Our families, ever a source of unconditional love, need not be sidelined on Valentine’s Day. Designing as we do for living beautifully ensemble, we offer a recipe for celebrating as a crew with a dinner inspired by a rouge palette.
As backdrop, play up your tablescape with fuchsia blooms such as tulips or anemones and fold classic crimson bandanas as napkins. Ever a crowd pleaser, Elisa’s recipe for Bolognese sauce manifests the cozy warmth of Cupid (sans saccharine sentimentality). She serves it over Rummo’s gluten-free pasta (“their penne and rigatoni are superb!”), which always comes out al dente, i.e. delicious. Get ready for your family to swoon!
Bolognese à la Elisa
serves six
Ingredients
6-8 cloves of garlic, diced
1 yellow onion, quartered
½ teaspoon fennel seed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound organic ground pork
1 pound organic ground round beef
2 large cans (28 ounces each) San Marzano plum tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 cup half and-half
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
- Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil until the onion becomes translucent. Add pork and beef and cook with Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
- In a blender, purée the canned tomatoes and pour into the sauté pan with your meats. Add the bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add tomato paste with water. Stir and re-cover pan. Simmer for 3 hours on low heat, stirring periodically. As soon as the timer sounds, add the half-and-half and continue to simmer. Sprinkle in the fennel seed to cut the tartness of the tomato and continue to slow cook for several minutes. Finish with more salt and pepper to taste. Once you’ve achieved the perfect spoonful, serve.
Bon appétit, mon amours!
