Basic Tomato Sauce

1.  One 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano 

2.  5 tablespoons butter

3.  One yellow or white onion halved against the grain

4.  Smashed garlic cloves, at least 2 (I like more)

5.  Optional items:  basil, oregano, or any of your favorite herbs

6.  Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add tomatoes.  Crush tomatoes by hand and stir in crushed garlic cloves, salt and pepper.  Place onion in saucepan cut side down and simmer uncovered for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Great quick sauce for your favorite ravioli, tortellini or pasta.  

Short Rib Lasagna

Ingredients

8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Short Rib Sauce

• 5 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 fresh parsley sprigs
• 1 Turkish bay leaf
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup ruby Port
• 2 cups dry red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel)
• 2 1/2 cups low-salt beef broth
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
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Lasagna

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 18 5 3/4x3 1/2-inch sheets no-bake lasagna noodles (from two 9-ounce packages)
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Special Equipment

• Cheesecloth
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• Ingredient Info

  Dried porcini mushrooms are available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.
  
  

Preparation

Short Rib Sauce

• Tie all herb sprigs and bay leaf in cheesecloth for bouquet garni; trim excess cheesecloth. Set bouquet garni aside. Place mushrooms in heatproof bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; cover and let stand until mushrooms soften, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface; chop. Reserve mushroom soaking liquid.
  
  
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Place flour in medium bowl. Dredge ribs in flour, shaking off excess; place on rimmed baking sheet. Reserve flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook ribs until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Return ribs to baking sheet.
  
  
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook until softened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped mushrooms. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon reserved flour over vegetables (discard remaining flour). Add tomato paste; stir until tomato paste begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 1 minute. Add Port and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Add red wine. Pour in reserved mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind. Bring to boil; simmer until reduced by about 1/3, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add broth, garlic, and bouquet garni. Return to boil. Return ribs to pot, arranging meat side down in single layer. Cover pot; place in oven and braise ribs until very tender, about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.
  
  
• Using tongs, transfer ribs from pot to rimmed baking sheet to cool. Discard bouquet garni. Shred beef; discard bones. Spoon off fat from top of sauce in pot; discard fat. Boil sauce until reduced to 51/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Return meat to sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped thyme. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
  
  

Lasagna

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Cook until light golden brown, whisking frequently, about 6 minutes. Add milk; bring to boil, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add nutmeg. Season béchamel to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; cover and chill.
  
  
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of dish; spread in thin layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over. Arrange 6 lasagna noodles over to cover (noodles may overlap slightly). Drizzle 1 cup béchamel over noodles, spreading in even layer; sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over. Spread 2 cups meat sauce over. Repeat with noodles, béchamel, cheese, and meat sauce. Cover with remaining 6 noodles. Spread remaining béchamel over noodles. Sprinkle remaining cheese over.
  
  
• Bake lasagna uncovered until edges are bubbling and top is golden brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes.

Fettuccine Bolognese

A robust ragù gains in flavor by spending hours simmering in a slow cooker. This recipe yields a big batch so you can eat it for dinner tonight and freeze the rest to use in other dishes (see related recipes at left).

Let the remaining Bolognese sauce cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

For the bolognese sauce:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 oz. pancetta, chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 lb. ground beef
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Sauté the ingredients
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until it begins to render its fat, about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer red, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Add the broth and wine to the pan and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomatoes and stir to combine.

Cook the sauce
Cover and cook the sauce on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the milk, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. 

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

6 servings

• PREP: 1 hour 45 minutes
• TOTAL: 4 hours (includes chilling time)

Ingredients

• 1 1-pound butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 12- to 14-ounce russet potato, peeled, quartered
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups (or more) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• Additional grated Parmesan cheese

• Special Equipment

  Potato ricer

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash lengthwise in half; discard seeds. Place squash halves, cut side up, on baking sheet and brush with oil. Roast until squash is very tender when pierced with skewer and browned in spots, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly. Scoop flesh from squash into processor; puree until smooth. Transfer to medium saucepan; stir constantly over medium heat until juices evaporate and puree thickens, about 5 minutes. Cool. Measure 1 cup (packed) squash puree (reserve remaining squash for another use).
  
  
• Meanwhile, cook potato in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. While potato is warm, press through potato ricer into medium bowl; cool completely. Measure 2 cups (loosely packed) riced potato (reserve remaining potato for another use).
  
  
• Mix squash, potato, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, kneading gently into mixture in bowl until dough holds together and is almost smooth. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls. Turn dough out onto floured surface; knead gently but briefly just until smooth. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
• Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Sprinkle parchment lightly with flour. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut rope crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll gnocchi along back of fork tines dipped in flour, making ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi to baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. 
  
  
  DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
  
  
• Working in 2 batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, 15 to 17 minutes (gnocchi will float to surface but may come to surface before being fully cooked). Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to same parchment-lined baking sheets. Cool. 
  
  
  DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover loosely and chill.
  
  
• Cook butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat just until golden, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sage; stir 1 minute. Add gnocchi; cook until heated through and coated with butter, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.