Turkey Bolognese

Ever since I bought my dad a meat grinder for Christmas, it seems my family has become one big infommercial for the contraption. There is absolutely little comparison between store-bought ground meat and meat that you grind yourself at home.

Unfortunately, I still do not own such mechanics.

But that doesn't mean I can't make a good bolognese (meat sauce) that comes close (but definitely not as close) to my mom's, which she makes with freshly ground beef.

Finely dice carrots, celery, and onions and sweat (cook gently without browning) until tender, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or so. Squirt in some tomato paste and stir it around for another minute. Splash red wine into the pot and allow to reduce, concentrating the flavor. Now add the meat; I used ground turkey breast, but you could also substitute with ground chicken or lean beef (remember, this is a healthy recipe). Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and cook it gently so that it crumbles but does not develop a crust. Now add a can of tomato sauce, preferrably without added salt, and let the meat sauce hang out on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the sauce over your favorite pasta, and garnish with grated parmigiano reggiano and fresh parsley.



Mama would be proud, but I can't wait to enjoy her version again. In the mean time, this should definitely hold me over.

A Well-Stocked Kitchen

One of the secrets to making a quick and healthy dinner is keeping a bunch of staples at home at all times. Nothing is more frustrating than coming home after work with an idea for dinner and realizing that you ran out of (whatever it is you usually have on hand) .

While I will not tell you what to buy, I will tell you what I buy:

In the pantry
dried fruit
canned tomatoes
canned beans
canned tuna (packed in water)
whole wheat pasta/couscous
cereal (high-fiber)
bread (also high-fiber)
garlic (yes, it goes in the pantry)
chicken broth (living in the city without a car, I recommend the chicken broth concentrate packets sold at Trader Joe's. It helps out when I lug all of my heavy grocery bags home. Each container comes with 12 little packets, which equate to 12 cups of broth.)

In the fridge
skim milk
plain non-fat yogurt
fruit (depending on the type, it will go in the pantry)
vegetables (whatever looks good or catches my eye)
cheese
eggs
lemons
onions
peanut/almond butter (for the peanut butter, make sure it's natural. If it's not, it will contain unnecessary unhealthy fats. Stir in the oil until well-encorporated and you're good to go.)

In the freezer
spinach
green beans
fruit
nuts (due to the instability of the oils found in nuts, they keep longer in the freezer)
proteins (I typically only need a bit of protein at one time. To make sure I don't waste food, I separate the items and freeze what I will use at a later date.)

There are usually more products in my apartment at any given time, but these, for me, are the essentials. Things like proteins, fruits, and vegetables vary; what I buy is greatly dictated by my mood in the grocery store. While it may seem like a lot, trust me--once you get everything in place, it's not too much. The above items help me in a pinch and ensure that I am going to (typically) prepare and consume nutritious meals throughout the week.

Hummus, Deconstructed

I will now refer to my thesaurus to use all the synonymns of "angry" that exist to describe tonight's debacle: acrimonious, choleric, heated, indignant, irate, ireful, mad, pissed, pissed-off, shirty, waxy, wrathful, wrathy, wroth, wrothful, wrothy...

Okay, you get the point.

I filled my food chopper with all the fixins for a terrific hummus: chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. I hit the pulse button, and nothing happened. Hit it again. Nothing. Switched to another outlet. No go. Moved parts around, making sure everything was locked in. It was dead.

And so is born "hummus, deconstructed," which was really just a big mistake.

Combine ingredients listed above (you should mince or grate the garlic and tear up the parsley). That's it! I am actually quite surprised at how good it was. I even whipped up some homemade whole wheat pita chips that were delicious and simple: cut pita bread into triangles, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder (same flavors in the "hummus") and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Homemade Gnocchi: From Novice to Now

Yes, yes--here's another one of my stories. Just bear with me and I'll try to make it as painless as possible.

Rewind to sophmore year in college. I just began studying nutrition and getting my hands wet in the kitchen. My best friend was visiting and we had a hankering for a good meal. Only problem was, we had no clue how to make that happen. We decided on making homemade gnocchi. I know what you're thinking: why would these two little inexperienced girls take on such a task without the proper knowledge of the culinary arts? The answer: We had no idea what we were getting into. Not a clue.

To spare you the details, I will simply reveal the outcome: the gnocchi disappeared. Literally. They crumbled apart in the cooking water and melted away. (Picture the confusion; it still makes me laugh to this day.)

Fast forward one year later. I undertake a similar task, this time using sweet potatoes as the base for the gnocchi. For fear of losing the little babies in the pool, I was sure to add a generous amount of flour and knead the dough repeatedly. The gnocchi survived the boiling, but sadly they were too tough. Not bad, though, for a second try.

Back to present day. I am ready to revisit the nightmare that is the gnocchi...

I recommend you prepare the potatoes a day in advance. This will greatly cut down on the amount of kitchen time you put in at once. It's not necessary, but helpful in keeping you sane. Pierce the sweet potatoes (I used two) all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet in a 450-degree oven for about an hour. Allow to cool, then peel and mash well. Refrigerate for use the next day, or let them cool completely and move on...

Season the potatoes with salt, black pepper, and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat one egg and then stir into the potatoes. Now add the flour a little at a time. I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups, which resulted in a dough that looked like this:

Now that you've dumped out the dough onto a clean, floured working surface, knead the dough gently until it just comes together. Remember not to over-knead like I did in the past. Next, cut the dough into sections (I made eight) and roll each one out and cut into bite size pieces. Roll a fork over each gnocchi to create the signature pattern. I had some trouble with this step; improvisation led to me lightly squish them with a fork.

We're almost there! Drop the gnocchi into boiling water. Once they float to the surface, let them cook for about 3-4 minutes before fishing them out with a slotted spoon.

Toss with melted butter, cinnamon or nutmeg, and fresh torn sage.

The gnocchi were texturally balanced, both chewy and pillowy. The cinnamon accentuated the natural sweetness of the potatoes, and the sage in the butter sauce lent an earthy note to the dish.

I guess the adage is true: Third time's the charm!