Guy's Tagliatelle alla Bolognese: Classic Comfort Food

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is the traditional Italian ragù from Bologna, a slowly cooked sauce that characteristically includes a soffritto of onion, celery and carrot, minced or finely chopped beef, pancetta and red wine. A small amount of tomato concentrate or tomatoes are added, and the dish is then gently simmered at length to produce a rich thick sauce. Outside of Italy, Spag-Bol as my husband calls it, consists of a robust meat sauce served on a bed of pasta topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmigiana cheese — maybe even with a loaf of warm garlic bread — and although it bears little resemblance to the traditional Italian ragù, few could argue that it isn't molto delizioso.



Guy's Tagliatelle Bolognese 
Serves 12

1 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp olive oli
3 lb lean ground beef
5 cups homemade tomato sauce, or good quality store-bought
6 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups red wine
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 lb tagliatelle
1 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino 
Sprigs of fresh thyme, for garnish


In a large frying pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat and when it starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes, then set aside. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan set on medium-high and add the ground beef, stirring frequently until the meat is no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, samba oelek, a tablespoon of sugar, and stir thoroughly to combine. Turn the heat down to low, and add the mushrooms plus their liquid into the bolognese, then pour in the red wine and continue stirring until the mixture is the desired consistency. For a looser sauce, add some water or beef stock as necessary. Cover the sauce and continue cooking on low heat to meld the flavours, about another 30-60 minutes.

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat, and when it comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to the manufacturers instructions. When al dente or to taste, drain in a colander then return to the pot and combine with just enough bolognese sauce just to coat the noodles. To serve, arrange the semi-dressed pasta in warmed dinner bowls and top with a mound of addition sauce, as desired. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and serve immediately, with some sprigs of fresh thyme and additional parmigiana on the side for those who wish a little more.


Note: This recipe makes a lot of sauce, which can be stored in freezer bags to be defrosted at another time for an easy dinner

Gobi Matar: Indian Cauliflower & Peas

A staple in most Indian restaurants, Aloo Gobi is an aromatic combination of spiced potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi), made even more popular with Gurinder Chadha's 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, a wonderful heart-warming comedy about bending the rules to reach your goal. The film follows two 18 year old girls who have their heart set on a future in professional soccer, as opposed to finding a nice Indian boyfriend, settling down and cooking the perfect chapatti. There is a quirky cooking segment at the end of the film where the director of the film, Gurinder Chadha, makes her personal recipe for Aloo Gobi with the help of her outrageously interfering mother and auntie. Ever since I saw that segment, I can never make this dish without smiling. With its rich texture, complex flavours and intoxicating aroma, Gurinder's recipe for Aloo Gobi has been adjusted without potatoes for a sensational Gobi Matar, an equally delicious yet low-fat carb-free version of the original.




Gobi Matar | Indian Cauliflower & Peas
Serves 2-4 

1/2 cauliflower 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
1/8 tsp asafoetida 
1 tbsp black mustard seeds 
1 tbsp kari leaves 
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste 


Separate the cauliflower into small florets, about 1 to 2-inches. Warm the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the asafoetida, then a second later, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the kari leaves and stir to combine. Then add the cauliflower, turmeric and some salt to taste. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the cauliflower is well coated with the spices and begins to brown slightly. Add 1/2 cup of water, and as soon as it starts to bubble, add the peas, cover the pan and turn down the heat to med-low. Cook 10-15 minutes more until the cauliflower is soft and cooked through. Delicious served with grilled fish, chicken and a spoonful of rice or dal.

Homemade No Knead Bread: The Second Loaf

This recipe which made its debut in 2006 in Mark Bittman’s column in the NY Times, was the brainchild of Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, who devised the recipe as a minimalist technique to bread baking that anyone could master. The magic to this beauty is in the science. The recipe uses very little yeast, and the water content is very high. Another big difference is that the proofing time is extremely long and slow. Apparently the wetness of the dough, and the long rising time, allows the gluten molecules to align themselves into long strands, creating elasticity, thus eliminating the necessity to do laborious kneading to develop those strands. The high moisture content also creates a beautiful crackly, crust by providing steam from its own moisture during the baking process. 

From start to finish, it takes about 24 hours to create the bread, but much of that is just waiting for the slow fermentation of the dough that results in a perfect loaf. After the first 24 hours, the dough didn't seem to rising so I left it another day. Using a razor blade, I scored the top of the dough before bunging it in the oven. Much different than my first loaf two days before, I was still overjoyed as I pulled this gorgeous bread from the oven. It was perfect. Light and fluffy on the inside, with a crisp crust and a pretty design on top that allowed the loaf to expand at the crown, and expose the breads lovely rich chestnut colour. More importantly, it was absolutely delicious, again. Truly amazing.

Sullivan Street Bakery No-Knead Bread
Makes one 1 1/2 lb loaf
Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery NYC

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran , as needed

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water (it should be about 70°F but I upped it to 75°F this time) and stir until blended — the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 18 hours at room temperature. Ideally, you want the room to be about 72°F. In the dead of winter, when the dough will tend to rise more slowly, as long as 24 hours may be necessary. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. "This long, slow fermentation is what yields the bread’s rich flavour", says Jim.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Generously flour your work surface. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to turn the dough onto the surface in one blob. The dough will cling to the bowl in long, thread-like strands and it will be quite loose and sticky. This is exactly what you want. Do not add more flour. Instead use lightly floured hands to gently and quickly lift the edges of the dough in toward the center, effectively folding the dough over onto itself. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round. That’s it. Don’t knead the dough.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal. Place the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust the surface with a little more flour, bran, or cornmeal. Cover the dough with another cotton towel and let it rise for about 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will be double in size and will hold the impression of your fingertip when you poke it lightly, making an indentation. If the dough readily springs back when you poke it, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

A half hour before the dough is done with its second rise, preheat the oven to 450°F. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and place a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot and its lid (whether cast iron or enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. I used 2 Pyrex inverted plates, which actually works very well, as I was still waiting for my Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven to arrive. 

When the dough is done with its second rise, carefully remove the pot from the oven and uncover it. Also, uncover the dough. Lift up the dough and quickly but gently turn it over into the pot, seam side up, being very careful not to touch the pot. The blob of dough may look like a mess, but trust me, everything is O.K. Using a razor blade, you can quickly score the top of the bread in an artful manner, which makes the bread look nice and also helps control the expansion of the loaf as it will bake. Cover the pot with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake until the loaf is beautifully browned to a deep chestnut color, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a wire rack. Don’t slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Homemade Crusty No-Knead Bread: A Triumph!

As we continue adapting to the new normal, I hope you and your loved ones are staying well, and safe. I also hope that you are taking time to reflect, explore and nourish your mind, body and soul. This is the time to try something new and feed your curiosity. To help you in this culinary journey, I am serving you fresh ideas to feed what every part of you craves. This is one of the most popular recipes The New York Times ever published, courtesy of Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC. It requires no kneading, uses no special ingredients, equipment, and it takes very little effort — only time. It takes about 24 hours to create the bread, but much of that is simply just waiting for the slow fermentation of the dough that results in a perfect loaf. At the beginning, I was sceptical. The dough didn't seem to be rising after 24 hours, so I left it another day. I was completely overjoyed when I pulled this beautiful bread from the oven. It was indeed a perfect loaf. Light and fluffy on the inside with a crisp outer crust, and absolutely delicious. I was totally hooked. Now on to the next loaf...

Light and fluffy on the inside, and crunchy on the outside, and cooked in my pijamas!

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread 
Makes one 1 1/2 lb loaf
Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery NYC

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed


In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water (it should be about 70°F) and stir until blended — the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 18 hours at room temperature (a couple of hours less if your kitchen is warmer; a couple more if it’s cool). The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with a second cotton towel and let rise until it has more than doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450°F. Put a 3- to 4-quart covered pot with the cover — it may be cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic — in the oven as it heats. (I used 2 Pyrex inverted plates). When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. (Slide your hand under the towel and just turn the dough over into the pot; it’s messy, and it probably won’t fall in artfully, but it will straighten out as it bakes.) Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned; the bread’s internal temperature should be 200°F or more. (If at any point the dough starts to smell scorched, lower the heat a bit.) Remove the bread with a spatula or tongs and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Linguine with Homemade Basil & Walnut Pesto

Italians have long used walnuts for pesto, as they lend a rich earthiness to the sauce. This foolproof recipe from my treasured and well-used copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, quips that this sauce is "more Mastroianni than DeNiro: suave, mellow, even elegant. Walnuts and heavy cream add sophistication to the basil-garlic duo — a pesto that is equally at home on pasta, fluffed into hot rice or stirred into homemade mayonnaise as a sauce for cold poached fish or crudités". Buying a magnificent bunch of fresh basil on one of our now limited excursions to the St Lawrence Market, to try and 'flatten the curve' and keep virus-free, this linguine with homemade basil and walnut pesto was an absolute treat.

Linguine with Basil & Walnut Pesto

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of The Silver Palate Cookbook

1 lb linguine 

1 1/2 tbsp salt

4 quarts water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup homemade Basil & Walnut pesto

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated imported Parmigiano or Romano cheese

Basil & Walnut Pesto: Makes 2 cups

2 cups fresh basil leaves thoroughly washed and patted dry

4 good-size garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 cup shelled walnuts

1 cup best-quality olive oil

1 cup freshly grated imported Parmigiano 

1/2 cup freshly grated imported Romano 

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine the basil, garlic and walnuts in the bowl of food processor and blitz. Leave the motor running and add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Shut the motor off, add the cheeses, a big pinch of salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine, then scrape out into a bowl and cover with a thin film of olive oil on top, until ready to use; freezes well.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the salt and when the water starts to boil again, add the pasta. Use a wooden spoon to stir the pasta until all the strands are under the water. Boil rapidly until done to taste. To test, occasionally  lift and bite a strand. Stir 2 tablespoons of the hot pasta water and the heavy cream into 1 cup of the pesto, then drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the hot pan. Stir in the pesto and toss well to combine. Serve immediately into warm pasta bowls, with a sprig of basil and additional cheese on the side if desired. 

David Wood Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

David Wood was a legend on the gourmet food front in Toronto in the mid eighties to 1990. He founded three specialty food stores, ran a bustling catering business, and was a bestselling cookbook author penning two classic Canadian cookbooks: The David Wood Food Book and the The David Wood Dessert Book, before moving to British Columbia and sharing his passion for cheese by starting the highly successful Salt Spring Island Cheese Company in 1996. A fan of his artisanal goat cheese artfully packaged with hand placed edible flowers, many of the recipes from his David Wood Food Book are also culinary treasures, like his sweet and delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookies — my go-to recipe from now on!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 25 large or 50 small cookies
Recipe courtesy of David Wood Food Book

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup raisins


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and set aside. Cream the butter with both sugars in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well, then add the water and vanilla, and beat again. Turn the mixer speed to low and add the sifted flour. Finally, mix in the oats and raisins by hand. The batter will be quite sticky, but don't worry. 

For large cookies, roll the batter into 2-oz balls, about the size of a golf ball, or roll 1-oz balls for smaller cookies. Set on the prepared cookie sheet and press flat with the palm of your hand — the cookies should be spaced at least 1-inch apart as they will spread during baking. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centres are still soft. Cool on a rack. 

Roast Lamb with Rosemary, Garlic & Anchovy Rub

There are few meals as impressive as roast lamb. Studded with garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and anchovies, this simple and delicious roast makes a succulent dinner. Puréed into a coarse paste, the marinade is stuffed into small incisions around the boneless leg of lamb, then rubbed with olive oil and generously seasoned with salt and pepper. Roasted on high at 450°F for 15 minutes, then slow roasted at 325°F for about an hour, and the results are pink perfection. Lamb, like beef, doesn’t need to be cooked all the way, and is best at a rosy medium-rare — 135°F to 140°F when finished. Whether served as part of a traditional Easter dinner or quiet Sunday lunch, this recipe is easy to prepare, absolutely delicious, and goes especially well with my husbands superbly crispy roast potatoes that he cooks in duck fat.

Studded with garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and anchovies

Roasted on high at 450°F for 15 minutes, then slow roasted at 325°F for about an hour

Perfectly pink and sensationally succulent

My husbands roast potatoes cooked in duck fat are a real treat

Roast Lamb with Rosemary, Garlic, Lemon & Anchovy Marinade
Serves 2-4

1 lb leg of lamb, boneless and tied
1 clove garlic
2 anchovies
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves only
1/4 lemon, zest only
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste


Using a small food processor, blend together the garlic, anchovies, rosemary leaves, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of olive or anchovy oil until a coarse paste. Then using a sharp knife, make small incisions in the thickest portions of the lamb and fill the pockets with the garlic-herb paste, pressing the mixture in deep with your fingers. Rub any remaining paste over the top of the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Rub 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the whole boneless leg, then arrange on a roasting pan and preheat the oven to 450°F. 

Roast the lamb at 450°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue cooking for 90 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the middle of lamb reads 135° for medium rare. Once the lamb is ready, remove from the oven and tent with foil for 15-20 minutes, allowing the juices to retract and make the roast lovely and moist. To serve, slice the leg of lamb onto a decorative platter and serve with Roast Potatoes and Sautéed Rapini, for a sensational Easter feast.