I was 99% sure that I'd already done this as a recipe, but I couldn't find it. This does seem to start similarly to a lot of other recipes I've done in the past, so maybe it's just that similarity that fooled me. Anyway, ingredients:
- 0.4 lb Pancetta (it was the end, and I didn't want to bother with them cutting it)
- 2/3 lb Italian sausage. They come in links, so I just got two.
- 3/4 lb Ground beef. I would have added veal, but they didn't have any.
- Package of dried porcini.
- Two (plus one) cans of whole tomatoes.
- Can of tomato paste
- Garlic. I think I used six cloves.
- Onion.
- Like a half pound each of white and crimini mushrooms.
- Cream.
- Various other things, like wine, Parmesan rinds, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, basil.
1. Render the pancetta.
2. Boil the porcini in water to rehydrate them.
3. Add onion.
4. Add garlic.
5. Add meats. Chop it up to prevent it from turning into meatballs.
6. Add enough cream to just cover, and bring to a light simmer, and then cover. Let it cook for about an hour, by which point the cream should soak into the meat.
7. Based on the window reflection, you can tell that about an hour has passed.
8. Add everything else in.
9. Everything. Let it cook for another hour or two. Ideally you'd let it cook until the tomatoes broke down and mixed into the sauce.
10. Decide you're too hungry to wait for that to happen, and pull out the stick blender. Blitz until reasonably smooth, but still with some texture. This is also the point to salt/pepper/basil. I did it again when I finished, but this is when the flavors start to mingle.
11. I didn't forget the mushrooms. Add them after blitzing, that way you don't blitz them into nothingness. Let simmer for another hour or so.
12. Plate.
I usually portion this out into groups of two-ladlefuls. Based on this, this recipe makes somewhere around 12-14 servings. I was able to get five quart bags for the freezer with four ladles each, plus enough for dinners for most of this week. The important thing is that I now have Bolognese in my freezer again, so I can have quick easy dinners in the future.
Interestingly I made bolognese last week. Our recipes are only similar in the fact that they have ground meat and tomato product in them.
ReplyDeleteFinely diced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauteed in olive oil. Brown ground beef and ground pork. Deglaze with whole milk. Allow milk to evaporate. Add can of tomato paste and allow to brown slightly. Add wine. Add additional water as needed. Total cook time ~3hrs.
Lol, I guess neither of us match the Italian Academy of Cuisine version they have on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolognese_sauce#Evolution_and_Variations). I'm not sure it really matters much, as long as the end result tastes good.
ReplyDeleteI've never trusted deglazing with dairy, so when I got to that step (which I think is skipped in the recipe), I just used some vermouth. I have done the mirepoix base before, but that ended up too sweet and floral, and made me think of a stew more than something for pasta. I guess mine did end up taking only about 3.5 hours from ingredient lineup to plate, but if I'd gotten up earlier, I probably would have added another few hours of simmering. I was also very light on the wine, with maybe two or three glugs of the bottle, just enough to add the alcohol to perk up the tomato taste.
You should put together a blog with your recipes as well. Not only because then I'd have someplace else to steal ideas from, but so you can refer back to them yourself I've had great luck using my recipes as ingredient checklists when I go shopping.
My version is based on a Mario Batali version. Compared to the amount of meat, the mirepoix was miniscule (.5 cups of finely diced of each). And in a lot of ways ragù alla bolognese is a stew. That's why it's a ragù and not a sugo. It comes from the French word ragoût.
ReplyDeleteThe big difference between our two is the amount of tomato product. I end up with a very thick sauce that reminds me of sloppy joe. Once the spaghetti is cooked it's added to the sauce with a little cooking liquid to coat everything nicely.