Rustic Ragu With Fontina
By: Scott Koeneman
Published: Monday, January 25, 2010 - 7:15am

Ingredients




4 carrots, 1 minced, 3 roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, 1 minced, 3 roughly chopped
1 onion, 1/4 minced, 3/4 diced
1 green bell pepper, 1/4 minced, 3/4 roughly diced
8 ounces Crimini mushrooms, roughly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds extra-lean ground beef (I used 93%% lean)
1/2 cup full-flavored red wine (I use a Cabernet Sauvignon)
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice
6 ounces tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut chiffonade
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Fontina cheese

Preparation

1 In a heavy sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute minced carrots, celery, onion, green pepper and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. 2 Add ground beef and brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer until the wine reduces by half. 3 Add tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, basil and oregano. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. 4 Serve over polenta or pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan, Fontina and parsley

About


Taste, texture and appearance, the triad of a great meal. Getting all of them can be tough. Simmering veggies to draw out all their flavor can turn them to mush. The plan for this dish was to create a depth of flavor by using a combination of minced vegetables to cook with the meat, and others, rough-cut, for another layer of taste, plus texture and color.
I was very excited about how well it worked. All those flavors came out, one after the other, as you worked your way through the plate. There was just enough crunch in the veggies to make you feel like you were really eating something.
Topping it all off was a wonderful combination of Parmesan and Fontina cheeses, creamy and nutty.It can be served over firm or soft polenta, or your favorite pasta.
And while it's full of flavor, it's low on calories and fat. This sauce has 254 calories with 11 grams of fat and 3 of fiber for a heaping half-cup. That's only 5 points for my Weight Watchers friends.
Let's eat!