Let me first explain that we are now officially into the slow cooked meat season and that immediately means pasta Bolognese to me. So, last night I made my Bolognese meat sauce but this time I decided to make it with spaghetti , rather than my usual lasagna.

Years ago, while shooting a cooking special in Italy, I had the privilege of visiting Bologna – the capital of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy which completely changed my lasagna world forever. It inspired this lasagna Bolognese recipe which features very thin layers of hand made pasta , a rich slow cooked meat sauce and layers of slightly runny béchamel sauce with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It cuts with a fork and melts in your mouth. My mouth is watering.

Wanting to elaborate on the Bolognese meat sauce method for this piece, I went back to my recipe notes and checked with several credible sources only to find that spaghetti Bolognese does not really exist as a dish. What? You might find that surprising, as it’s on countless restaurant menus but to split Italian hairs, spaghetti is made only in the south where they use dried durum wheat pasta and they would never use a Bolognese , meat sauce on top. On the other hand , in Bologna they love their meat sauce but they only serve it with fresh egg noodles like tagliatelle or fettucini – made from a softer wheat .

Then there’s the issue of the sauce. Does it have cream or milk? Is it beef, veal or pork? What about garlic? And red or white wine? Well, this opens a whole new can of tomatoes, so I want to take you back to Bologna , where I first learned how to make the Bolognese meat sauce.

Only in Italy can being known as, “ The Fat One”- la grossa, be a compliment. In fact, it is one of the pseudonyms of the wealthy Bologna. The fat , refers to its ancient reputation as a food loving town. It was a way of life and the souvenirs of those days are still evident.

My source was the chef of a little restaurant tucked away in the old town called Silverio’s. Making my way through the tiny entrance, I could see and feel the past enveloping me. The walls were a white stucco separated by massive rustic wood beams and glass cases filled with cooking utensils from the 13th and 14th centuries. This was not going to be any ordinary culinary experience.

Silverio popped his head out of the kitchen, cigarette dangling from his mouth, and greeted us with freshly brewed espresso. It didn’t take me very long to realize that he didn’t speak a word of English. Well, that was as good a time as any, to put my few Italian words to use. Anyone who could speak a word of English seemed to vanish from the room and Silverio rambled on as though I had just received my Italian language master’s degree.

Luckily, Silverio’s culinary visuals needed no translation. He dazzled me with his shaping, filling and rolling pasta techniques and before we knew it our time together on camera had come to an end and I think I hit the bulls-eye in the credible source department with Silverio.

He advises that traditional says , to use a combination of cream and milk, that it is usually beef with some pork added, no garlic and white wine with the addition of beef broth and some tomato. If I only called my dish Christine’s spaghetti and meat sauce , things would have been very simple. As soon as you go using traditional words like Bolognese , you have to back them up.

If you live anywhere in the world where the seasons change, except you lucky Australians ( aka southern hemisphere dwellers), it’s officially fall.

Summer is my favourite season but the food in fall makes me drool. I started chatting with my cousins about what we are going to contribute to our upcoming Greco-Canadian Thanksgiving feast, and it reminded me that you might also be pondering the same question.

First off, let me say, I’m not a big turkey lover. I love the look of it and all the warm and fuzzy family gatherings but I’d rather have braised duck with quince and pinot noir or fennel seed spiced porchetta with that crispy skin but I have made many great birds in my day and I’ve been vetoed , so here are some tips that I use to make a perfectly cooked turkey.

How big?: Count on 1 lb raw turkey weight per guest. Believe it or not you lose 50 % of turkey weight to bones etc. I always count 2 kids as 1 guest. I try not to stress too much about enough turkey. I have never run out and we always make a ton of other dishes.

Fresh vs/ Frozen: I prefer fresh birds as they are usually aged a couple of days before being shipped. This will make the bird more flavourful and tender. I look for free range or ( if your budget permits) organic. I’m not a fan of the pre-basted variety. It’s better to add your own butter than try to buy one that’s already injecting with a variety of unknowns.

Thawing Time: This one can absolutely mess everything up if you don’t get it right. If you opt for a frozen bird, count on 1 full day of thawing in the fridge per 5 lbs of bird. Never thaw at room temperature. If you’re in a bind, a quick fix is to thaw in a cold water bath, changing the water every hour. Keep the bird in the plastic and count on 1 hour / lb. It’s tedious, but it works . The bird must be completely thawed before roasting. Make sure to remove the giblets pack inside the cavity before roasting.

Temperature : I’ve had best success at 325D F. Since today’s birds are bred with larger breast weight, they usually take about 12- 15 min per lb. A meat thermometer is the only way to ensure the proper temperature. If using a heat safe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh closest to the body but not touching the bone at the beginning of roasting. An instant read, is just for checking temperature and must be removed. Internal temperature should read 175D D in the thickest part of the thigh.

The temperature will climb to 180 while you rest the turkey for at least 20 minutes for best carving results.

To stuff or not to stuff?: I prefer to cook my stuffing- actually dressing- in a separate vessel in the oven. This ensures safe temperatures and also reduces the roasting time on my bird. If you must stuff, take the following precautions:

• Always stuff bird just before roasting
• Always use fully cooked stuffing not raw ingredients
• Remove stuffing immediately after roasting bird and serve in side dish

Brining : This process of soaking your turkey in a salt and sugar solution makes the bird retain more moisture during cooking and yields a very juicy bird. The science of it is quite interesting , but what you should know is to not soak the bird for longer than 6 hours per 15 lb turkey and to always add some sugar to the brine to prevent too much salt from being absorbed. The following recipe can be made without brining , just add some salt before roasting.