Brunhilde's Bolognese from the Table of Wagnerian Diva Janice Baird

I first met Janice Baird in the spring of 2009 while rehearsing Wagner's RING with Seattle Opera. Fresh of the heels of a major MET debut as Isolde, Janice was in Seattle to sing Brunhilde. A humble and spectacularly talented dramatic soprano, she was mentored by two of histories greatest voices: Astrid Varnay and Birgit Nilsson. Janice also happens to be my voice teacher as well, her studio is in Berlin and if you have a chance, she's THE coach/teacher to work with especially in the Wagnerian rep, here's a link to her studio

Based out of Berlin,  Janice is also a star in the Kitchen and today I'll be sharing one of her signature dishes: Burnhildes's Bolognese.








  

Brunhilde's Bolognese

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients 

· 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes with juice or crushed tomatoes · 3 tablespoons olive oil · 6 ounces pancetta or 6 slices bacon, finely chopped · 1/4 pound ground pork (not lean) · 1/4 pound ground beef chuck (not lean) · 1/4 pound ground veal · 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) · 1 carrot, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

· 1 celery, finely chopped (about a cup)
 · garlic
 · fresh basil and thyme
 · 1 cup dry white wine
· 1/2 cup beef bouillon
· 1/2 cup milk
· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I prefer Peperoncino – for some zing)
· 1 pound pasta

Garnish: Freshly grated Parmigiano - Regiano

Preparation 1. If using whole tomatoes, in blender or food processor, purée tomatoes with juice. Set aside. 2. In large, heavy pot over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add pancetta and sauté until

golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add beef, pork, and veal and sauté, breaking up meat with back of spoon, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot and sauté until vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. 3. Stir in red wine and simmer, scraping up browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, until liquid is practically gone, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add milk and the nutmeg and cook until it has evaporated, stirring often. Stir in tomatoes, bouillon, salt, and herbs and pepper. Reduce heat to as low as possible and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened - let this simmer 3 ½ to 4 hours. 4. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until almost tender. Drain well and toss with sauce. Serve with grated cheese.

Pierogi Paradise. Happy Valentines!

(this was only $10.00 CD)

Happy Valentines Day!

I had the opportunity to spend a week in Krakow, Poland, last summer and boy was it a foodie heaven! Rich, saucy, buttery, bitter, dishes just oozing comfort and country flavor.  Krakow has to be one of my favorite cities, unlike Berlin it's clean, and in a way, very reminiscent of Vancouver. There's even wifi pretty much everywhere, which was awesome.   

My favorite spot was the old town square, Rynek Glowny.  My friend Derek and I ate way to many pierogies at so many different restaurants, one place was almost 500 years old and was frequented by St. Pope John Paul II 

 One afternoon we were gorging on dumplings and brews and out of the blue came this wicked thunderstorm, it was pretty incredible. Kids were playing in the rain and we were eating this...

We also spent some time in the Jewish quarter visiting the oldest synagogue in the city as well as a renowned Kosher eatery, where we heard some really amazing live music. One of my favorite things on a cold winters night has to be Matzo Soup, it was pretty hot out that day, but that was no excuse for not indulging. We also had to find cabbage roles and MORE PIEROGIS.

   

What's on Siegfrieds Tabel, Pasta ai Broccoli, by Lance Ryan.

Lance Ryan is one of the most remarkable tenors before audiences today and surely THE reigning interpreter of the Wagnarian repertoire globally. His star shines as bright as the sun from La Scala to the Bayreuther Festspiele and from Covent Garden to the Metropolitan Opera, where I had the pleaser of first hearing and meeting Lance while he was singing in Ariadne auf Noxos. Lance was born and raised in British Columbia and his Canadian roots are evident. He's an unassuming, pleasant, and down to earth guy. Someone you could have a beer with and argue about hockey all night. Though a Titan in his field, his humility and person ability are astonish. An avid vegetarian, Lance shared with me one of his favourite recipes: Pasta ai Broccoli. Hope you enjoy! Mangia Mangia! dh

Head of Broccoli Pepperonciono Pasta garlic salt olive oil

Cut a head of broccoli into bite size pieces while bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water boils put broccoli in for five minutes. In the mean time heat a large pan with oil salt and at least one pepperoncino.

Take broccoli out of the water and fry it in the heated pan. You can put you're pasta directly in the boiling water to cook. Once the pasta is done drain it and continue to cook it in tha pan with the broccoli for max. 2 minutes. Add garlic and extra olive oil as desired with the pasta. Voila!