Greek Bolognese with Feta Garlic Bread

 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 pound ground turkey
5 roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped, seeds removed
1 pound capellini or other spaghetti

To Make:

Begin by heating the oil on medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onion, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and thyme, and cook for ten minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.  Add the ground turkey, using a spatula to crumble it up into small chunks, and stir to combine.  Cover the saucepan and let cook for ten minutes more.  Remove the cover, add the tomatoes, and let the bolognese simmer, on low heat, for about 25 minutes more, stirring infrequently.

While the bolognese is cooking, boil 6 quarts of cold water in a large pot.  Add the capellini and let cook until al dente, about ten minutes.  Drain the pasta in a colander and spray with cold water to cool slightly.

Add the capellini to the bolognese in the large saucepan, and remove from heat.  Stir the pasta and sauce together very thoroughly using a thin spatula.  Serve with steamed broccoli on the side, Feta Garlic Bread, and, to cleanse the palate before the meal, a shot of top shelf ouzo for each adult diner. 

Feta Garlic Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut a large loaf of fresh-baked French Bread into thick slices.  In a small saucepan, combine 12 oz. crumbled feta cheese with 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice and 5 cloves of minced garlic.  Let simmer on medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently, until the lemon juice has nearly evaporated and the mixture has a paste-like consistency.  Remove from heat.  Apply a thick layer of the feta cheese spread to each bread slice, arrange the slices on a long, flat baking sheet, and bake on the center rack until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasted, about eight minutes.