snowed in...start cookin'

Picture this...

Monday morning
40 cm's of snow (that's 16 inches for our American friends)
A buried car
An eager husband
Car warming up
Keys suddenly locked in car
Car still running
Car blocking other cars from leaving
Macgyver skills not working
Help called
Tow truck unlocks doors
Tow truck gets stuck in snow
Tow truck blocks way for everyone

This was pretty much our morning. Yes, we were late for work. Yes, we were freaking out.
But the silver lining was that after a crazy day we got to come home to this:

Tyler's ultimate bolognese sauce. Mony made this yesterday when we were snowed in. It was simmered for hours and the end result was much different than the standard meat sauce that he usually makes. It was much more meatier and not very tomatoey. It's hearty and very warming; perfect for those cold, snowy days like today.

Bolognese Sauce
recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1 1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 pound ground beef
2 cups milk
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry red wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dry tagiatelle pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Fresh ricotta cheese

Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.

Puree the mushrooms, pancetta, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender.
In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable puree and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.

Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente"). Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.

Serve with a good scoop of fresh ricotta cheese and garnish with some shredded basil, grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil.

House update:
(last update for a few weeks as everyone will be on holidays)

We're excited. We're really happy. We don't think the day can come soon enough.

Looks like the construction workers are foodies too!