Ground Beef Ragu

Ragu Calzone
A ragu is an Italian sauce or stew, made with tomatoes, ground meat, vegetables, and wine, and cooked for a very long time.  Blognese sauce is a variation on a ragu that most of us are familiar with – though, in that case, a specific regional variation that is a bit heavier on tomato than most.

Ragus are frequently used with pasta, especially spaghetti.  But they can go on just about anything.  Or, in the case of this week’s Pie of the Week, in anything, or at least a calzone.  They are rich, hearty, and full of flavor!
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Zucchini Carbonara

Zucchini Carbonara

Classic Pasta Carbonara, with a Zucchini twist

I was flipping through The Flavor Bible, looking for ways to use my excessive zucchini harvest, and I noticed several flavors I love being highly recommended, including thyme, parmesan, cream, and black pepper.  Wait a minute!  Those plus bacon (which makes everything better) are all the flavors that make the classic pasta carbonara sauce!

Surely I could make something of that!  So I did.

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