LUCY BURDETTE: Last week it got chilly in Key West (60 degrees in the morning!) And we were having an unexpected dinner party of 6, including one fellow going through a very rough time. This called for spaghetti bolognese--delicious and comforting. My recipe makes a lot of sauce. We had it for dinner for six, and then had leftovers two nights later. If you can make this the night before and simmer a couple hours, it will be even easier and better the next day.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, minced (about a cup--I did this in food processor)
1 and 1/2 cups minced carrots (about 6, ditto food processor)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup white wine
2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 cup of milk
Saute the onions and carrots in the olive oil about 5 minutes in a big stockpot. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Scrape the vegetables out of the pot onto a plate. Brown the beef, breaking it up into crumbles. Drain the fat. Add the veggies back into the pot with the drained meat. Now add wine and cook this down a little. (We happened to have the white wine left over so I used some of that--you could use either color and be fine.)Now add the tomatoes, breaking them up in the pot as you stir. I like to make sure little hunks of skin are not left on the fruit before I add them to the pot, but you be the judge of whether running into skin in your sauce will annoy you:).
Add the tomato paste and the herbs. Some recipes call for fresh chopped parsley, which is delicious if you have it. This last time, I snipped in lots of fresh basil from our balcony garden.
Add the milk.
Simmer the whole thing about two hours until alcohol has evaporated and flavors blend.
What's your go-to comfort food dinner?
