No romance in a box of powdered cheese pasta

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Pappardelle with Braised Lamb Ragu, Ricotta, Arugula and Bacon | Melissa Elsmo~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 10, 2012 8:19AM

Long before I went to culinary school I decided to make a romantic home-cooked meal for my boyfriend at the time.

After scouring copious cookbooks, I settled on replicating a recipe I’d clipped from a magazine for mafalda with veal and rosemary. I figured the simple pasta and ground meat dish wouldn’t be too overwhelming for me to execute and would still manage to say I love you with every bite.

I cooked for the better part of the day, washed countless pots and pans and painstakingly set my dining room table for two. I was determined to serve a memorably romantic meal to my man!

When the big moment finally arrived, I arranged the lovingly cooked pasta and sauce in bowls garnished with fresh rosemary sprigs, placed them gently on the candle lit table, poured a little wine and waited for my boyfriend to take a bite.

He scooped up a bit of the savory dish, chewed, swallowed and continued chatting about his day like he had taken a bite of an average bologna sandwich.

I waited for him to take another bite. Once again, he had no reaction at all … zip, zero, zilch. I was perplexed.

“Do you like your dinner?” I asked cautiously.

“It’s all right, I guess,” he responded casually. “It’s not my favorite one though.”

“Not your favorite one?” I asked quizzically, “I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, this just isn’t my favorite Hamburger Helper,” he clarified.

“This isn’t Hamburger Helper!” I objected “I made this from scratch!”

“Oh, well then it’s really good,” he said in a sheepish attempt to recover from his fatal error.

As much as it pained me to learn where my cooking ranked, I ended up forgiving my ground-beef-and-powdered cheese-loving dinner companion.

Not only did I forgive him; I married him.

And now, nearing 20 years later, my husband’s palate has evolved and I am more adept in the kitchen. Still, we consider that romantic dinner the most memorable of all we’ve shared because we fell deeper in love over that lackluster pasta dinner.

It’s only fitting to create a Valentine’s Day dinner inspired by our romantic ground meat misunderstanding all those years ago. This dish is guaranteed to make any man swoon!

Melissa Elsmo is an Oak Park mom, wife and chef/foodie. She speaks regularly about reclaiming the family dinner hour with nutritious meals. Check out her food blog at www.outofmelskitchen.blogspot.com.

Pappardelle with Braised Lamb Ragu, Ricotta, Arugula and Bacon

Look for the bacon and arugula to add natural salt and pepper to this robust dinner. This recipe makes enough pasta for four with leftover sauce. To make it for two simply reduce the pasta by half and freeze more sauce for later use.

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms

4 ounces pancetta or thick cut bacon, diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 lamb shanks at room temperature

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, halved and sliced

2 celery stalks, halved and sliced

6 ounces tomato paste

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 cups full-bodied red wine

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, un-drained

1 parmeggiano-reggiano rind

3 thyme sprigs

3 bay leaves

½ pound pappardelle

¼ cup ricotta (preferably hand dipped)

1 cup arugula

Cover the dried mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water and set aside to rehydrate. Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed stock pot until golden brown. Drain bacon on paper towel and reserve.

Add the oil to the pan drippings and increase heat to high. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and sear in the hot pan until deep golden brown on all sides. Remove browned lamb to a bowl.

Drain fat from pan until only 2 Tablespoons remain. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot. Season with salt and pepper; cook until beginning to color (about 8 minutes). Mix in the tomato paste and stir to combine. Allow the tomato paste to brown while stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).

While the veggies cook, drain the mushrooms through a fine mesh strainer lined with a damp paper towel. Reserve the soaking liquid and chop the mushrooms.

Add the garlic, mushrooms, and all but 2 Tablespoons of the reserved bacon to the pot. Stir until fragrant (about 1 minute). Gradually add the wine to deglaze the pan stirring constantly and scraping the brown bits up as you go. Add the mushroom soaking liquid, tomatoes (break them up with the back of a spoon), cheese rind, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and place in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours or until lamb is tender. Shred the lamb from the bones and return the meat to the sauce. Remove rind, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves (Ragu can be completed to this point, cooled and refrigerated over night). Bring the ragu to a boil, reduce heat and keep warm. Cook the Pappardelle in boiling salted water until al dente. Transfer ½ cup of the pasta cooking water to the ragu before draining the pasta. Mix the ragu well and serve over drained pasta and garnish with ricotta, arugula, and reserved bacon.