Women In Food ~ Anne Burrell's Bolognese

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Women In Food! Back in the early days of this blog, I'd planned on doing a monthly feature that would showcase one of the incredibly talented women, who are boldly and deliciously paving the way for new generations of female chefs, food writers and industry entrepreneurs.

My plan was (and still is) to provide you with a little background, some video and loads of delicious recipes from some of the best and brightest female chefs in the world. I really wanted to make Women In Food a regular feature, but as my 1st (and only other) installment would indicate, life (and Lupus) got in the way and that never really happened.

As you'll see by the date on my first post showcasing Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, HERE, it's been a very long time since I hatched this little plan. But...

In the future, I really do hope to do better when it comes to paying homage to these incredible female chefs, who are making their mark in what is still a mostly male dominated field. (If you'd like to know a little bit more about why it is that I admire these ladies so much, just click HERE)

So, without further ado, this installment's Woman In Food is...

Chef Anne Burrell

Host of the Food Network & Cooking Channel shows

Secrets Of a Restaurant Chef 

Worst Cooks in America

Anne's Books

Anne's Website

Anne's Bolognese

• 1 large onion or 2 small, cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
• Kosher salt
• 3 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination
• 2 cups tomato paste
• 3 cups hearty red wine
• Water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.

Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat.

(At this point in the video Anne tastes the sauce and adds more salt to the pan. As I say ~ in just about every recipe that I post on this blog ~ tasting the food and adding seasoning, if needed, is an integral part of cooking because each step or addition to a recipe can completely alter it's flavor profile as you add more ingredients, or as the different flavors begin to concentrate.)

Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will).

(I love Anne's personality. She's bright, funny and she truly loves what she does for a living. Not all of us can say that, can we?)

"Superstar"

Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time.

Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce.

Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. Salty as the ocean! TASTE IT! If your pasta water is under seasoned it doesn't matter how good your sauce is, your complete dish will always taste under seasoned.

When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package.

While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve.

Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced.

Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously.

Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl.

Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

Here's a short video of Chef Anne making this version of bolognese. I get such a kick out of her fun, slightly quirky personality and I find that watching her actually prrepare her recipes, just adds to the overall experience. Enjoy!

A Short Bio from the Food Network

"With her trademark spiky blond hair and pumped-up personality, Anne Burrell has worked at some of the top restaurants in New York, studied the culinary landscape and traditions of Italy, and battled alongside Mario Batali as his sous chef on Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Anne makes restaurant dishes accessible and reveals concise, easy-to-master techniques for the at-home cook on her Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. On her show Chef Wanted, Anne helps top restaurateurs find candidates with the right experience and creativity to become executive chefs. On Worst Cooks in America, Anne joins Tyler Florence in mentoring teams of hopeless home cooks from around the country, putting them through culinary boot camp.

In 2011, Anne published her first cookbook, Cook Like a Rock Star, which gives home cooks the confidence and support to be rock stars in their own kitchens. Her cookbook earned a place on the New York Times Best Seller list. In fall 2011 Anne starred in her own right on Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs.

Growing up in upstate New York, Anne developed a passion for food and cooking at an early age. After obtaining an English and communications degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, she pursued her interest in the restaurant business by enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America. Following graduation, she spent a year in Italy attending the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners while working at La Taverna del Lupo in Umbria and La Bottega del' 30, a Michelin one-star restaurant in Tuscany. During this year, Anne grew to truly appreciate and understand the philosophy of Italian cuisine and culture, which left a lasting impact on her culinary point of view.

Upon her arrival in New York City, Anne was hired as a sous chef at Felidia, working with Lidia Bastianich. She then served as a chef at Savoy, where she cooked over an open wood fire and created flavorful menus inspired by Mediterranean countries. Here Anne developed her personal culinary style: rustic food made with pure and simple ingredients with intense flavors.

Anne then took the opportunity to spread her culinary knowledge and passion as a teacher at the Institute of Culinary Education. After three years, Anne went back to the restaurant business, serving as the executive chef at Lumi. Shortly after, she joined the Batali-Bastianich empire by accepting a job at Italian Wine Merchants. The job also included salumi production and traveling to off-site events with Mario Batali. When Mario became one of Food Network’s esteemed Iron Chefs, he knew exactly who to enlist as his sous chef: the talented and dynamic Anne Burrell.

As the executive chef at New York hot spot Centro Vinoteca from its opening in July 2007 through September 2008, Anne served up her "creative-authentic" Italian menu of small plates (piccolini), antipasti, pastas and main courses accented by her trademark bold, pure flavors."

Enjoy!

Mary

Don't Forget To Follow Me On Social Media! I Post Blog Updates, Ideas For Kitchen "How To's", Restaurant Recommendations And Reviews And Always Lots Of Photos!

You Can Have New Posts From Go Ahead Take A Bite Delivered Right To Your Inbox! Just Enter Your Email Address Here:


Delivered by FeedBurner
We will never send any advertising or provide your email address to any other blogs or businesses.

Don't forget that you can print this (or any) recipe using the "Print Friendly" button at the foot of each post. It's a great little feature that allows you to remove any pictures (or any text that isn't relevant to the recipe) before printing. That can save on ink and paper & in today's economy, who doesn't want to save a little cash when you can?!

Women In Food ~ Alex Guarnaschelli's Pork Meatballs

Welcome to the first-ever installment of Women In Food!

For centuries the food world has been dominated by men, but that's beginning to change. I have immense respect for the talented women who've made it to the top of the proverbial food chain in today's culinary world.

I hope to be featuring one of these incredible ladies who are boldly and deliciously paving the way for new generations of female chefs, food writers and industry entrepreneurs on a regular basis. The plan is to provide you all with a little background, maybe some video and certainly lots of delicious recipes throughout the series.

(If you'd like to know a little bit more about why it is that I admire these ladies so much, just click HERE)

Update: I've had to put this series on hold for the time being. I'd like to bring it back at some point in the future, when I can give it the attention it deserves.

So, Without further ado, this month's Woman In Food is...

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli

Executive Chef:

Butter
415 Lafayette Street NY, NY
and
The Darby
244 W 14th Street NY, NY

Alex's Book

 

Alex's Pork Meatballs

• 2 pounds lean ground pork (not too lean), cut from the pork shoulder 
• Kosher salt 
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes 
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 2/3 cup packed curly parsley with stems, washed, dried and chopped 
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan 
• 1 cup bread crumbs, toasted 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon for testing 
• Alex's Mother's Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

Add the meat to a large bowl, spread it out and season with salt, to taste. Add the remaining ingredients leaving the bread crumbs until last. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. Create a small patty and test it in a small saute pan in 1 tablespoon of oil. When browned on both sides, taste and re-season the meat mixture, if needed. Roll the mixture into about 20 to 25 or so balls that are about 2 inches in diameter.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, shut off the heat to avoid splattering, add the meatballs in a single layer and spread them somewhat apart so they have a chance to brown instead of steam. You may need to do this in batches.

Brown the meatballs, over high heat, turning them so they brown all around. Treat them like hamburgers and cook them until they are medium-rare, about 3 to 5 minutes. Touch them to make sure they are still tender in the center. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove them from the pan to a tray and cook off the remaining balls, if needed.

Add the meatballs to the hot tomato sauce and allow them to bubble slightly and simmer over very low heat for a few minutes. Shut off the heat and allow the mixture to rest for a few additional minutes before serving.

Marinara Sauce

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled, halved and diced
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices
• 2 to 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 4 cups water, divided, plus more as needed
• 1 cup basil leaves, washed
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, the garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar and season with salt, to taste. Stir in the carrots and reseason with salt. 

Cook for about 2 minutes, and then add canned tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add half of the water to prevent the veggies from getting too dry and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. 

The tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Add remaining water, as needed, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. The sauce cooks about as long as it takes to make the meatballs from start to finish, about 45 minutes. Stir in the basil leaves and season with Parmesan.

Alex's Bio:
(courtesy of Food Network)

There are few American chefs, much less female chefs who can boast staying power in Michelin-starred restaurants. Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli can boast indeed — she embarked on a culinary journey in France and ended up working in some of the country’s top restaurants including esteemed chef Guy Savoy’s eponymous three-star kitchen. 

Not surprising for the daughter of esteemed cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli, who spent her childhood surrounded by food. Guarnaschelli learned to eat according to whatever book her mother was working on at the time: one year was devoted to Indian with Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni; another year was devoted to Italian with The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

"My mother was always coaxing me from my ‘Barbie land’ under the dining room table to peel potatoes, knead bread or assemble a trifle,” says Guarnaschelli, who jokingly continues, "what else could a seven-year-old have wanted from life?"

This early emphasis on her palate truly shaped her future in food. On the day of Guarnaschelli’s graduation from Barnard College in 1991, she decided to explore her culinary interests and began working under the tutelage of the acclaimed American chef and restaurateur Larry Forgione.

Forgione encouraged Guarnaschelli to travel and expand her skillset, so she obligingly moved to France to do a work-study at La Varenne Culinary School in Burgundy. After school and traveling throughout France, she moved to Paris to begin a four day stage at the Michelin three-star restaurant Guy Savoy. Four days turned into four years with Guarnaschelli rapidly being promoted to sous chef at La Butte Chaillot, another Savoy establishment. “The first three months were terrifying — imagine being a young American woman in charge of a French kitchen with 10 young, male cooks under you? Professionally, it was a life-changing experience,” she says.

After seven successful years in France, Guarnaschelli returned stateside. Though she left the country, she maintained her connection with the cuisine, joining the venerable Daniel Boulud at restaurant Daniel, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become sous chef at the Manhattan standard. Always looking to expand her culinary knowledge, Guarnaschelli moved to Los Angeles for two years to join Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group, where she worked at the acclaimed Patina restaurant in West Hollywood before moving to New York to open Splichal's first New York City venture.

In 2003, Guarnaschelli was given the opportunity to expand her repertoire and become the executive chef at Butter Restaurant, where she would create her own eclectic American and green market-inspired menu. In addition to her restaurant work, Guarnaschelli inspires budding chefs as a Chef-Instructor at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education. Guarnaschelli is also helming the kitchen of the NYC modern dining and cabaret concept, The Darby.

Chef Guarnaschelli has appeared on Food Network’s Iron Chef America as both a challenger and a judge, a reoccurring judge on the popular primetime series Chopped, along with her own shows, The Cooking Loft, as well as Alex’s Day Off launching in October 2009.




Don't Forget To Follow Me On Social Media! I Post Blog Updates, Ideas For Kitchen "How To's", Restaurant Recommendations And Reviews... And Always Lots Of Photos!

You Can Have New Posts From Go Ahead Take A Bite Delivered Right To Your Inbox! Just Enter Your Email Address Here:


Delivered by FeedBurner
We will never send any advertising or provide your email address to any other blogs or businesses.

Don't forget that you can print this (or any) recipe using the "Print Friendly" button at the foot of each post. It's a great little feature that allows you to save any recipe as a PDF, email a recipe to yourself (or a friend) and remove any pictures (or any text that isn't relevant to the recipe) before printing! That can save on ink and paper. Who doesn't want to save a little cash when you can?!


Linking up with:

Click HERE to Link Up