I am finding that while happy to be able to finally make a meal that people can eat, I’ve not been noting the wines.  This was especially true last night when we had at least 6 bottles for 6 people.  Do I make hubby write down my tasting notes while I divide my time between designing centerpieces and browning something-or-another?

This self-imposed Chef 101er and Wine 101er will strive harder to figure it out but for now, suffice it to say, the wine was goooooooood.

This week I took on the dish we ate all month long last June in Italy: Spaghetti Bolognese.  And even though I didn’t get the recipe in Bologna, where yes, of course, it was done the best, I found a lo-calorie recipe here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1 cup of pre-sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup fat free milk
• 3/4 pound wholewheat spaghetti or linguine

Preparation:

Heatoil in a large Dutch oven. Add garlic, onions and carrots; stir untilonions are softened. Crumble in beef and cook until meat is browned.Add mushrooms and oregano, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour intomatoes and add Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 25 minutes. Pour inmilk, stir well and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boilpasta according to instructions on package.  Serves 4. 

Per Serving: Calories 315, Calories from Fat 67, TotalFat 7.4g (sat 2.6g), Cholesterol 52mg, Sodium 206mg, Carbohydrate36.4g, Fiber 7.1g, Protein 25.7g

  
The only changes I made to the above was I wanted it to simmer longer, as the best sauce is always better the next day.   So I transferred the cooked sauce into a crock pot, before adding the milk, and then, about 7 hours later, I added the milk a few minutes before serving.  I also doubled recipe so that I could have my very first spaghetti sauce for lunch too.