Summit Diner

I grew up in Summit, N.J. and ate here too many times to count.  My favorite, then and now, is Taylor Ham with egg and cheese on a hard roll.  It's a New Jersey thing.....

On a recent trip back home to visit my family, I went to the diner for breakfast with my sister and neice.  It was delicious, and exactly as the same as it has always been.  I'm so glad some things never change!

Summit Diner

1 Union Place
Summit, N.J.

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is how I always serve Bolognese Sauce.  The idea came from my sister (an excellent cook - and provider of many family standard recipes!) and is based upon Marcella Hazan's Baked Green Lasagna with Meat Sauce from The Classic Italian Cookbook.  It is much easier this way.  It is also a great do ahead - the Bolognese sauce can be made weeks ahead and frozen, and the pasta can be put together an hour or so ahead and kept in a warm oven.  This will serve 6 generously.

Ingredients:
1 quart Bolognese sauce
2 cups bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
1 pound rigatoni rigate  - my standard brand is DeCecco
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:
4 T. unsalted butter
4 T. flour
2 cups milk
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Melt butter in a small sauce pan.

2.  Add flour and whisk until no lumps of flour remain.

3.  Add milk and bring a a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

4.  Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions for al dente.

Mix bolognese, bechamel and grated cheese with the pasta.

 
Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, or pour into an oven proof baking dish and keep in a warm oven until ready to eat.

Bolognese Sauce

This ragu is standard winter fare for us.  It is based upon the recipe for Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style written by Marcella Hazan in The Classic Italian Cook Book.  When I first started making this sauce, I believed that there was only one way to make a bolognese sauce.  I have since learned there are as many ways to make this as there are nonnas in Italy.  Feel free to make any adjustments you like, and I will suggest some as well.  This sauce takes a lot of time (perfect for a cold winter Sunday) but most is unattended.  The original recipe makes one quart, but I figure if I am going to make something that takes a long time, I will make extra for the freezer!  I serve this sauce with rigatoni, see the recipe for Rigatoni Bolognese.  

Makes 3 quarts

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/4 pound pancetta chopped
1 medium onion - coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery - coarsely chopped
1 carrot - coarsely chopped
1 pound ground veal
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I prefer 93% lean - and you may use all beef or a mixture of pork, veal and beef)
1 bottle dry white wine (may use red wine if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups milk 
2 28 ounce cans of tomatoes (some recipes use a large can of tomato paste and water)
Kosher salt
Red pepper flakes
2-3 teaspoons dried oregano - optional
1-2 tablespoons dried basil - optional
Parmesan cheese rind - optional

Equipment:
Food processor
5-6 quart dutch oven - I use a #26 Le Creuset

Directions:
1.  Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil and heat over a medium heat.  
2.  Add garlic, pancetta, onions, celery and carrot in the food processor and puree to a coarse paste.  

3.  Add the pureed vegetables to the pan with a generous pinch of salt and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have softened and the liquid they have given off is evaporated, about 30 minutes.

4.  Turn the heat up to medium high.  Add the veal and beef to the pot and cook until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.

5.  Turn the heat up to high and add the bottle of wine.  cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has evaporated, about one hour.

6.  Turn the heat back to medium and add the milk.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

7.  Add the tomatoes to the food processor and chop coarsely.  Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the herbs.  Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt and pepper.

8.  Simmer the sauce over low to medium low heat with the sauce barely bubbling, stirring occasionally for 4-5 hours.

Welcome to 502 Food!

Cooking for me is both a creative outlet and a way to nourish my family and friends. 

What you'll see here are recipes that have become part of my family's life, with the occasional new recipe that is worthy of making again and again.  I believe in real food (with the exception of Diet Coke) with a focus on eating organically, seasonally and locally within reason.  You will also see recommendations for products and restaurants that I use and frequent.

I worked full time in banking for 37 years while also being a full time wife and mother. Having family dinners as often as possible was an important priority for me, as was being able to entertain my friends. I have some general suggestions below for those of you juggling multiple roles who want to eat well.  

• Accept the fact that there will be times when just feeding yourself and your family is enough, even if its a frozen dinner or fast food.  Everyone has those days.  Delivery pizza, Stouffers, and the occasional McDonald's got us through many a hectic day.  
• Breakfast dinner is fast and easy, and my kids always loved it.
• Planning ahead is key.  Sunday was meal planning and grocery day.  Minimizing stops to grocery shop during the week after a long day of work and school helped keep everyone sane and happy.
• Invest in a deep freezer.  When you are making soup, or pasta sauce, or stew, or baking cakes or cookies, make extra and stash it in your freezer for dinner or dessert another night. Cook once, eat twice.  This works for entertaining as well.  For example, a big batch of short ribs can be made ahead and kept in the freezer so that the main dish is already done long before the day of your party.  Also keep frozen veggies, boneless chicken breasts and any other frozen convenience food that your family enjoys stocked in the freezer.
• Keep a well stocked pantry with rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, canned beans, chicken stock, and baking supplies.  Having a well stocked pantry and freezer gives you the flexibility to put together a meal on the fly.  

I hope you enjoy the recipes. Leave any recipe questions in the comments section of the post.