Lambs! Here is my upcoming menu plan. That scallops dish looks INSANE. Super excited about this week!
Sunday: Honey-Marinated Pork with Gremolata and Escarole with Bacon, Dates and Warm Walnut Vinaigrette
Monday: Grilled Cheese and Kale Sandwiches with Tomato Soup
Tuesday: Lemon Artichoke Risotto and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Wednesday: Scallops with Blood Orange Gastrique and Roasted Beets with Citrus and Feta
So on to what you should be making tonight or this week for sure is homemade pici. We had a little ladies’ dinner at my friend Kari’s house and she’s been to Italy not once but twice. Mmm hmmm, next time she better pack moi in her suitcase. Her food tales alone make my mouth water. Since she’s returned, we’ve been able to have a little Italy in Austin, including this homemade Pici and Bolognese Sauce. For me, rolling Pici requires me to use a section of my brain that I don’t think is actually functional. Kari made it look as simple as breathing and I made it look as easy as neurosurgery…not good poodles. I sucked at it completely, but don’t let my lack of brain cells or motor skills deter you. This was super fun to do as a group plus it’s homemade pasta people, it just tastes that much better. For the full pici making process and recipe, you can visit the Cretaiole website and then be a sad panda that you are not actually at Cretaiole rigt now. Kari also shared her bolognese recipe which is so superb. Mangia!
THE Bolognese:
- 6 to 8 ounces (150-200 g) ground beef – it shouldn’t be too lean, or the sugo will be dry
- 2 ounces (50 g) pancetta, minced (optional; if you omit it increase the beef)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- A quarter of a medium-sized onion, minced
- A half a carrot, minced
- A six-inch stalk of celery, minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes or 2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup water (I used fresh tomatoes, quartered them, quickly scraped the “goo” (seeds) out of each quarter and cooked them in a pot with some garlic until they were soft and mashed.)
- Beef broth (If you don’t have any, dissolve half a bouillon cube in a cup of boiling water)
- A pinch of salt
- A pound (500 g) of pasta.
- Grated Parmigiano.