Gargoyle Bolognese
I've made Jason Santos' pastrami bolognese twice now. The recipe calls for FOUR POUNDS of pastrami, which seemed just way too much, so the first time I made it, I got a pound of pastrami and quartered the recipe. The flavor was great, but almost too meaty, so I decided the next time I'd halve the meat and add mushrooms. Unfortunately, I didn't remember clearly what I had done and wanted to do, so last night what I ended up doing was making a double batch of the recipe, with one pound of pastrami--so one-eighth the suggested meat content--and one pound of mushrooms. It was still good, though now not quite meaty tasting enough and still not enough mushrooms, but it took forever to reduce to sauce-consistency. So for the next time I am hereby noting that what I want to do is to use one pound of pastrami, 1.5 lbs. of mushrooms, and otherwise make a half-batch.
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp. butter
2 carrots, finely diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 lbs. black pastrami,
cut into small pieces
4 tbsp. tomato paste
2 c. milk
2 c. dry white wine
In a 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, and lightly sauté over medium heat until vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the pastrami to the vegetables, stirring (to keep the meat from sticking together) until browned. Add tomato paste, milk, and wine, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve over cooked spaghetti or gnocchi.
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp. butter
2 carrots, finely diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 lbs. black pastrami,
cut into small pieces
4 tbsp. tomato paste
2 c. milk
2 c. dry white wine
In a 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, and lightly sauté over medium heat until vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the pastrami to the vegetables, stirring (to keep the meat from sticking together) until browned. Add tomato paste, milk, and wine, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve over cooked spaghetti or gnocchi.