5th & Taylor's Chef Eric Pippert

Chef Eric Pippert of 5^th & Taylor restaurant has a six-year-old daughter, so like most parents, he has to disguise nutrition in the form of yummy food. His covert weapon? Spaghetti. The ultimate kid-friendly food with infinite possibilities. But his is no ordinary spaghetti, no, his is a riff on a Bolognese sauce, the traditional meat sauce (or ragu) originating in Bologna, Italy. Its base is ground pork or veal sautéed with vegetables alongside then enhanced with tomatoes, wine, and cream. 

We visited Eric in his kitchen in Goodletsville to watch him make the dish. Like any good cook, Eric had his “mise en place” ready when we arrived. He started by sauteing a brunoise (small dice) of carrots, red pepper and celery for a vitamin C start. He added tomato paste and let it cook down and get brown and thick. Then he deglazed the pan with white wine vinegar, scraping all the browned bits, or “fond,” before adding the venison. In went the stock, a can of tomatoes (the quintessential source of lycopene), and cream. The sauce cooked down for about 10 minutes. Then the boiling pasta, cooked very al dente, was drained and added to finish cooking and absorb the creamy sauce.