Pummaroo&Friends: Golubcy (голубцы) with Viktoria!

Again the page Pummaroo&Friends!

Today with us...Viktoria, a sweet and nice girl from Belarus!

A cabbage
500 gr minced meat
Tomato puree

A cup of rice
2 onions
2 carrots
Sour cream
parsley
thyme
Oil
Salt
pepper

Half boil the rice. In a pan, stir fry onion with carrot and soften the leaves of cabbage (either on a steam or in microwave 10-15 min).

In a big bowl mix the carrots, the onions and the fresh minced meat, the herbs, salt and pepper. Fold the rice in too!

Stuff the cabbage leaves with the minced meat and close them as envelope! Stir fry for 5-10 min. Finish the cooking boiling them in the tomato puree with a spoon of sour cream for 30/40 min. Serve with fresh thyme and parsley.

                 приятного аппетита

Ragù alla bolognese

The first time I went to London, I was 13 and the family hosting me served spaghetti alla bolognese. I was so happy to realize that food would not have been a problem all along my trip.

This was true before seeing canned spaghetti, too white and gluey, soakend in oil with some blocks of tomato minced meat. They were really disgusting so I haven't eaten bolognese sauce for long time.

The recipe has its orgins in Bologna and It is a good alternative to the Sunday gravy. I want to dedicate this post to a dear friend of mine, living in Bologna, Gianluca. He loves good food and he helps us to sing good music at musixmatch .

Normally the bolognese is tossed with fresh tagliatelle (fresh egg pasta dough) or as lasagna stuffing that better grab the sauce and NEVER with spaghetti that are too thin and regular. I do not like fresh egg pasta, I find it too heavy to serve with a sauce that is already rich so I always choose dried pasta rigata (rigatoni or also penne).

This sauce can be made 2 days ahead and once cooked It could be frozen. Moreover there are some cooks that enrich their recipes with thinly sliced pancetta or minced sausage but  I think that here less is more.

400 gr beef minced meat (serving 6)
1 lt tomato passata
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 glass red wine
2 tbs oil
salt
pepper
fresh parmesan
nutmeg

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté until soft then add beef, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until browned. Pour in the wine and reduce.

Add tomato paste and tomato passata afterwards. Salt and cook for a hour (stir from time to time and add some water, if needed), until the sauce is reduced and thick. Turn the heat off and add some nutmeg and pepper.

                                     Toss the pasta, serving with some parmesan.

Sunday gravy

I usually give an Italian name to my posts. Today I want to dedicate this recipe to my family in Chicago.

Even If they have Irish origins, they have the big Italian attitude: to stay together, sharing feelings and good food. I hope to have another Sunday lunch with all of them very soon.

To Meghan, Bill, Teresa, Big Cat, Maureen, Sean, Mary Kate, Emmett and Tommy

This Sunday gravy, ragù napoletano, is a red sauce, made with tomato and meat, simmering for long time (4, 5 hours). The sauce is used for pasta (I suggest the short shapes as rigatoni, penne, tortiglioni or ziti broken into pieces) and the meat as secondo. Once cooked the ragù could be frozen.

 

400 gr beef thick flank, chopped into medium-sized pieces (serving 6/8)

200 gr pig flank, chopped into medium-sized pieces
2 pig ribs
1 1/2 lt tomato passata
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 glass red wine
2 Tablespoons evo oil
fresh basil
salt
black pepper
parmesan

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the meat and continue to fry until all meat sides are browned. Pour  the red wine and when reduced, add the tomato paste and then the passata with some fresh basil. Season with salt, black pepper and stir well.

Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 4/5 hours. Stir from time to time, and if dry, add a little more water. The sauce must be reduced in volume: thick, silky and very dark. To understand if It is ready or not, use a piece of bread to mop up the rich sauce. Mhmhmhmhmh!

Remove from the heat and toss the pasta, serving with some parmigiano (parmesan).