Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese _ Tyler Florence Food

TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for 2 minutes to render out the fat. Add the porcinis, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; stirring to combine. Toss in the thyme, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender but not browned.
• Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully 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 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.
• 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 (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce. Shower with basil and pass grated cheese around the table.

THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.
• Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

BOLOGNESE (TYLER FLORENCE)

Steps:

• Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.
• Puree the mushrooms, pancetta, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable puree and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
• Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.
• 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 (as they say in Italian "al dente"). Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.
• Serve with a good scoop of fresh ricotta cheese and garnish with some shredded basil, grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil.

ULTIMATE BEEF STROGANOFF WITH BUTTERED NOODLES - TYLER FLORENCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Combine 4 cloves roughly chopped garlic with salt, pepper and olive oil. Add rosemary leaves and thyme leaves. Smear around the bowl and squeeze in your fist to bruise and combine. Smear this paste all over the short ribs on a baking sheet. Place sheet in oven and roast 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.
• Heat 2 T olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and sear 3-5 minutes until browned. Add shallots and garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Move pan away from open flame and add cognac to deglaze; return pan to heat and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Turn off heat and add mustard and sour cream; stir well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• While sauce cooks, prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter and a little pepper while hot.
• Remove meat from bones and slice crosswise, 1/2" thick. Serve noodles, topped with sauce, then place meat on top. Garnish with parsley and green onions.

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat a 2-count of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender but not browned.
• Raise the heat a bit. Take the ground veal and beef, break it up into chunks and add it to the pan. Cook, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Then add the tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer very slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Now add the milk - the milk will make the meat nice and tender - and simmer again until thickened, another 20 to 30 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper. Mash the sauce against the side of the pan to really blend it. Transfer half of the sauce to containers and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to several months.
• Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. When you're ready to serve, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm ("al dente", as they say in Italian) 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and put the spaghetti into a big pasta bowl. Return the sauce remaining in the pot to a simmer and stir in the ricotta cheese. Pour the sauce over the drained spaghetti and give it a good toss. Garnish with a handful of grated Parmigiano, the basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.

TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.
• Puree the mushrooms, pancetta, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable puree and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
• Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.
• 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 (as they say in Italian "al dente"). Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.
• Serve with a good scoop of fresh ricotta cheese and garnish with some shredded basil, grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil.

TYLER FLORENCE'S ULTIMATE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.
• Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hang onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice looking meatballs.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes. Put them into a baking dish and spoon about half of the tomato sauce over. Shower with the mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately along with extra cheese.

LASAGNA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly, coat with olive oil keep them moist and easy to work with.
• Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, onion, garlic and herbs. Cook 5 minutes. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain fat into a small container and discard. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses and sauce. Top last layer with noodles, sauce and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

COLD SESAME NOODLES - TYLER FLORENCE

Steps:

• Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm, about 3 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together.
• In the same pot, heat the peanut oil over medium low heat. addd green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile paste.
• Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, only about a minute or so.
• Then stir in brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and peanut butter is smooth. Toss noodles back into pan and coat with sauce.
• Toss sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium low heat until golden brown. Shake the pan constantly to keep them from burning. Put noodles in a serving bowl and garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro and cucmber strips. You can place the sauced noodles in the refrigerator and serve them cold; just garnish right before serving.

ULTIMATE LASAGNA BOLOGNESE _ TYLER FLORENCE

Steps:

• Make the Bolognese. Put onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and sage in a food processor and process until you have a smooth vegetable pulp. Coat a large, heavy pot with oil and set over medium heat. Add vegetable pulp and saute until fragrant and some of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan. Season ground beef and pork with salt and pepper and add to pan. Stir and break up meat until it is brown, then dust with the flour before adding wine, tomatoes, milk, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, uincovered, until sauce is thick. Add parmesan and parsley and season with salt and pepper if needed. Set aside while you make the bechamel.
• To make the bechamel, set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add milk, garlic, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer to infuse milk with herbs. set a large saucepan over medium low heat. Add butter and melt, then sprinkle with flourwhile stirring with a wooden spoon. Once flourhas been combined with butter, grab a whisk and gradually pour in the herb infused milk, passing it through a sieve to strain out the aromatics. As the sauce thickens, continue to whisk over low heat, then add nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 350°F To assemble the lasagna, cut fresh pasta to fit pan if needed. Coat the bottom of a 13x9 pan with a thin layer of bechamel. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with a layer each of bechamel, bolognese, and mozzarella pieces. Continue with layers until you have three complete layers, finishing with mozzarella.Sshower the top of the lasagna with parmesan and parsley. Bake, uncovered, on a tray ( to catch drippings) in the center of the over for 1 hour. If the top starts to brown tent with foil. Let the lasagna stand for 30 minutes before cutting.