On The Menu: Baked Bolognese

Well, my dear hubby has done it again! He prepared a delicious meal last night that had all 6 of us going back for seconds (and thirds). I think he's trying to show me up! It's okay though, who am I to complain about such a tasty meal?

Here is the recipe courtesy the Food Network's Good Deal with Dave Lieberman.

Baked Bolognese

For the tomato sauce:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Couple dashes red chili flakes

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

Sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bechamel:

1/2 stick butter
1 large onion

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white wine, optional

1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed

Dash ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon

2 cups grated three-cheese blend, divided

1 pound parcooked rigatoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add oil to large skillet over high heat. Add ground beef and saute, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Add garlic, oregano and chili flakes and cook a couple minutes. Add tomatoes and season, to taste, with sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

For the bechamel:

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat until bubbling. Add onions and saute until translucent. Sprinkle with flour, stirring constantly and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Gradually whisk in the wine, if using, and then gradually whisk in the milk and nutmeg and cook until smooth, thick and creamy. Combine the meat sauce and pasta, and then pour in half the pasta mixture. Spoon half the bechamel over the pasta and top with half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake 30 to 45 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Just in case you were wondering (like me) how to pronounce bolognese and bechamel maybe this will help:

bolognese: [boh-luh-neez, -nees, -luhn-yeez, -yees] 1. Of or pertaining to Bologna or its inhabitants. 2. Italian cookery.

bechamel: [bey-shuh-mel; Fr. bey-sha-mel] A white sauce, sometimes seasoned with nutmeg and onion.

THE BEST New England Clam Chowder Courtesy the Food Network (and My Husband and Kids!)

As a soup lover, I find myself drawn to soup recipes and trying all sorts of soups. It's so comforting on a cold winter's night! When David (my husband) offered to cook dinner this weekend, I immediately said okay, because it was a welcome break from cooking all week. (I love to cook, but a girl needs a break every once in a while.) I had recorded an episode of Good Deal with Dave Lieberman on the Food Network. David watched it and decided he and the kids would make the New England Clam Chowder with Pan Toasted Croutons and I was so glad they did! The soup makes enough for an army. Even in our family of 6, after we each had multiple servings, we had 2 medium sized Tupperware containers left for another night. The chowder is rich and creamy. The potatoes were perfect, tender, but not mushy and the crisp croutons were the perfect complement to the creamy soup. In addition to being delicious, it was very economical and cost around $10 to make the entire pot. I think we can probably get at least one or maybe 2 more meals out of the leftovers!

Here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks (reserve tender leaves) trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves

1 pound Idaho potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pan Toasted Croutons:

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.

For the Pan Toasted Croutons: Melt the butter in a large skillet and toss the bread cubes in the butter until browned and toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper.

All of our kids, ages 4 to 10 loved it and asked for more! This has definitely become a family favorite for us.