Holidays: The Ten-Day Historical Tour, Day Two and Three: Washington, DC

Now. I had a more pressing reason to visit this city than just all it’s historical significance. It is, after all, where my eldest daughter and her husband calls home. So, of course, I had to stop in for the weekend.

There are many things of note to see in Washington and having made this same trip almost yearly for the last twenty, I have visited most. And since now I come here much more often than yearly, this particular weekend was spent more in the way of staying in.

Board games were played and Old Fashioneds sipped and cherry blossoms glimpsed at from a safe distance. The second day was spent like the first, in and enjoying each other, only on that day, I made dinner as well.

I chose something very slow and deeply soul-stirring. Something that requires the putting down of a book for an occasional stir. Something that makes plenty and heats well, so that long after I have moved along, those left behind can still taste a bit of how much they are loved.

Beef Bolognese with wide pasta ribbons

A half pound of pancetta was diced small and placed in a large skillet (thankfully, I had given Mikaela some of my favorite pans before she moved out here, so I had an old friend to work with) and cooked over medium heat until it’s sizzling and rendered a bit. One cup each of small diced carrots and onions and celery joins the pancetta and is stirred from time to time. Once the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery also crisp up a bit, a pound of medium chopped skirt steak is added. This, too, is browned, stirring it all the while. Once it’s charred slightly, a cup of good Italian white wine is poured over all. I tend to like a sweeter wine, so that is what I went with, but you do as you choose. Of course, we sipped the remainder of the bottle as this simmered and spurted. That is mandatory.

Once the wine reduced by half, a quart of crushed San Marzano tomatoes (I brought mine from the Farm, already planning to make this meal before I left home, but please feel free to use whatever tomato you’d like, as long as it’s San Marzano) was poured over the mixture along with two cups bone stock (also from home). The heat is reduced to the lowest it can go. This is the best part. Because it is left to slowly simmer for at least two hours, maybe three, requiring only the occasional stirring. Lots of books have been read and visiting done cooking just such a dinner.

Now. Once the two (maybe three) hours have passed, one cup heavy cream is slowly stirred in the mixture. and the salted water put on for the pasta. We used fresh, so once the water boiled, it only took three minutes to cook–but you will know it is done either by tasting it, or if it floats. The pasta was drained and twirled onto each plate and a good ladle of the sauce was doused over all, and yes, of course, topped with Pecoraro Romeno Cheese, grated fresh in thick slivers. Delicious.

(Now. If it was my first time coming to The City, I would be sure to see the Memorials (my favorite being FDR–such a lovely garden), The Union Station (there is a lovely coffee shop by there name Ebenezer’s–a favorite place to stop), The National Archives (to see the Declaration of Independance), The Air and Space Museum (the one by the airport), The Capital Building, The White House, The Supreme Court Building, The Portrait Gallery, The Museum of the Bible, The Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetary (including seeing Lee’s Mansion, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy graves), and my favorite: The bridge keeper’s house-where he and his twelve children lived–one of the oldest buildings in Washington. You can find this along the Mall. Now. One place I have not yet seen is the Library of Congress. But it is definitely on the list for future trips.