TV chef Mario Batali shares this excellent bolognese recipe. It originally appeared in the magazine, Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, in juice
1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
12 ounces fettuccine
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic an saute until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high; add veal, pork, pancetta or bacon and saute until meat is brown, breaking up meat with the back of a fork, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, milk and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes with the back of a spoon, adding more chicken broth if mixture is too thick and stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling water just until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add fettuccine to pot with ragu and toss to blend. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Cat Cora is releasing a new show — on the Disney channel? Yes, the celebrity chef will be making the rounds of the theme parkselecting a family and then teaching them how to cook in the Disney restaurant.

Cute concept… but how many people really feel like learning how to cook while they’re on vacation?!

Chefs are a notoriously snooty lot, and when Top Chef first debuted, it sent most of them snickering. Many of them don’ even like TV chefs or celebrity chefs — a chef selected from a reality show was even lower down the totem pole.

Not anymore. Some say that thanks to the success of the first three seasons, and the thumbs up it has received from well respected chefs (who even appeared in the panel of judges) the show has actually legitimized itself.

Too bad Rachael Ray can’t join.

Yes, it’s finally here! Meet the new lineup of Top Chef contestants. The show premieres on March 12 — hey, that’s today! Whoohooo!

True fans of celebrity chefs will love these Wikipedia compiled cookbook sets that contain the best recipes from Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, Alton Brown and Emerill Lagasse. Now you can get a “taste” of your favorite celebrity chef, on the go.

Jamie Oliver guested on Oprah’s reality show, The Big Give. He will be part of the panel of judges that gives away money to contestants who must then use those funds to help others.
Oprah’s staff loves him, saying he is “funny and adorable”. This is the second time for him to appear on an Oprah show. He guested in 2003, where he made a very memorable entrance. He was supposed to come in a motorcycle, but the polished wooden floor made him skid. “I flew into the air, landed on my chest and then slid along the floor with my arms out in some kind of Superman pose, using my chin as a brake…I felt a complete idiot, but the audience loved it (and) thought I did it on purpose and gave me a huge cheer.”

Read about Jamie’s Big Give appearance in his blog.

Emeril Lagasse will be launching a new show, called “Emeril Green.” It will be for an eco lifestyle channel, Planet Green (watch for it in June).

Emeril says the show will include tips on how to cook healthy meals, from picking the best ingredients to choosing recipes that even the kids will love.

Looks like this celebrity chef is on a roll. He just sold his content assets to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for a hefty $50 million and is negotiating with Food Network for other programs.

You could be the next celebrity TV chef. Submit your recipe to the Food Network and you could be picked to join the new season of Ultimate Recipe Showdown. The show is hosted by Marc Summers and Guy Fieri.

If you love TV chefs, then you probably love the Food Network. Now, you can go behind the scenes to see how your favorite food shows are filmed, plus get the “director’s cut” of interviews with celebrity chefs like Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, The Neelys, and Rachael Ray. Check out the The FN Dish with the Amateur Gourmet.

Bobby Flay has gone from chef to cupid. He has just announced a new show: “Early Show S.O.S.: Bobby Flay — Help Me Propose!”

Viewers are invited to send in videos explaining why they’re nervous about proposing. The lucky ones will get a visit from the tv chef, who’ll help create the perfect stage to pop the question.

So go ahead — tap the services of a top chef.

Diamond Ring not included.