TURKEY BOLOGNESE

   I started making this style of Bolognese sauce for a client who is an avid anti beef and veal eater.  Since then I make this sauce for myself, and I've never looked back to greasy beef Bolognese!  It's very easy and  tasty.  It takes about two hours to cook, which will give you plenty of time to open up some Chianti and start a fire for a romantic dinner with your sweetie.  

 

1 LBS of ground Turkey (preferably dark meat)

1/2 LBS Turkey bacon (diced)

1 Large Spanish onion (diced)

2 Garlic cloves (minced)

2 Large cannes of San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1 Large jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1 LBS of your favorite dried pasta

2 OZ of fresh Parmigiana
   Extra virgin olive oil




1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees
2. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper place large chunks of ground turkey and season with salt, pepper and drizzle on some olive oil.  Roast until slightly brown. Remove and allow to cool until room temperature.

3. While the ground turkey is cooling heat a dutch oven or heavy bottomed oven size appropriate pot and brown the diced turkey bacon.   Add the onions cook until soft, and then add the garlic.   
4. Place roasted turkey in a Cuisinart or food processor and carefully pulse until  chopped into fine pieces.  Place in the pot with canned tomatoes half the marinara sauce, and few glugs of  olive oil.  Make sure you place on the pot top...
5.  Turn oven down to 275 degrees and slow cook the sauce for 2 hours.
6.  Remove from oven and add the remaining half of marinara sauce.
7.  Cook pasta and toss with sauce.     

This Bolognese sauce will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.  Or freeze for up to a month.  Upon defrosting make sure you strain out all the excess moisture. 

wysecooking podcast demo reel

  This is a quick sizzle reel video of what was my podcast cooking show called "wysecooking".
I had loads of fun doing these podcasts, and I'm very sad it came to an end due to the company going under
:(

  I hope to one day return to podcasting or perhaps break into the T.V. world....

TRICE BAKED SUPER BOWL POTATO!!

Try my "TRICE" baked potato recipe for your super bowl guests, and they will be dying to come back every year. And it's so easy to do!  It's crispy, creamy, and healthy...yes that's right healthy!

What you need...

 

recipe based on 8 people

 4             Russlet potatoes (1/2 a potato per guest)
 1/2 lbs    Turkey bacon

 4 oz        Fromage blanc (zero fat)

 8 oz        Yogurt ('fage' brand 2 % fat)

 4 oz        Low fat cheddar cheese

 1 bunch   Fresh chives

 2 cups     Kosher salt

 1 tbls      Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. On a baking sheet lay out kosher salt evenly about 1/2 thick.

3. Wash potatoes well, dry, and then place on salt and bake for an hour.

4. Dice turkey bacon, and crisp up in a cast iron pan, and drain off excess fat.

5 .Once potatoes are cooked, while still warm cut in half length wise, and very carefully scoop the inside of the potato out while leaving a small lip around  the rim.  

7. Using a brush, brush on some olive oil all over each potato half shell, and place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until very crispy.

8. Mash the removed potato and mix in 4 oz of yogurt, fromage blanc, and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

9. Once the crispy shells are cooled, pipe or fill the shells with mashed potato, top with a little cheddar cheese, and bake again until cheese has melted.

10. Top with more yogurt, turkey bacon and the minced chives...ENJOY!

              

I've been cooking professionally now for almost ten years.  Over these years I've acquired hundreds of cookbooks.  Here is a list of my top '5' of all time.  

In no particular order 

Michel Bras- Essential Cuisine

Thomas Keller- The French Laundry

Jose Andrews- A Taste of Spain in America

 Eric Ripert- A Return to Cooking

Joel Rubuchon- The Complete Rubuchon

BLACK TRUFFLE

Ah the BLACK TRUFFLE...I'm in love with you! Since I've fallen head over heals in love with this tuber I thought I'd dish about them...or as I affectionately describe them "my sweet little angels from beneath". 


For those who aren't familiar with truffles...
A truffle is the fruiting body of an underground mushroom; spore dispersal is accomplished through fungivores, animals that eat fungi. Almost all truffles are ectomycorrhizal and are therefore usually found in close association with trees.

There are hundreds of species of truffles that are big, but the fruiting body of some (mostly in the genus 'Tuber') are highly prized as a food. The 18th-century French gastronome Brillat-Savarin called these truffles "the diamond of the kitchen". Edible truffles are held in high esteem in French, Spanish, northern Italian and Greek cooking, as well as in international haute cuisine.

I cooked a dinner party a couple of weeks ago for my client who's birthday it was.  A good friend of mine Rocco Dispirito sent as a gift for my client a pound of "my sweet little angels from      beneath".  I can't tell you what it's like to have so much of something so amazing!    


I ended up only using half of them for that dinner party so I  had an ample amount left to make sweet love too...just kidding!  But I thought about it... 


I've been using truffles for many years in restaurants, and in catering, but I've never had an instance where I had too many to use before they turned.  You see I cook privately for a couple and they can only eat so many truffles until they turn into one!!  


After crying for six hours over the thought of my "sweet  little angels from beneath" perishing I decided to preserve them.  It was great!  I jarred some in black truffle oil, some in brandy, and some in a mixture of vinegar and truffle juice.  I can't wait to use them again...


If you've never experienced a BLACK TRUFFLE I suggest that before you die, buy one, or a few.  They have a distinct odor and an even more distinct flavor.  As you eat them, the smell and taste combine into a earthy, floral,  and mushroom like melange from heaven.   


If you can't afford to buy fresh black truffles I would suggest truffle oil,  canned truffle products or pureed products.  They're all good.  You can dress a salad with them, or shave them on scrambled eggs.  My favorite is shaved or cooked with pasta.  A little butter, parma cheese, chopped parsley and lemon is all you need to fully enjoy these "sweet little angel from beneath"


TA FA NA








  

black truffle filled ravioli

OH MY GOD!  I made a f*&king sweet pasta tonight for my client.  It was a black truffle ravioli with roasted cauliflower, and a truffle sauce.  It's a little time consuming, but it is so rich, and has a wonderful earthy flavor.  I will post the recipe this week...stay tuned!

what you get in NYC for $50 bucks!!

 I went grocery shopping this afternoon.  I go to this great place called Gourmet Garage on 96th and park ave.  It's a fantastic store full of organic produce and loads of gourmet food stuffs! I strolled though the shop picking up my necessaries and a few luxuries. When I got to the cash register I almost SHIT myself!  50 F%^king dollars for what you see above! Are you kidding me?!  I'm a chef so I'm used to purchasing the most expensive ingredients for my clients, but I thought how can anyone afford to buy healthy organics...it's highway robbery!  I'm lucky to be able to afford SOME of these things myself, but there are so many who can't!  It's no wonder why so many people eat SHIT FOOD,  and become over weight etc. Because if you're a family that is just getting by you could never afford to truly eat healthy.  I'm sure that it's expensive to grow organics. But I wish that there were more education about the importance of eating these foods, and that they were more readably available to those with low income....