Giblet Bolognese Recipes

HEARTS AND GIZZARDS (GIBLETS)

Steps:

• Rub oil on inside of pressure cooker. Season flour with salt and pepper to taste, then dredge giblets in flour to coat.
• Place chopped onion and giblets in open pressure cooker and saute lightly, shaking or stirring often. Add water.
• Following manufacturer's directions for pressure cooker, cook under 15 pound pressure for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink inside.

GIBLET BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Break up the mushrooms and submerge them in 1 to 2 cups of hot water. Let them sit while you proceed.
• Pulse the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a food processor until you get somewhere between a fine mince and a paste. Don't puree it. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl for now.
• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the giblets and the ground meat. Brown them well, sprinkling some salt over them as they cook. When they are close to being done, stop stirring them so a crust, what the French call a "fond," forms on the bottom of the pan. Brown is good, black not so much. So watch your heat. When it forms, remove the meats and set aside.
• Add the vegetables to the pot. Let the moisture from the vegetables soften the meat crust in the pot. Salt them as they cook. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften well, and then let another crust form.
• While the vegetables are cooking, mince the mushrooms. Keep the mushroom soaking water, and strain it if there's debris in it. When the crust has reformed in the pot, add the mushrooms and the cup of sherry. Use the wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits again. Let all the sherry cook away until yet another crust forms.
• Add the nutmeg, bay leaves, cloves, and 1 cup of the mushroom soaking water. Scrape up the crust one last time. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the juice/sauce from the jar of whole tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot. Return the meats to the pot, stir well, add salt to taste and simmer, partially covered, for at least 90 minutes. You want the gizzard bits to be fairly tender.
• To finish, get your water boiling for the pasta. Turn the heat to low on the sauce and add the cream. Bring the sauce back to a bare simmer and when the pasta is ready, grind black pepper over the sauce. I like to put the pasta in a large bowl, add one ladle of the sauce over it and toss to coat. I then give everyone some pasta and add a bit more of the sauce on each person's plate. Grate some cheese over everything and you're good to go.

RIGATONI WITH BRAISED GIBLET SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the pancetta in a large pot over medium heat, stirring, until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the turkey giblets; chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the giblets and neck to the pot; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and red pepper flakes; cook until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, about 5 more minutes.
• Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Crush the tomatoes into the pot with your hands and pour in the juice from the cans. Add 3 cups water and the parmesan rind, if using. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Stir, then reduce the heat to low. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is falling off the neck bone, 4 to 5 hours.
• Remove the neck; pull the meat off the bone, shred and return the meat to the sauce. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and toss with the sauce. Top with shaved parmesan.

AUTHENTIC RIGATONI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Put the olive oil into a pan. Add the chopped veggies and saute until the celery softens.
• Add ground beef or veal and saute until meat browns.
• Add your favorite red wine (the alcohol will be absorbed during cooking process).
• Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and allow this to simmer over low heat for at least an hour until sauce thickens.
• Boil rigatoni in hot, salted water.
• To plate the dish, put the rigatoni in a bowl, pour some sauce on top and garnish with some fresh parsley.