普羅旺斯的天空下 Living in Provence

昨天突然很想吃Stroganoff (自譯 俄式炒牛肉), 冰箱裡有一塊解凍中的小牛肉, 去儲藏間翻一翻...發現沒有濃縮蕃茄糊...原想用這塊上好的小牛肉(和伊比力火腿買至一西班牙肉鋪)配上Isigny 法式酸奶 (crème fraîche)做俄式炒小牛肉的計劃泡湯了...但就是想吃點 creamy 的東西; 於是便打算將小牛肉打碎拿來做一道義大利麵醬並加上一大匙的法式酸奶...我必需要說, 搭上濃厚的法式酸奶的蕃茄醬汁, 酸奶中和了蕃茄的微酸, 多了份圓滑、香濃的口感...很容易上癮。

培根小牛肉醬:

400-450公克 小牛肉 (用食物調理機打成你偏好的碎度)
150公克  厚培根, 切成條狀
1顆洋蔥, 切極碎
1瓣大蒜, 壓碎
1罐義式蕃茄 (我偏愛小蕃茄品種)
150ml 乾白酒
1大把 菠菜葉
1大匙 法式酸奶 (crème fraîche)

1.  用中火將厚培根條煎自微脆
2.  倒出鍋中多餘的培根油, 留下約1小匙來炒香洋蔥
3.  待洋蔥呈透明狀, 加入碎小牛肉, 炒約5分鐘至到小牛肉有些上色
(為肉上色然後 deglaze - 是做出一道好肉醬的訣竅)
4.  轉大火, 倒入乾白酒, 烹煮數分鐘然後加入義式蕃茄

5.  將醬汁煮沸, 然後轉小火煮約40分鐘, 至醬汁縮好*
(縮醬汁 - 製做義式蕃茄醬汁時, 請盡可能將醬汁縮到已看不見醬汁間的小氣泡, 當醬汁在鍋中煮時, 醬汁間的水含量藉小氣泡蒸發)
6.  使用一大鍋沸騰的鹽水將linguini煮至 al dente (彈牙)並預留少許的煮麵水 (約2-3匙)
7.  在縮好的醬汁中加入1大匙法式酸奶和菠菜葉, 攪拌均勻

8.  加入linguini和少許的煮麵水拌煮1-2分鐘讓麵條均勻裹覆著醬汁, 趁熱享用


English Version:

Linguini with veal & bacon meat sauce

We bought some decent meats from a Spanish butcher (where we also got our Iberico ham from), and I was feeling some veal Stroganoff yesterday...Went to the pantry and realised we did not have any concentrated tomatoes, I had to come up with a plan B...something involves cream...

So I've decided to mince the veal and use some lardon to make a pasta sauce...and a nice dollop of cream fraiche at the end.  I am starting to fall in love with a creamy tomato sauce!

Veal & bacon (lardon) meat sauce:

400-450g ground veal
150g smoky bacon (lardon), cut into strips
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tinned Italian tomatoes
150 ml cooking white wine
1 handful of baby spinach
1 dollop of crème fraîche

1.  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the bacon until lightly browned.
2.  Discard some of the bacon fat and reserve some for frying the onion.
3.  Slowly fry the onion until soft and then add the veal and cook for 5 minutes until the meat is a bit coloured.
(*Colouring your meat and then deglazing adds a nice flavour to your meat sauce.)
4.  Increase the heat to high and pour in the white wine.  Let it boil for a few minutes and then add the tomato.
5.  Bring the sauce to the boil and reduce the heat to low.  Let it cook slowly for about 40 minutes, until the sauce is nicely reduced.
6.  Cook the linguini in a saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente.  Reserve a tiny bit of pasta cooking water (about 2-3 tablespoons).
7.  Add a dollop of cream fraiche to the sauce and mix well.  Fold in the baby spinach.
8.  Add the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water to the pan; stir until well coated.  Serve immediately.