This is an easy to make Ragù Bolognese with lots of flavor and original from Bologna itself

Heat the oil in a wide straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasoinally, until it's well-browned and the fat has mostly rendered off, a few minutes. Add the meat, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it's pretty well-browned as well, 7 minutes or so.

Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the minced parsley and/or sage (or the bundle of rosemary or thyme) and the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant. There should be a large amount of browned solids on the bottom of the pan by now.

Add the wine and cook, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until sauce is thick and the wine has fully reduced. Add the stock and milk and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until the sauce is at the barest simmer. Cook, stirring now and then, until the sauce is rich and thick and emulsified. Fat may break out as it cooks and form a reddish slick on top. This is OK, just keep cooking and that fat will eventually get re-emulsified into the sauce.

To serve, cook up some good fresh pasta (tagliatelle is traditional) or a hearty bronze-cut dry pasta such as rigatoni just until al dente (typically 10% or so less than package directions) in water that is about as salty as your tears. Transfer the cooked pasta to a large skillet and spoon some of the ragu on top of it. Add some minced parsley and/or basil, some freshly grated cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a big splash of the pasta cooking-water. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until the sauce is creamy and coast the pasta (add more pasta water as necessary if it looks dry or if the fat breaks out). Serve right away.

Using the freshest high-quality beef fillet and a drizzle of truffle oil, this dish makes for a pleasingly gourmet appetiser.

Enclose the beef tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes (this will make it easier to thinly slice).

Unwrap the beef and very thinly slice, using a sharp knife. Place the slices of beef between sheets of plastic wrap and flatten them out with a rolling pin.

Arrange 4 or 5 slices of beef on each serving plate and drizzle with oil. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then scatter with pine nuts, chives and shaved parmesan. Serve with rocket leaves and lemon wedges.

Plain cooked rice is tasty enough, but when it's fried the grains get all crispy and seared. Then you mix in some soy sauce, bacon, and some veggies, and oh man it somehow becomes this whole other thing: A meal all by itself, that is satisfying on some bone-deep level.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and cook, stirring, until curds are light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, transfer to a plate. Add bacon to skillet and cook until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. 

Add pepper, scallion whites, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add peas and rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in eggs and season with soy sauce and sesame oil. Serve immediately topped with scallion greens and more sesame oil alongside.

scallions, chopped, whites and green separated

Oh, chicken alfredo, It's the classic pseudo-Italian pasta we just can't seem to get enough of. Of course there are tons of jarred pasta sauces you can buy, but making alfredo sauce from scratch is actually so easy.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden and cooked through, 8 minutes per side. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice.

Add milk, broth, and garlic to skillet. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add fettuccine, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Let cook until al dente, 8 minutes more.

Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan until combined. Simmer until sauce thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in sliced chicken. Garnish with parsley. 

Fried Rice

Plain cooked rice is tasty enough, but when it's fried the grains get all crispy and seared. Then you mix in some soy sauce, bacon, and some veggies, and oh man it somehow becomes this whole other thing: A meal all by itself, that is satisfying on some bone-deep level.

By Lenneth De Ryck

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Ragù Bolognese

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