Hot and Steamy Goodness!!

Quite often, it is the weather that first inspires me to make a particular type of food on a particular day. Yesterday was definitely one of those days. It was very unpleasantly cold and blustery—not at all springlike. On days like this, I always crave something warming and comforting. However, with the long, cold Iowa winter just coming to an end, it seems that I've recently made many of my chilly weather favorites at least a handful of times. That's when I know I need to add a new twist to one of these warming comfort foods. So yesterday, that is exactly what I did.  I whipped up a luscious bolognese sauce enhanced by a variety of chile peppers and a subtle hint of cinnamon. The results were totally delish and something I will definitely remember next time it gets really chilly out. (Hopefully not until the end of this year!) Here is my jazzed up bolognese sauce:

Chile Pepper Bolognese

Look for dried chile peppers at your local Mexican market. You'll find a large variety with which to experiment. They are quite inexpensive and totally worth the extra trip.

1. Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Place 5 dried chile peppers of your choice (I used 3 pasilla, 1 ancho, and 1 puya) in a small glass bowl. Pour enough boiling water into the bowl to cover the peppers. Cover and allow to steep for about 20 minutes. In a Dutch oven, heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add about 1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used a combo of ground venison and beef, but any combination of beef and pork would work well.) Cook and stir until the meat is just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, finely mince 2 stalks celery  (coarsely chopped), 2 carrots (coarsely chopped), 1 onion (coarsely chopped), 3 cloves garlic (smashed), 1 jalepeno or serrano chile pepper (seeded, if you don't want a lot of heat), a handful of parsley, and about half of a green pepper. Add to the meat in the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes. 

3. Add 2 bay leaves, 1 Thai chile (dry or fresh), 1 stick cinnamon, and about 1/2 a bottle of white wine to the Dutch oven. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the wine has mostly evaporated. Then add about 2 cups milk. Continue to cook over medium heat until the milk has reduced by about half. 

4. Meanwhile, remove the rehydrated chiles to a cutting board; reserve the soaking liquid for later. Give the chiles a coarse chop (remove stems and most of the seeds) then place them in the food processor along with one 15-ounce can whole tomatoes. Process until the mixture is  almost smooth; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, adding enough of the chile pepper soaking liquid to create a thin sauce (but not too thin—just thin enough to simmer). Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta and a shredded cheese of your choice.