Bolognese, Giada's Chocolate Mouse and Other Market Recipes

Here are the recipes concocted by Jim and a troop of Girl Scouts during the Slow Food Central New Jersey  Farmers Market.

Bolognese Sauce
You might want to wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Do not rinse – mushrooms soak up water like a sponge.
2 lbs Davidson's or Shibumi Farms wild mushroom mix
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chili pepper flakes
1 package (about 1 lb) Beechtree Farm pork sausage
2 Lbs WoodsEdge Wool Farm ground beef
1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cups beef stock or 1 cup stock + 1 cup red wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint Fulper Family Farmstead fresh ricotta
2 lbs dried pasta (the girls chose penne)


Chop mushrooms. Saute over high heat in small batches with two tablespoons of the olive oil and a little salt. The liquid released from the mushrooms should have enough room in the pan to evaporate and let the mushrooms develop a golden-brown color. Set aside.

Heat up the remaining oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and some salt, and saute for about five minutes until the onion is translucent.  Then add carrots, garlic, chili flakes and a little salt. Cook for another five minutes.

Add the sausage and ground beef. Cook, breaking down the lumps with a fork, until the meat is cooked through. Add tomatoes, olive oil and stock. Add salt and pepper to taste (not too much, the sauce will reduce and intensify). Reduce the heat and simmer for twenty minutes to - better yet - an hour.

Add sauteed mushroom and stir until heated through. Serve or refrigerate. The sauce tastes even better the next day. If you make it ahead of time reheat on a low heat while the pasta is cooking. Just before serving take the sauce off the heat and mix in the ricotta.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked mix with bolognese.


Green Salad with Tre Piani Fresh Mozzarella and Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse Croutons
Bobolink garlic croutons (recipe below)
1 ball freshly made mozzarella (the girls used Tre Piani’s housemade mozzarella. You can get great local mozzarella from Fulper Farms)
Mixed greens (the girls used the Tre Piani blend. You can get local mixed greens from Blue Moon Acres Farm)
Fruity extra virgin olive oil
High quality natural coarse salt (such as Maldon, Himalayan red salt or fleur de sel) and freshly ground black pepper.

Toss the greens with a little olive oil to coat lightly.
Mound on individual plates.
Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella artfully on the greens. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Top the mozzarella with some croutons and serve. 

Bobolink Garlic Croutons
1 crusty loaf of Bobolink bread, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring. Add bread cubes, and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet.
Bake for fifteen minutes, or until crisp and dry. Check frequently to prevent burning. Cool.

The girls brought a yummy chocolate-avocado mousse made from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe. Apparently Apparently one of the dads discovered it on the Internet. You can find the recipe here: http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/recipes/997/chocolate-avocado-mousse