Sometimes you have to atone

On occasion I try to cook something new, usually because I am out of food and hungry. Generally speaking, this goes very well, or at least is sufficiently tasty to get me through the night. There are days, however, that are a bit less successful. Monday was one of those days. I took a series of perfectly good ingredients and ended up, somehow, with a salt lick. Because I am as stubborn as the day is long, I still ate a good bit, once I removed the salty cheese portion. After this mini-debacle, I needed to make something new and tasty - both at the same time - thus reestablishing my kitchen prowess.

Bolognese sauce to the rescue! In what I believe to be one of the more embarrassing omissions in my self-training, I've never actually made a bolognese. Today, I remedied this, and learned a few things along the way. For example, did you know that there is a product in the grocery store called "Meatloaf Mix"? Well there is. It's a combination of beef, veal, and pork meat that is perfect for something like a bolognese, despite the inherent creepiness of a single ground meat product produced from three separate animals. However, in a concession to health..ish... I decided to use about 2/3 strange meat mix, and 1/3 ground turkey. Also, once again, the store has decided to sell things in annoying quantities. Namely: each ground meat product comes in a 1.3lb portion, and I really don't need to use more than 2 lbs of meat in a single dish. I mean... come on. A girl has to draw the line somewhere.

This is extremely tasty. Extremely. So, next time you're at the store, grab the nearest blended ground meat product and go nuts!

Bolognese Sauce (of happiness)

2 onions, diced
2 carrots, chopped or grated
5 cloves of garlic, minced (love the garlic)
smidgen extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, ground, finely diced, or attacked by a food processor
1.3 pound meatloaf mix (veal, beef, pork), one package.
.7 pound ground turkey (just cut off about 1/4-1/3 of the total weight and toss in the freezer to flavor a future dish... or make a huge burger on the side to the delight of someone nearby)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes (san marzano variety are really most sincerely more flavorful)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt to taste
1/2 cup light cream

1) Saute onions, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until softened.

2) Add pancetta, meat mix, and ground turkey and brown, breaking up as it cooks.

3) Add tomato paste, mixing with the meat. Add wine & deglaze pan. Add water, tomato and thyme and simmer, covered, until thickened (an hour/hour and a half).

4) Stir in the cream and salt to taste. Serve over pasta of your choice.