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Recipe adapted from Lynn Rosetto Kasper’s classic “The Splendid Table”

Note: you should just plain double this recipe.  You can make and freeze or dry extra pasta, and freeze extra portions of the Bolognese!  If serving the Bolognese as the main dish, serve the salad afterwards.

Pasta Ingredients

• 3 large farm fresh eggs
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Pasta Instructions

• Mound the flour, make a large enough indent for the eggs, crack the eggs and start mixing.  Keep incorporating flour until you get a dough that is moist but not too sticky. Note that you may not use all the flour, that’s ok.
• Knead the dough until pliable, about 5 minutes. Form into a cylinder.
• Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Cut the pasta roll into 4 pieces.  Keep 3 wrapped in plastic while you work on 1 piece.
• Flatten out the pasta and dust it with flour so it’s not too sticky.  Run through your pasta machine at it’s widest setting.
• Fold the pasta over to the width of your pasta machine, and run it through again.  Then fold it over and run it through one final time.
• Now, work your way down to the thinnest setting, dusting the ever longer & thinner pasta with flour if it feels like it is getting sticky.
• Finally, cut your long, thin sheet of pasta in half, place one half on a flour dusted surface and the other next to it. Cutting the dough in half may be a rookie move on my part, but it makes it much easier for one person to handle! Let the sheets rest for about 15 minutes. Be careful to not let them touch each other, the dough will stick.
• Run the pasta through the wide cutters on your pasta machine.
• Dust the finished pasta with 00 durum flour. It’s a bit grainy compared to AP flour, and works well to keep the pasta from sticking to itself.
• Coil the finished pasta strands into a mound and continue to the next batch.
• Fill a large pot of water, add a generous tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a rapid boil.
• Start the final step when the Bolognese ragù is ready to go, your salad is made, the table is set and the wine is poured.
• Fresh pasta cooks very quickly!  1-2 minutes is all it will take.  Scoop out the pasta with a wire strainer into a bowl.

Bolognese Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 1 oz. pancetta chopped
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 lb. skirt steak, coarsely ground by pulsing the food processor
• 4 oz. white Trebbiano wine
• 2 Tbsp triple concentrated Italian tomato paste
• 8 oz. chicken stock
• 12 oz. milk
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Bolognese Instructions

• Start by warming the EVOO in a large saucier over a medium heat, then browning the pancetta in the oil.
• Add the onion and saute until it is clear, but not brown, about 3 minutes
• Add the carrots & celery and continue to saute for about 5 minutes
• Add the skirt steak a bit at a time and allow it to brown
• Add the wine to deglaze the pan
• Turn the heat down to a simmer
• Mix the tomato paste into the chicken stock and add to the pot, partially cover the pot
• Add 1/4 cup of milk every 20 minutes
• Allow at least two hours total for the sauce to develop
• The sauce is done when it has the consistency of a very thick soup.  Add additional water or stock if it seems overly dry
• Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste once the sauce is nearly done
• Just before serving, add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss carefully.
• Plate the pasta and top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 12 oz. fresh brussels sprouts, quartered
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375° F
• Mix the ingredients into a bowl, and spread on a 9×13 pan or cookie sheet, being careful to avoid crowding.
• Roast for 30 minutes and serve!

Salad Ingredients

This salad has an Italian slant, with a bit of radicchio for some bitterness and fennel sticks for spice.

• 1 small head of Bibb lettuce
• 1 small head of radicchio
• 1 small head of romaine lettuce
• 1 bulb of fresh fennel, thinly sliced into sticks
• 2 Tbsp EVOO, if you prefer a richer dressing, use a bit more oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp high quality balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad Instructions

•  The greens can be prepared in advance.  Wash, dry and tear into bite-size pieces.
• Add the fennel, cover and refrigerate
• Combine all the liquid ingredients and a bit of salt and pepper in a shakeable jar
• Just before serving, shake the dressing and toss into the salad.