Perhaps the most common pasta sauce in Italian-American kitchens, this ragu-style sauce is a meat-lovers delight.
Veggies: In a food processor preferably, process the onion, carrot and celery together until finely chopped (not pureed to a smooth paste, but also not with any large chunks remaining.) Put the oil, butter and chopped onion mixture in a heavy pot (or Dutch oven) and heat over medium-high stirring regular with a pinch of salt and pepper, until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Crush or mince the garlic and stir in to combine about 1 minute longer.
Meat: Add ground beef/pork/Italian sausage. Break up the the meat with your spoon and stir well and cook until the meat is cooked through. Then add another pinch of salt and 5-6 grinds of black pepper and the pureed pancetta, bacon or chicken livers. Stir in and cook 3-4 minutes.
Liquids: Add the wine and stir to loosen any bits stuck to the pot. Let it simmer until it has nearly evaporated. Add milk, bring to a low boil and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has nearly evaporated, another 8-10 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and stir, then add the tomatoes and their liquid along with the tomato paste. Stir in the chicken stock and the remaining seasoning.
Long Simmer: When the mixture begins to boil lightly (simmer), turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks but just barely bubbles. Cook uncovered for at least 3 hours or more, stirring very regularly. I prefer a sauce consistency that has some tomato sauce remaining. Others prefer a dry mostly meat sauce with fat to lubricate the noodles. When you can run a spatula through the sauce and it leaves a clear path that stays clear for 4 seconds, it is ready to serve. If the sauce is done sooner than you need it, cover and hold at the lowest possible setting, stirring occasionally. If you can make this 24 hours in advance, do so and refrigerate over night. Warm just prior to serving.
Make Pasta and Serve: Bring the salted pasta water to a boil per the package direction and cook the pasta as noted. Warm the prepared marinara sauce in a small pan. Drain and toss the pasta with a little marinara sauce to stop the noodles from sticking together. Serve in bowls with the meat sauce spooned on top. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan. Excellent with a nice piece of buttered Italian bread to mop up the remaining sauce and meat.
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| Julian's Bolognese Pasa |
I discussed the types of ragu previously and gave you my recipe for a fresh saute style pasta sauce, but today I wanted to share the classic Bolognese style sauce. This is not my Italian mother's recipe. She made something similar but just said it was pasta sauce with 'the meat run through'. For years I didn't have a name for her sauce, but it was similar if less complex than my current recipe. She really just browned ground beef then added her usual tomato sauce ingredients. So her sauce was a less ground meat and more tomato sauce. I suppose it stretched further that way.
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| Proper Consistency |
Today however I wanted to share a recipe I got from a friend who recommended I give it a try. It was originally from Marcella Hazan who is credited with bringing classic Italian cooking recipes to America through her line of cookbooks. I'm sure I've modified it some over the years and I don't have a written copy of the original. So this may vary slightly from her work, but it is very good and highly recommended. While it ideally should take about 3 hours to prepare and simmer, you can do the entire sauce in an hour if you are in a rush. It will still be delightful. For a great read on Bolognese by a former restaurant cook who prepared it daily, check out the Food Lab Blog entry.
I prefer a thick meat sauce consistency that has some tomato sauce remaining with the meat as shown above. Others prefer a dry mostly meat sauce (will be darker in color than above) with the remaining fat only to lubricate the noodles. This is how the original recipe was made. This is a personal preference and the recipe can be adjusted either way as noted below. I've had it quite good both ways. I like this best with either a wider fettuccine noodle or a thicker (#12) spaghetti noodle. These somewhat heftier noodles adhere better to the thick meat sauce.
A good Bolognese should cook slowly for a long-time. This can be done on the stove stop at a slow simmer, which is how I usually do it. But others prefer placing it in the oven. However you do it, the longer it cooks the better it is. Ideally make this in the morning and let it cook all day. Then, let it cool and refrigerate over night. Remove any large amount of fat that has solidified, but do leave a little for flavor. Warm the day of use and serve. It will be at it maximum flavor if you can make it at least a day in advance.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot (or several smaller)
6-8 large garlic cloves
1 pound ground beef (80-95% lean)
1 pound ground pork or Italian sausage
4-6 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
substitute chopped chicken livers
Large pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup milk, cream or half and half
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1 cup dry red wine
1 can (14.5 ounce each) crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried crushed basil
1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed parsley
1 pound spaghetti, thicker #12 noodles preferred
1-2 cups marinara sauce (seasoned tomato sauce, no meat)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*Using all ground beef is fine, but try to select 85-90% lean. You may think the chicken liver is odd, but trust me they will melt into the sauce improving both flavor and texture and will never be noticed. The pancetta or bacon works in the same fashion, but try to avoid a smoked bacon with a strong, smokey flavor.
Instructions
I prefer a thick meat sauce consistency that has some tomato sauce remaining with the meat as shown above. Others prefer a dry mostly meat sauce (will be darker in color than above) with the remaining fat only to lubricate the noodles. This is how the original recipe was made. This is a personal preference and the recipe can be adjusted either way as noted below. I've had it quite good both ways. I like this best with either a wider fettuccine noodle or a thicker (#12) spaghetti noodle. These somewhat heftier noodles adhere better to the thick meat sauce.
A good Bolognese should cook slowly for a long-time. This can be done on the stove stop at a slow simmer, which is how I usually do it. But others prefer placing it in the oven. However you do it, the longer it cooks the better it is. Ideally make this in the morning and let it cook all day. Then, let it cool and refrigerate over night. Remove any large amount of fat that has solidified, but do leave a little for flavor. Warm the day of use and serve. It will be at it maximum flavor if you can make it at least a day in advance.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot (or several smaller)
6-8 large garlic cloves
1 pound ground beef (80-95% lean)
1 pound ground pork or Italian sausage
4-6 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
substitute chopped chicken livers
Large pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup milk, cream or half and half
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1 cup dry red wine
1 can (14.5 ounce each) crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried crushed basil
1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed parsley
1 pound spaghetti, thicker #12 noodles preferred
1-2 cups marinara sauce (seasoned tomato sauce, no meat)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*Using all ground beef is fine, but try to select 85-90% lean. You may think the chicken liver is odd, but trust me they will melt into the sauce improving both flavor and texture and will never be noticed. The pancetta or bacon works in the same fashion, but try to avoid a smoked bacon with a strong, smokey flavor.
Instructions
Veggies: In a food processor preferably, process the onion, carrot and celery together until finely chopped (not pureed to a smooth paste, but also not with any large chunks remaining.) Put the oil, butter and chopped onion mixture in a heavy pot (or Dutch oven) and heat over medium-high stirring regular with a pinch of salt and pepper, until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Crush or mince the garlic and stir in to combine about 1 minute longer.
Meat: Add ground beef/pork/Italian sausage. Break up the the meat with your spoon and stir well and cook until the meat is cooked through. Then add another pinch of salt and 5-6 grinds of black pepper and the pureed pancetta, bacon or chicken livers. Stir in and cook 3-4 minutes.
Liquids: Add the wine and stir to loosen any bits stuck to the pot. Let it simmer until it has nearly evaporated. Add milk, bring to a low boil and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has nearly evaporated, another 8-10 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and stir, then add the tomatoes and their liquid along with the tomato paste. Stir in the chicken stock and the remaining seasoning.
Long Simmer: When the mixture begins to boil lightly (simmer), turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks but just barely bubbles. Cook uncovered for at least 3 hours or more, stirring very regularly. I prefer a sauce consistency that has some tomato sauce remaining. Others prefer a dry mostly meat sauce with fat to lubricate the noodles. When you can run a spatula through the sauce and it leaves a clear path that stays clear for 4 seconds, it is ready to serve. If the sauce is done sooner than you need it, cover and hold at the lowest possible setting, stirring occasionally. If you can make this 24 hours in advance, do so and refrigerate over night. Warm just prior to serving.
Make Pasta and Serve: Bring the salted pasta water to a boil per the package direction and cook the pasta as noted. Warm the prepared marinara sauce in a small pan. Drain and toss the pasta with a little marinara sauce to stop the noodles from sticking together. Serve in bowls with the meat sauce spooned on top. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan. Excellent with a nice piece of buttered Italian bread to mop up the remaining sauce and meat.
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