Sundays are for sauce making. One of my favorite pasta sauces to make is a traditional bolognese sauce using ground beef and ground pork. I tend to make it in the afternoon, and then keep the sauce simmering on low heat for the rest of the evening. It makes your house smell delicious and is perfect for the recent colder weather.
I'm 50% Italian and 50% French Canadian. Even though I pretty much have the exact same face as my French Canadian mother, I believe that at heart, I am an 80 year old Italian grandma. First of all, I get pure enjoyment out of others consuming food. It doesn't have to be my food. I just love to watch people eat. Secondly, in my opinion, there is no better way to spend a day other than tending to a pot of sauce. Whether you call it gravy, sauce, or ragu, my ultimate favorite thing to cook is any kind of pasta sauce. Lastly, I don't know if it's the change in the weather or perhaps the quarantine, but I've recently have been wearing more and more all black ensembles. I'm really getting close to the southern Italy grandma "mourning" garb.
I have definitely made bolognese sauce numerous times and have found two tricks to getting the best tasting sauce. First is the meat combo. I know it's more common to have a pack of ground beef in your freezer but the sauce is best when mixed with ground pork. The fattier content of the pork helps give the sauce that rich absolutely delicious depth of flavor. I use one pound of ground beef and one pound of ground pork in my sauce. The second tip is time. No, I don't mean the herb, I mean the thing on the clock. Time is key to creating a delicious bolognese sauce. If you find a recipe for "quick and easy 30 minute bolognese" that is probably Rachel Ray just trying to earn another million. Time is critical. Once you have combined all of your ingredients in a pot, you need to simmer the sauce for 2 1/2 hours minimum. Honestly the longer the better. I usually make my sauce around 2pm and have it ready for dinner at 6pm. Just because the sauce needs some time to cook, doesn't mean that it is "hard." Just pop on the lid and keep the sauce on the stove. It doesn't not require tons of attention.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium sized carrot peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery diced
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 24oz can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup hot water
fresh basil, julienned (for garnish)
parmesan cheese (for garnish)
1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add in onion, carrots, and celery. Add in salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).
2. Crumble in the ground beef and pork and continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat. Continue until the meat is fully cooked, and the water from the meat has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
3. Add in tomato paste and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes until the paste has reached a dark red color. Add in red wine and cook until all the liquid has evaporated (3 - 4 minutes).
4. Add in the crushed tomatoes, along with 1 cup of hot water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve sauce over pasta and garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium sized carrot peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery diced
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 24oz can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup hot water
fresh basil, julienned (for garnish)
parmesan cheese (for garnish)
1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add in onion, carrots, and celery. Add in salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).
2. Crumble in the ground beef and pork and continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat. Continue until the meat is fully cooked, and the water from the meat has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
3. Add in tomato paste and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes until the paste has reached a dark red color. Add in red wine and cook until all the liquid has evaporated (3 - 4 minutes).
4. Add in the crushed tomatoes, along with 1 cup of hot water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve sauce over pasta and garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.
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