let the vegies sweat for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times to make sure it's not burning to the bottom of the pan.

Last of all chuck in enough water to cover the vegies and some vegie stock powder.  I like Vegeta the best but the world won't end if you just use what is in the pantry.  I usually add around a teaspoon for every 2 cups of water and then one for good measure.  Put the lid back on the pot and simmer until the vegies are tender.

Once it is cooked turn of the heat and grab your stick blender and moosh it up until smooth. Taste it and add salt if it needs it.

Now pop it into a bowl, add sour cream, fresh chopped chives and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  Yummo !!!

Pumpkin Soup

1 onion

1clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon tikka marsala curry paste

1 pumpkin

3 large potatoes

1 large carrot

3-4 teaspoons vegetable stock powder

water

salt and pepper

sour cream and fresh chives to serve