The Old College Try: a Pasta Party

Glory, glory to old Georgia!


Yes, friends, I'm thrilled to share one of my most exciting blogs to date - guest-wise if not menu-wise. My old college friend Raj was in town for the Men's Health Urbanathlon, with two friends in tow. I was hugely flattered when Raj wrote to tell me that he's a huge fan of my blog, and wanted to spend one of his few nights in Chicago having dinner with me. And even better, I had guests on my hands that needed to carbo-load, and I think we all know at this point how I feel about pasta (Pasta, will you marry me?).


To mix things up, I decided to invite my also-new-to-Chicago friend Ryan, and of course, Ross was on hand to eat up and weigh in. It was a funny, interesting, smart, eclectic group of people gathered in my little shoebox, and I for one had a fantastic time.

For backstory: Raj and I met [WARNING: shameless plug in 3...2...1...] on an Alternative Spring Break program my junior year at Georgia. My friend Amy and I led a trip to Alabama to work at a home for people living with HIV and AIDS. Like the other ASB trips I went on or led, it was life-affirming and outlook-changing. Raj followed in my footsteps, not only leading trips, but also helping to lead the entire program - eventually doubling the number of trips (there is even a trip that comes to Chicago!).


As far as conversation goes, you couldn't ask for a more accomplished, more interesting group of people - as far as dinner goes...well, I know I'm my harshest critic, but I think it may have left something to be desired. Everything tasted good, but as Ross ended up admitting, it wasn't my most creative meals to date. Additionally, I mistimed quite a bit of the action, and we didn't get as much time to eat as I would've liked. Despite these criticisms, my guests seemed to like everything, and hopefully they were well-fueled and well-rested for the race.


The turkey bolognese, I thought, was pretty tasty - I actually really like the flavor that the turkey, as opposed to a traditional sausage and beef blend, lent to the sauce. And the veggie sauce actually turned out to be quite a hit, even among the omnivores! I was sure I'd ruined it when I let the carrot-onion-celery mixture burn, but it actually really deepened the flavor of the sauce, giving regular old canned tomatoes a more fire-roasted flavor.


It was great to catch up with a fellow Bulldog (he's still in school - Law - by the way), and meet new friends with the same zest for life and good-natured Southern charm that Raj is known for.

TURKEY BOLOGNESE

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 lb. ground lean turkey meat
2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1/3 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack spaghetti


VEGGIELISCIOUS SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
2 cloves garlic
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1 small head broccoli, chopped into small florets
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 pack spaghetti


STEP 1:

In a nonstick skillet, brown the turkey meat with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

STEP 2:

In both pots, heat the olive oil. Cook the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until they start to get some color. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, wine and garlic and some more salt and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot that will be the meat sauce.

STEP 3:

Cook all this for awhile, covered, stirring occasionally and breaking up the big tomato pieces with a wooden spoon. As the sauces cook, keep an eye on how liquid-y they are, and add some more wine as needed if they're getting too thick/dry.

STEP 4:

Add the broccoli and zucchini to the veggie sauce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Add the fresh basil to the sauces. Turn the heat down on the turkey sauce and add the cream. Stir and cook a little more. Taste the sauces and adjust seasonings. When the spaghetti is al dente, drain it and set aside. Serve and enjoy!

JUDGES' VERDICTS:

Raj: I liked the spicy tang to the veggie sauce - it wasn't too sweet or too creamy. And the salad dressing was excellent.

Patrick: Very good. I actually liked the vegetarian sauce more than the meat sauce.

Ryan (male): I'd want to try the sauce over angel hair, since I like thin pasta. I was worried about the sauce's spice, but it was fine. And the music was good.*

Ryan (female): I liked the spicy kick to the veggie sauce. It was good, although I did have to pick out the visible tomato chunks. By the way, your cat is psycho.

Ross: This was ok, but not very creative. I expect more from you at this point.

*Ross put on our perennial favorite dinner mix of classic Sinatra tunes. Always a hit.

So it appears that the Veggie Sauce was the winner. Who knew? And all that time, I thought I'd burnt it.

Catching up with an old friend and making news ones was the real highlight of the meal, though. Thanks so much to my guests for spending a night in Chicago with little ol' me! And....GOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF....