Spaghetti Bolognese

     4 tablespoons butter

     3 ounces cubed pancetta

     1 medium onion

     2 fat cloves garlic

     1 carrot

     2 stalks celery

     2 large, flat mushrooms such as portobello, about 4 ounces

     2 bay leaves

     1 pound ground beef or lamb

     1 cup crushed tomatoes or passata

     1/4 cup red wine

     3/4 cups stock

     1 nutmeg

     3/4 cups half-and-half or cream 

     Spaghetti or tagliatelle for 4

     Grated Parmesan

• Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot -- then stir in the pancetta and let it cook for five minutes or so, without coloring much. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic and stir them into the pancetta. Peel and finely chop the carrot and celery and stir them in, too. Lastly, finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pan, then put in bay leaves and leave to cook for ten minutes over a moderate heat, stirring frequently.
• Turn up the heat and put in the meat, breaking it up well with a fork.
• Now leave to cook without stirring for a good three or four minutes, then, as the meat on the bottom is starting to brown, stir again, breaking up the meat where necessary, and leave to color.
• Mix in the tomatoes, red wine, stock, a grating of nutmeg and some salt and black pepper, letting it come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that everything barely bubbles. There should be movement, but one that is gentle, not quite a simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and leave the putter away for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring from time to time and checking the liquid levels. You don't want it to be dry.
• Pour in the half-and-half or cream a bit at a time, stir and continue cooking for twenty minutes. Check the seasoning, then serve with the pasta and grated Parmesan.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Tenderloin

1 (7 ounce) center-cut beef tenderloin filet, trimmed 4 ounces good-quality blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 pound pancetta, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups heavy cream

Sachet (1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, 1 dried red chile, 4 fresh thyme sprigs, and 2 bay leaves put in cheesecloth and tied with kitchen string)

1/2 pound baby leeks, well-washed, roots trimmed, and sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon

1/4 cup Demi-glace (Homemade or Store Bought)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline

Canola oil, for frying

White truffle oil, for drizzling

Chervil sprigs, for garnish

Using a sharp knife, make a horizontal incision across the center of the beef, without cutting all the way through. Stuff the blue cheese into the pocket and squeeze the sides of the meat together to close. Take the slices of pancetta so you have long, thin strips. Coil the pancetta around the circumference of the tenderloin to cover; season all over with salt and pepper. Set aside.

To prepare the leeks: Combine the cream and sachet in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Boil the leeks for 30 seconds; Scoop the leeks out of the water and add them to the cream. Cook the leeks in the cream for 10 minutes until thick and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. Lay the beef in the pan and sear for 5 minutes without moving it around, until the meat has a caramel brown crust. Turn the meat over with tongs and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer the beef to a baking pan. Finish cooking in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 130°F. Put the sauté pan back on the heat to make the sauce.

Add the shallot to the meat drippings; cook and stir for 2 minutes until they soften. Deglaze with the wine, stirring to evaporate and until almost dry. Mix in the Demi-glace, stirring to liquefy; add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin it out if needed. Add the butter, stirring to melt. Strain the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To prepare the potato chip garnish: Heat 2-inches of canola oil in a wide pot. When the oil is hot, fry the potato slice until crisp and golden. Remove to a side plate lined with paper towels to drain. Drizzle the chips with a little truffle oil.

To serve: Place a mound of the creamy leeks in the center of the plate. Rest the beef on top of the leeks and drizzle the red wine sauce around the plate. Set a couple of the potato chips on top. Garnish with chervil sprigs.

Crockpot Spicy Italian Beef

3 cups of beef broth2 teaspoons beef base 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning 1 envelope of Italian Dressing Mix 1 (3-5 pound) rump roast 1 cup of golden peperoncini 1 cup of Italian mix giardiniera 3 cloves of garlic, smashed Italian deli rolls Sauteed peppers and onions, optional Sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese

Add the beef broth to the crockpot turn up to high. Whisk in the beef base, Italian seasoning, and Good Seasons packet until well blended.  Add the roast, the peperoncini and giardiniera (without the juices), and the garlic. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 hours.

Remove the roast and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into chunks and return the meat to the crockpot. Keep on low for several hours.  When ready to serve, spoon meat with or without juices onto bread, plain or toasted, add mozzarella or provolone and place under the broiler to melt. Serve au jus with drippings from the crockpot for dipping, if desired.

Herb-Crusted Beef Medallions with Zinfandel-Shallot Sauce

2 large shallots, chopped 1 cup Zinfandel or other full-bodied red wine

2 cups beef broth

2 Tbs. plus 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (see note) or other coarse dried bread crumbs

1 tsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage

1 egg white

4 filets mignons, trimmed, each 5 oz. and 1 1/4 inches thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the shallots and wine. Bring to a boil and boil until the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Add the broth and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes more. Remove from the heat and pour into a blender or food processor. Add the 2 Tbs. bread crumbs and the butter and puree to form a smooth sauce.

About 10 minutes before the sauce is ready, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs, the parsley, thyme, sage and egg white.

Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Season the beef medallions with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sear, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and press the herb mixture onto one side of each medallion.

Again coat the pan with cooking spray and return to medium-high heat. Return the medallions to the pan, crumb sides down, and cook until golden and the meat is medium-rare, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Ladle the pureed sauce onto warmed individual plates, dividing it evenly. Place the beef medallions, crumb sides up, on the sauce.

Short Rib Pot Roast with Dutch Black Vinegar Sauce

ShortRibs 4 9-ounce boneless square cut short ribs

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

2 large bay leaves

5 sprigs flat leaf parsley

1 cup red zinfandel wine

1 can (14.5 ounces) unsalted beef stock or broth or more as needed

Vinegar Sauce

4 cups red wine vinegar

1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar

¾ cup dark raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet. Add beef; sear on all sides until brown.

Place carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, and parsley in casserole just large enough to fit ribs snugly. Add ribs, wine, and enough broth to cover meat. Place casserole over high heat; heat to boil. Remove pan from heat. Cover; bake until ribs are very tender; 1.5 to 2 hours.

Let meat stand in braising liquid until ready to serve. (Pot roast may be prepared to this point up to 2 days in advance), Refrigerate meat in braising liquid. Reheat in braising liquid when ready to serve).

For sauce, combine vinegar and brown sugar in heavy saucepan. Heat to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer rapidly until liquid reduces to about 2.5 cups, about 50 minutes. Add raisins.

Heat sauce back to boiling; reduce to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Sauce should be black, syrupy, and glossy. Be careful sauce does not over-reduce and burn. Let sauce cool slightly. The sauce may be made ahead and kept indefinitely. Thickly slice pot roast; serve with 2 tablespoons vinegar sauce per serving