Bolognaise
So I've never been happy with my pasta sauces - there's always just something lacking. Then I tried this. It's apparently a more classically European version of pasta sauce? IDK, but it's wonderful :) I like it with whole wheat pasta because the robust flavor of the sauce needs a robust pasta to properly stand up to it.
Bolognaise
Adapted from The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn, a memoir about attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, which I highly recommend for fluff reading and recipes.
Serves 6-8
2 large onions, diced
1-2 diced carrots (optional - not in the recipe, but I like them)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2lb ground meat (I use a mix of beef and italian sausage or just sausage - you can use less or no meat if you want something lighter or vegetarian. Probably also good with larger pieces of stew meat . . . maybe rabbit)
1 bottle red wine (they recommend dry Chianti, but I've used a variety of wines and particularly like shiraz)
4 Tbsp tomato paste or 1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp italian herbs or a 2 Tbsp mixture of fennel seeds, and dried rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil
1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or tomato sauce
3 Tbsp fresh parsley or basil (optional)
Parmesan, grated
Heat a heavy dutch oven and add oil, then onions and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent and vegetables are browned. Add ground meat and cook until browned and crumbled. Add wine and rub the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add tomato paste or diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper.
The recipe adds herbs at the end, but I like to add them now. I put them in a disposable tea bag, but you could also use a tea ball or just throw them in if you grind the whole seeds and don't mind their texture. Cover and simmer for 2-5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and add cream/half-and-half/tomato sauce (to prevent curdling you may want to slowly add the heated sauce into the cream so the temperature rises bit by bit, then add to the pan). Add herbs now if you haven't already, or remove the tea bags/tea ball if you used them. Simmer until it reaches the desired consistency (I like it quite thick so it takes another hour but it could be ready in just a couple minutes when heated through if you prefer thinner sauce and/or are using spiral pasta).
Serve over pasta or roasted eggplant topped by parmesan and parsley or basil, if desired.
Notes: I think this could be good with diced zucchini and/or eggplant added at the start with the onion and carrot. I'm going to try that next.
Bolognaise
Adapted from The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn, a memoir about attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, which I highly recommend for fluff reading and recipes.
Serves 6-8
2 large onions, diced
1-2 diced carrots (optional - not in the recipe, but I like them)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2lb ground meat (I use a mix of beef and italian sausage or just sausage - you can use less or no meat if you want something lighter or vegetarian. Probably also good with larger pieces of stew meat . . . maybe rabbit)
1 bottle red wine (they recommend dry Chianti, but I've used a variety of wines and particularly like shiraz)
4 Tbsp tomato paste or 1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp italian herbs or a 2 Tbsp mixture of fennel seeds, and dried rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil
1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or tomato sauce
3 Tbsp fresh parsley or basil (optional)
Parmesan, grated
Heat a heavy dutch oven and add oil, then onions and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent and vegetables are browned. Add ground meat and cook until browned and crumbled. Add wine and rub the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add tomato paste or diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper.
The recipe adds herbs at the end, but I like to add them now. I put them in a disposable tea bag, but you could also use a tea ball or just throw them in if you grind the whole seeds and don't mind their texture. Cover and simmer for 2-5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and add cream/half-and-half/tomato sauce (to prevent curdling you may want to slowly add the heated sauce into the cream so the temperature rises bit by bit, then add to the pan). Add herbs now if you haven't already, or remove the tea bags/tea ball if you used them. Simmer until it reaches the desired consistency (I like it quite thick so it takes another hour but it could be ready in just a couple minutes when heated through if you prefer thinner sauce and/or are using spiral pasta).
Serve over pasta or roasted eggplant topped by parmesan and parsley or basil, if desired.
Notes: I think this could be good with diced zucchini and/or eggplant added at the start with the onion and carrot. I'm going to try that next.