Gourmet Golfer
ANNIKA SORENSTAM has some advice for hungry young golfers: Eat right. "I compare my body to a high-performance car," says Sorenstam, who has amassed a record $20,304,562 in career earnings. "You don't fill it up with regular unleaded; you use premium."
And fill up often. On the the course Sorenstam is an avid snacker, partial to peanut butter sandwiches and dried fruit. ("I like those mango chips," she says. "Mix them with unsalted almonds, and it's really nice.") Off course, the 5'6" Sorenstam is not shy about loading up on carbs. "I'm not an extremist who wants to eat only chicken and raw vegetables," she says. "In Sweden [where she grew up] bread is everything. I rely on carbs to get me going. Plus, I have a weakness for vanilla ice cream."
Sorenstam, who says she has "always been around good food" and fondly recalls the plentiful cooking of her mother, Gunilla, aspires to open a restaurant when her professional playing days are done—"a high-end [place] with gourmet food. Or maybe a deli that sells organic ingredients and whole-grain bread," she says. For now she swears by home cooking. She stays with friends at about 70% of her tournament stops, she says, and they take turns preparing meals. Her hosts are especially pleased when Sorenstam whips up her signature dish, what she calls a "very Italian" pasta Bolognese.
Annika's Pasta Bolognese
Ingredients: One pound ground beef; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1/4 cup chopped carrots; 8-ounce can stewed or crushed tomatoes; soy sauce, to taste; 1/4 cup milk; 1 cup beef stock; 1 tsp. dried basil (or 4 tsp. fresh); 1/2 tsp. oregano (or 2 tsp. fresh); 1 tbsp. half-and-half; pepper, to taste
IN A SKILLET, brown the beef and add the pepper, then put aside on paper towels to absorb grease. Slowly sauté the chopped onion until golden brown. Add carrots and cook to soften. Mix in the beef and the milk and cook at medium heat until the sauce thickens. Pour in the beef stock. Add a touch of soy sauce. Stir in the canned tomatoes and dried herbs and let simmer for one hour. (If the herbs are fresh, add them just before you serve.) Annika's little trick: When you are ready to serve, mix in the half-and-half to make the dish extra creamy and tasty! Serve hot on your favorite pasta with some good Parmesan cheese. Serves 4--8.
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MICHAEL HEAPE (SORENSTAM COOKING)
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TODD BIGELOW/AURORA (SORENSTAM SWINGING)
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MICHAEL HEAPE (PASTA DISH)
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