Sauce Bolognese has a love affair with Pasta - rice and potatoes be jealous!

Oh, please don't be jealous, rice and potatoes! Sauce Bolognese is very forgiving and has no problem mixing it up with each of you. She loves pouring herself over your fluffy grains and Yukon wedges; however, make no mistake about it, her great true love is still with pasta! So get over it!

Bolognese is an absolutely delicious and savory tomato base sauce that has its origins in the city of Bologna, Italy. The sauce can be prepared with or without meat; however, traditionally, it always contains meat. Which ever way you like it, one thing's for sure, you never want to rush its cooking. Allow the sauce to slowly take its time, slowly cooking.

Another important to consider when preparing Bolognese, there's nothing like making it from scratch. From grinding your own meat to seeding and chopping your tomatoes, you'll be amazed at the richness in flavors you can create yourself; furthermore, you'll also be amazed as to how easy it is to do. There's nothing like fresh homemade Sauce Bolognese. Let's get started. This recipe will easily serve a party of 6 and still provide leftovers.

You will need:

1 lb. of beef, cut in 1 inch cubes (not too lean of a cut)
3/4 lb. of pork, cut in 1 inch cubes (I use boneless rib)
10 medium very ripened tomatoes, seeds removed
3 medium bell peppers ( 1 each green, yellow, and red), finely chopped
3 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
4 green onions (scallions), finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup of chopped green Spanish olives
1/2 lb. of baby Portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small can of tomato paste
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup of fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon of basil paste)
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
6 small anchovy fillets (no salt added)
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 cup of red wine
2 tablespoons of anise liquor (my little secret)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (another of my little secrets)
2 tablespoons of Marscapone
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of butter
salt and black pepper (to taste)
2 one pound packages of linguine pasta (my preference)

Keep it simple Shrimp & Chicken

With Summer nearing its end in the Northern Hemisphere (you lucky Aussies down south!), it seems fitting to enjoy one of the last outdoor lunch activities with a simple and colorful saute, finished off with a refreshing salad of fresh Spinach in a lemon and orange dressing. Certainly this will seem out of place in the dead of Winter, so while we still can, set that patio table up for you and your favorite friends and enjoy the last days of those warm rays dining the afternoon away!

This lunch menu keeps your time in the kitchen to a minimum, allowing you more time in the sun. For the main course let's get the following ingredients together:

NonChefNick Celebrates Anniversary #2!!

L'OREO - So embarrassingly easy, no wonder the taste is so incredible!

I pondered for some time regarding posting this dessert as I am not accustomed to "assembling" as opposed to "creating" dishes; however, once a bite reached my mouth, it was all over. I had arrived at the gallows of creativity, pride thrown out the window, and my prêt-à-porter dessert L'OREO was off to the blogosphere without a thought of turning back, it was delicious!


Now, if you love Smores and Oreo cookies, you will agree with me this is the dessert for you, save the marshmallows, of course. Hiding my face, I stand shameless, as I list the ingredients you will need:

So tiny, so pretty, so yummy, so WOW!

As the saying goes, some of the simplest things in life are often the best, the potato being a perfect example. It has no complex flavors nor does it need any special handling or preparation; however, when you add a little of this or a little of that, it's amazing how incredible the dishes that this simple vegetable can produce. A case in point is this recipe for the babiest of the Yukon yellow potato.

Baby Yukon potatoes can be found in most supermarkets nowadays. These are usually found in one pound packages and are no more than an inch in diameter. A one pound package will serve as 4 side dishes comfortably. These were found at the Albertson's supermarket and can usually be found on sale for about three dollars, pretty reasonable for such an elegant side dish.

Farro gets dressed up in the wonderful colors of Italy

Farro is a food product consisting of the grains of certain wheat species in whole form. The exact definition is debated.  It is sold dried and is prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy (many recommend first soaking over night). It may be eaten plain, though it is often used as an ingredient in dishes such as salads and soups. It is sometimes ground into flour and used to make pasta or bread. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

A wonderful way of preparing Farro is to cook as directed in water or chicken stock and then adding it to a medley of sauteed peppers, garlic, and onion. Prepared this way, Farro can be served as an entree for vegetarians or as a side dish to chicken, fish, or pork. The preparation is very easy and takes no time.

To prepare the Farro, bring 3 cups of water or chicken stock to a boil for 1 cup of Farro. Boil for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until al dente. Drain the grain and set aside.

Prepare a medley of vegetables for saute. For this recipe, the following items were selected:

1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
2 pinches of roasted Spanish Paprika
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pinches of dried basil
1/2 cup of white wine (dry)
1 squeeze of 1/2 lime

Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Add the peppers and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Next add the onions and continue to saute 5 more minutes. Finally, add the garlic and tomato. Stir well and add the wine and all other ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Reduce heat and allow to cook uncovered for about 5 minutes.

As a final step, add the Farro into the sauteed medley and mix well. Check for seasoning and add a bit more salt if needed. Serve hot or allow to cool to room temperature and serve with a drizzle of olive oil. This method of preparing Farro incorporates wonderful rich flavors with the Farro soaking up the juices. It's just simply wonderful.

Banana Coconut Custard Tart --- not just another tart.

Of all the tarts that I have introduced on this blog, none produces such a unique perfume representation of the tropics. Not too sweet, not too heavy, it's almost like eating a slice of a tropical cocktail, if cocktails came in solid form. This dessert is like a pina colada drink. You be the judge, make it at home and discover what I'm talking about.

CRUST

1 1/4 cup of sifted flour
1 cube (1/4 lb) of cold butter
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of Pernod (anise liquor)

This is what you want to make first. This crust is very light and is crumbly and flaky like a shortbread cookie. Preheat your oven to 400. Have an 8 or 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom lightly greased with butter of spray.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, add the sugar, liquor, and vanilla extract. Cut the cube of butter into 8 to 10 pieces and add to the flour. With your fingers, begin to break the butter down and mix with the flour. Continue until flour transforms into a crumbly mixture like wet sand. Don't over mix. Add the mixture to the tart pan and lightly spread the dough over the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure every surface is well covered. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the dough begins to turn a light golden color. Remove from oven and allow to completely cook, setting the pan on top of a cooling rack.

While the tart crust is cooling, gather the following:

2 medium bananas, sliced diagonally in 1/2 inch thickness
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of liquor Galiano
1/4 cup of pineapple juice

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the bananas and saute for about 1 minute or two. Now add the Galiano, stir and turn over your bananas. Finally, add the pineapple juice and lower your heat. Allow liquid to reduce a bit. The pineapple is acidic and will help keep the bananas from turning brown on you. Add the bananas to the bottom of your tart crust and spread them evenly to cover entire bottom.

Now you are ready to make the coconut custard. You can choose to make it from scratch or you can choose to make it with Birds Custard Mix, which is highly recommended and can be found in most supermarkets and specialty stores. Here's what you need:

1 large tablespoon of Birds Custard powder
1 1/4 cup of coconut cream (or coconut milk)
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of dark rum
1/2 cup of fine coconut flakes
2 pinches of ginger powder
2 pinches of nutmeg

Add the custard powder and sugar into a pan along with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk. Stir under it is well blended, then add the rum and vanilla extract. While heat is at medium, slowly begin to add the milk while constantly stirring.  When you have 1/2 cup of coconut milk left, add the egg yolk to the milk and mix well before starting to add mixture to the pan. Once all mixture is in the pan, continue to stir and bring to a slow boil. As custard gets closer to the boil point, you will notice it start to thicken. Continue to stir, making sure that custard is not sticking to the bottom. Continue on a slow boil, reducing heat to low. Finally, add the coconut flakes, ginger powder, and nutmeg, and mix well. Once custard has been slow boiling for a few minutes, remove from heat and allow to set for 5 minutes or so, until it cools slightly. You may continue to stir to speed up cooling and so that a "skin" doesn't develop on the surface of the custard.

Once it has cooled a bit, pour custard over the bananas spreading the custard evenly to cover entire surface. Allow to cool in the fridge for about an hour. Then remove to add the topping.

TOPPING

1/2 cup of sliced toasted almonds
1/2 cup of dry coconut flakes (larger flakes, unsugared)
1/4 cup of coarsely chopping crystallized ginger.

Spread each of the topping ingredients evenly over entire surface of the tart. Return to the fridge and continue to cool for at least 4 hours (overnight is best!).