The best pasta bolognese

Posted: November 15, 2020 by mm

Ragù sauce is my childhood statement meal. I remember its smell on the staircase of our home in Florence while mom or the neighbors were cooking it. As Czech native, mom was never able to cook it (this drove her completely crazy!) with the proper flavor as Angela, our best family friend and nanny while parents were at work. The taste, the smell and the tenderness of her ragu’ is unforgettable.

Bolognese is a type of ragù sauce, made with beef & pork. Originating in Bologna, the largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy, authentic bolognese is typically made with beef, pork, white wine, milk, & a little tomato. Like many traditional Italian recipes, one of the beautiful things about bolognese is it’s all about giving simple, humble ingredients a little TLC to transform them into something absolutely extraordinary, rich & flavorful.

Traditionally, Italian bolognese is served on a wide & flat noodle, such as pappardelle or tagliatelle but those days it can be mix together with almost any kind of pasta.

The key to making the absolute best bolognese sauce at home is building layers upon layers of rich flavor. This takes a little bit patience & a whole lot of stirring, but it yields an absolutely restaurant-worthy rich & hearty bolognese sauce. It’s so worth it.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
500 gr. minced meat (beef and pork)
1 can of tomato sauce
2 glasses of red wine
2-3 bay leaves
salt & ground black pepper, to season

For serving:

Grated parmesan

PROCEDURE:

Soffritto: Add the roughly chopped carrot, celery & onion into the pan with 2 spoons of olive oil and stir until deeply browned & fragrant. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low or low.

Brown the meat: Add the meat to the soffritto allowing it to brown deeply using a wooden spoon to break the meat apart into small pieces. Stir to combine with the soffritto mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned completely, 8-10 minutes. Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the meat mixture. Add the bay leaves and the tomatoes & hot water, stirring to combine.

Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 90 minutes. If the bolognese begins to reduce too much (losing too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more hot water, reduce the heat further, & cover the pot. Taste and season with additional salt and ground black pepper, as desired.

Cook the pasta: Once the bolognese has simmered & reduced, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to “al dente”. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta – do NOT rinse it!

Flavoring: Add the pasta straight to the bolognese sauce. Toss to combine well – the sauce should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the bolognese sauce needs to loosen up a little; add in a handful of parmesan if the sauce needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with & absorb some of the sauce.

Serve still hot, seasoned with Parmesan and/or a sprinkling of chopped pepper to taste.

BUON APPETTITO! #monicooks