my bastardized bolognese sauce...

we love pasta in my household. and i do love making sauce. not the kind i remember my mom making that took all day. i just don't have that kind of time...but an hour to prepare an amazing sauce that can yield two hardy family meals isn't such a sacrifice...and once you taste how yummy this bolognese is, you'll know it's well worth the time even if you only make the batch big enough for one dinner. this recipe will yield enough sauce for two dinners comprised of a pound of pasta each.

you'll need a cast iron skillet. and also...for those of you weak hearted folks out there who fear the anchovy...you'll need to ditch your fear for this one. anchovies are the not so secret any more secret ingredient of this dish.

fixins:
1 pound box of pasta prepared al dente (i have a weakness for nice expensive imported pastas. i love orechietta, aka ear shaped pasta, with this rich flavorful sauce.)

1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of flat anchovies
4 large lobes of garlic, crushed and minced
2 large shallots, crushed and minced
extra virgin olive oil
a bit of red wine
the juice and pulp of an orange or grapefruit
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, mottled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano finely chopped
1 teaspoon of fennel seed, mottled
1 pound of ground meat (turkey, beef or even fresh tuna..i've also used sausage out of the casing)
a bit of light cream
butter (i like to use earth balance's buttery spread)

preparations:
1. coat the cast iron skillet in extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium low.
2. saute the garlic and shallot until translucent, but not brown...add can of anchovies with the oil it was packed in to the garlic and shallot, as well as half of the fresh herbs and the fennel seed and simmer and stir a bit...allowing the herbs to release their flavor and letting the anchovy disintegrate  (don't worry noone will ever know it's in there...and it makes this sauce taste amazing!!)
3. add meat to the pan, turn up heat to medium high and brown.
4. squeeze the orange juice onto the meat and let the pulp fall right in. add a couple of tablespoons of butter (or erth's balance) and a bit of wine, maybe a few tablespoons or even 1/4 cup, and simmer, melting the butter and cooking off the alcohol.
5. add tomatoes and the rest of the fresh herbs and simmer on medium low heat for 1/2 hour. add a dash of cream and simmer once more...letting thicken.
6. salt and pepper to taste.

like i mentioned earlier, this will be enough sauce for two meals...so pack half of it up right away or someone is liable to nosh on it and it'll be gone before you know it! it freezes well...

the half that you are using should be tossed right into the pasta which you can top with a mixture of grated parm and romano cheeses (make sure they're good quality...it makes a huge difference)...serve with some yummy bitter green, like broccoli rabe and some crusty italian bread with a little dish of olive oil garnished with sea salt and crushed red pepper for dipping bread in.