Comfort Food

A friend of mine just had a baby and I had the privilege of bringing her family dinner yesterday. One of my favorite things to do is bring a meal to somebody, whether I know them or not. Yesterday was a particularly windy day, a perfect candidate for some comfort food. Plus, who wouldn't like comfort food after the birth experience??

I decided to make a Whole Wheat Penne Bolognese. A bolognese is a meat-based sauce for pasta, it is sometimes thought to be a tomato sauce, but authentic recipes use tomato concentrate. I am no where near Italian, so I took the liberty of using crushed tomatoes (for shame!) because I wanted, well, a saucier sauce...

Whole Wheat Penne Bolognese

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 lb bacon, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried thyme (or 4 fresh thyme sprigs)

1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 fresh rosemary sprig)

2 bay leaves

2 lbs. ground turkey (I chose a leaner version, but you could use ground beef, or 1 lb. of pork + 1 lb. of veal for a more authentic sauce)

1 cup whole milk

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups dry red wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute for 2 minutes to render out the fat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; stirring to combine. Add in the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves (if using fresh thyme and rosemary, strip the thyme and rosemary sprigs; discard stems). Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are tender but not browned.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground turkey; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a spoon. Add the milk and simmer about 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and wine; season with salt and pepper.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves.

When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm. Drain pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.

I served this meal with a mixed green salad and a crusty Italian loaf (I also brought some of the mini ginger cupcakes from yesterday's post!).

I went to drop the meal off just before 5pm, a short walk up from my apartment. I was able to visit with my friend for a short time, and of course see her sweet baby girl, who was so gorgeous by the way. 

Although I did not technically "break bread' with my friend and her family, I did return home to enjoy the same dinner I had prepared for my family. I love these days.