Bolognese Sauce
When I was growing up, the norm for pasta, or macaroni as we called it, was RED GRAVY. The only variations to this was what you put in the gravy. There were always meatballs in the gravy. But different families included different meats. Typically, we used pork neck bones and Italian sausage in addition to the meatballs. Occasionally my mom would use a chuck roast and let that simmer in the gravy for hours. Truly, I never knew there were other sauces to use on pasta except red gravy. There were some families, mostly non-Italians that made what we called ‘dirty gravy’. Basically it was ground beef, first browned in a sauce pan and then tomato sauce added and cooked. Only dish my mom ever used browned ground beef was for chili.
It really wasn’t until I was nearly 20 when I first was introduced to Northern Italian cuisine and their sauces, traditionally using little or no tomatoes. One of most famous sauces is Bolognese sauce. When I first saw this recipe I didn’t think much of it because it called for ground beef and cut up vegetables. But it was always something I wanted to try. Here’s a recipe for Bolognese Sauce I came across and have always wanted to try. I finally took the time to do it Be forewarned. It’s basically an easy recipe. The most difficult part is cutting the vegetables. But it is a recipe which requires a few hours of overseeing. But it is worth the effort.
When I did this, I doubled the recipe. The initial preparation and chopping took a bit longer. The simmering and evaporating process will take much longer. It added at least 90 minutes to the cooking. However, I froze half of the sauce and will have it ready for the next use.
Please NO substitutions with this recipe such as using very lean meat and low fat milk. The success of this sauce relies on the fat contact of the meat and milk. You probably won't make this dish often so it's worth it. I did find that after the sauce was made and I did the taste test, I did add a bit more salt. But follow the recipe closely. You can can always add more salt to taste. Can't take it out.
BOLOGNESE
SAUCE
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
(half a medium sized onion)
2/3 cups chopped celery (2
or 3 stalks)
2/3 cups chopped carrots
(2 medium carrots or 8 baby carrots)
3/4 pound ground beef
chuck or 3/8 pound each of ground beef and ground pork (Note it is worth it to go to the meat counter to have the butcher weigh
it. However, if you buy the packaged meat you can always use the rest for
making meatballs. A recipe for making
meatballs is in this blog.)
1 cup of whole milk
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups (I 28 ounce can
makes about 1-1/2 of canned Italian plum tomatoes, cut up and with their
juices.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper (there is a difference!)
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. fettuccine
or linguine, cooked separately
Preparation
1.
Put oil, butter
and chopped onion in a pot or large skillet and turn heat on to medium. Cook
and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, about 2 minutes.
2.
Add chopped
celery and carrots and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the vegetables
are coated well.
3.
Add the ground
meat, salt and pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork or wooden spoon, stirring
until meat is lightly browned.
4.
Add the milk and
let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until all the milk has been
incorporated and evaporated into the mixture complete.
5.
Add nutmeg and
stir.
6.
Add the white
wine, let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until all the wine has been
incorporated.
7.
Add the tomatoes
and incorporate them into the mixture.
Raise heat a bit until tomatoes start to bubble. Immediately lower the
heat until very few bubbles appears.
8.
Cook uncovered
for at least 3 hours or more until the oils from the fat separate from meat,
stirring now and then. Do not RUSH this
sauce.
9.
Cook your
fettuccine or linguine, drain (DO NOT RINSE) and toss the pasta with the
Bolognese sauce.
10. Sprinkle a good grade of Parmesan cheese
(please DO NOT EVER USE the cheese that comes in a came or already grated. Check the label. They contain cellulose which
is nothing more than wood chips)
11. Serve immediately with your choice of white wine
DINNER TIME
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