Recipe Review - I think I'm Italian now!

I love to cook – I think that’s why I love to design kitchens… it’s more than making it a beautiful space, but a well functioning place to BE that encourages good food and fosters those relationships in our lives that takes a structure we call a house and makes it a home.

I’m also a big fan of Bon Appetit, and this weekend I took on a new recipe in the May issue “The Italy Issue” and was not disappointed!  The recipe was the “Classic Ragu’ Bolognese” – can you say the ultimate Italian comfort food?  This recipe is easy but it does take time for it all to come together, so while I do think any cooking level could do it, it cannot (and should not) be rushed!  The layers of flavor are smooth, comforting and just get better with each step of the process.

In addition to the sauce, I made my pasta noodles (a recipe I’ve sort of developed on my own from several tries using a multitude of pasta recipes that didn’t work quite right for me – this one was perfect, although it did make a little more pasta than I needed for this recipe – here’s a few pictures of my recipe adventure!

drying the cut pasta

Fresh pasta added to the classic ragu bolognese

A quick peek at the finished product, ready for good friends and conversation!  We served it with a simple caesar salad and garlic bread and then paired it with Washington State wine from Long Shadows Wineries  called “Saggi” - a velvety, smooth super tuscan that was the perfect pairing for this dish.   Dessert was a homemade (not by me) Lemon Basil sorbet and the perfect end to the meal!

Whether you tackle the homemade pasta or not, I hope you will gather some friends and try out this keeper from Bon Appetit!

edited to include the link to the recipe on the Bon Appetit site!  click here  "Classic Ragu' Bolognese"