Cheese Sauce for Pasta

This receipe was originally borrowed from a site called "A Couple Cooks" and adapted to the food I was serving. ( https://www.acouplecooks.com/white-sauce-pasta/ ) The pasta involved in my case was Pelmeni, which is Russian in origin and can be found with a variety of fillings. I can get it from the local European Delicatessen and really like the tastes. You can eat it with tomato sauces, but they tend to overwhelm the taste of the filling, so I've started using this instead.

Ingredients

1. 1 pound pasta noodles of any shape: pelmeni, spaghetti, bucatini, penne, riagotni, cavatappi, etc.
2. 2 tablespoons salted butter
3. 2 cloves of garlic, grated
4. 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
5. 3 cups milk
6. ½ teaspoon salt
7. ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Start a pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is just al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside; usually around 7 to 8 minutes). Drain.

Meanwhile, measure out all ingredients in advance; the cooking process happens fast!

Right after you add the pasta to the pot, start the sauce: In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the grated garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.

Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute to 90 seconds, until bubbly and golden. Do not overcook it: the flour can turn brown within a few seconds. Keep an eye on it!

Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will instantly turn chunky. Constantly whisking, continue to add splashes of milk and whisk them in until the entire quantity is incorporated and the sauce is smooth.

Reduce the heat and whisk until the sauce thickens and no longer tastes like raw flour, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and Parmesan cheese. Taste and add a pinch or two more salt if desired.

Drain the pasta, then add the sauce. Add a splash or two of milk to loosen the sauce and stir until you have the right consistency. Taste and a few more pinches of salt, if necessary. (The sauce is best freshly made, so we don’t recommend making it in advance). Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

------------------- Bon Appetit ! -------------------

 Pasta and a Meat Sauce

Ingredients  

1	Onion, chopped
1 tbsp	Olive Oil
1 lb	90% Lean Ground Beef
1	small green bell pepper, diced
28 ox	Diced Tomatoes
4	Cloves of Garlic, minced
16 oz	Tomato Sauce
8 oz	Tomato Paste
2 tbsp	Oregano
1 tsp	Salt
1/2 tsp	Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp	Basil
11/2 cups	Beef Broth

Method  

Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, 

and (green) pepper in a large saucepan. 

Cook and stir until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease.

Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan. 

Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. 

Simmer spaghetti sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

After the sauce has started simmering, start a pot of water, lightly salted, on high heat to get it to boiling. Once there turn it down enough to keep it bubbling.

Then take your pasta, prepare it if needed, and add it to the boiling water. Follow the cooking instructions for the pasta, trying to time it to be ready a little before the sauce.

Bueno Appetito !!

Pasta and Meat!!

Meat and Pasta 

Thanks to Katie Workman (themom100.com) for this one!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage squeezed from the casing
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Big glug or two of red or white wine if you have a bottle open 
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes preferably in puree
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

• In a large saucepot, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add both the ground beef and the sausage together and cook, stirring frequently, and breaking up the meat so that it’s very crumbly and browned throughout, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Turn it into a strainer and let it the fat drain off.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pot over medium heat (don’t clean it!  All those little bits of flavor from the meat will season the sauce). Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano and basil and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes, until you can smell the garlic and herbs. Add the wine, if using, and stir for one more minute, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, until the wine pretty much evaporates.
• Add the canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes if using, and stir to combine everything.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the browned meat, lower the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.  Taste, and season gently with the salt and pepper (the sausages provide a whole lot of seasoning).