A Very Ina-Inspired Night of Pasta and Friendship

I recently read Ina Garten’s memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens. If you are unfamiliar with Ina’s game, bookmark this page and come back when you have watched all 297 episodes of a program on the food network called Barefoot Contessa (yes, there are that many). 

Welcome back. On the off chance you did not do as you were told and watch over 4.3 days worth of television, I’ll tell you a little bit about Ina Garten. Garten was born in 1948 and lived a rather quiet life. After college, she pursued a career in Washington D.C. at a small start-up called The White House. There she worked in nuclear energy budget and policy under the Ford and Carter administration. Then something terrible happened: she turned 30. 

No, Ina was not upset about turning 30 (no one should be) she was upset about being in a career she didn’t enjoy. So she quit her very luxurious job in Washington and purchased a specialty food store called “The Barefoot Contessa” in West Hampton and set off on creating an empire. How fabulous is that? 

As a 29-year-old, I am bravely, courageously, and some would say heroically, turning 30 later this year. This is not an age I fear because I feel I have cracked the code to enjoying this time in my life. What is the secret you ask? Why it’s throwing dinner parties with your friends, of course!

One of my favorite perks about working in the food industry is getting free food. Recently during Culinary Boot Camp day 2, we conducted quite a bit of butchery - including chicken, pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin. We often end up with beef scraps that aren’t used for other classes so we get to take home some pretty decent scraps. On this particular day, I scored a Ziploc bag of odd beef tenderloin pieces and decided a dinner party was in order.

I called three of my dear friends and told them that I was making a braised beef Bolognese and that they were responsible for bringing the wine and making the homemade pappardelle to go along with it. Ina was once quoted saying “I think the most important thing at a dinner party is that the host is having fun, If they are wise enough to make a meal that can do without having a meltdown, I think that’s really impressive.” So it was brilliant - I would do all the sauce work ahead of time and make my guest labor over kneading pasta dough in exchange for a tasty meal. I reiterate: how fabulous is that? 

“Be Ready When the Luck Happens” refers to Ina’s success in life. She acknowledges that she worked hard to get where she is, but there were a lot of lucky breaks that she knew to seize on. One of my luckiest breaks is the friends I keep around me. The people I had over for dinner that night have been in my camp for over 10 years now, and they aren’t going away anytime soon. 

Below is my attempt at writing the recipe for my sauce. It was kind of a big old guess along the way, and it worked out pretty well. I hope you achieve the same results.

Braised Beef Bolognese

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

1.5 pound large 3-4 inch beef chunks (tenderloin preferred but whatever you got will do)

2 carrots diced

2 celery stalks diced

1 large yellow onion diced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon garlic minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf if you have it - not the end of the world if you don’t (I’m really not sure what they bring to the party but they feel fancy.)

1 cup dry red wine- again anything you got will do.

2 cups beef stock

1 15 oz can crushed tomato

Lots of Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven or braiser to medium high and add in 2 tablespoons of canola or any neutral oil. Liberally season your beef and sear in hot pan till browned on all sides. Remove from pan.
2. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Once the vegetables are soft, add in the minced garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot. Stir regularly for 1-2 minutes until you can smell the garlic and oregano.
4. Deglaze the pan with red wine and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the beef stock and canned tomato. Add the beef and accumulated juices back to this mixture. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover to cook for about 1 hour on a very low heat.
5. After an hour, check the beef. It should ideally fall apart very easily. If the beef remains firm, continue cooking for another half hour until the meat falls part under the weight of a fork or spoon.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a long pasta like fettuccine or pappardelle. Serve with oodles of freshly grated parmesan.
   

Bonus tip: Invite friends over and force them to make fresh pasta to serve with sauce. Enjoy! 

“I'd like to think that when I invite friends to my house, they know what I'm really saying is, 'I love you; come for dinner” ~Ina Garten

Sign up for our Pasta and Gnocchi Workshop on Friday, February 27 at 10am to learn how to make delicious pasta to accompany this sauce!