I’ve been on my cooking grind lately, consisting of me pretty much cooking the majority of the things I’ll be putting in my mouth for that day. I really hate processed foods and find that it not only is actually more expensive but also is terrible for your health. I already knew this, but I just recently started really pushing myself to be aware of what I’m consuming.
I love cooking anyways, so this really wasn’t that hard of a task on my part. I’m obsessed with food, literally. I think about it everyday, but not just food- recipes. Recipes for dishes that hopefully I’ll get to share with others at some point, whether that be a cookbook or just this blog.
I thought for the longest time that, especially since I’m Italian, I couldn’t and shouldn’t share family recipes, or any other recipe I made for that matter. I’ve recently come to realize that life is about connection and sharing with others to create bonds and memories.
Anyways, I love pasta and wanted to make this Lamb Bolognese. The store unfortunately did not have it, so I opted for bison. I’ve never had bison before but thought, “what the hell” and went for it. The outcome is delicious. I’m eating my second helping as I type this.
It’s definitely comfort food, which, lets face it, all Italian food should be. And I always love going back to my roots; it’s what I’m good at.
Olive oil
2 small carrots, trimmed, peeled and diced
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon dried majoram
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon tomato paste
½ pound ground bison
Salt
1 15-ounce can diced San Marzano tomatoes
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup chicken stock, maybe less, not too soupy, just enough to absorb into pasta
Italian parsley, for garnish
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot and put two diced carrots and shallot in. Let the shallots get translucent and the carrots a little caramelized. Then add the garlic, spices and red pepper flakes. Then put in the tomato paste and ground bison, add a pinch of salt. Take a wooden spoon and break up to bite-sized pieces, consistently stirring until brown, about 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Pour the can of tomatoes in and about ½ cup of water, from the can to get the remnants from the sides. Bring to a simmer and then turn to low, cook for 20 minutes and cover pot. At the end of 20 minutes incorporate Parmesan cheese.
- Boil water and cook the pasta while there are about 8 minutes left for the sauce to finish cooking. Drain pasta when aldente and add butter and a little chicken stock to it.
- Pour sauce over pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley.
Enjoy!