Sunday Bolognese

I love to find a dish to make for dinner on Sunday nights that take me a while to put together. This homemade Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle pasta fits that bill perfectly. It’s relaxing to me. I take my time prepping and cooking, usually with a nice glass of red wine within reach. This dish is not difficult, but it is a little bit time consuming…it might be a two or three glass recipe. 🙂

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There’s nothing unusual about the ingredients, all are easy to find and familiar to anyone that makes Italian foods at home. Here’s the deal:

• 3 lbs. ground chuck
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 2 stalks celery – diced
• 1 medium carrot – peeled and diced
• 4 medium cloves of garlic – minced
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups red wine – whatever you would drink
• 14 oz. tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• Seasonings: crushed red pepper/salt/pepper/thyme/bay leaf/dried oregano
• 3 cups beef stock
• parmesan cheese
• cooked tagliatelle pasta

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Chop the carrots, celery and onion small enough for the food processor. The measurements on the veggies should be about 1 cup each, but don’t get too stuck on that, just go with it as rustic. Mince the garlic up while you are chopping. Add everything except the garlic into the food processor and grid it up. Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot up over medium heat with about 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the chopped veggies and 1/2 tsp of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. We will be adding salt and pepper at different layers, so we are starting slow. Here’s where the patience part of this dish starts. You need to brown this layer of veggies for about 20-25 minutes. This will give you the flavor base for the whole dish. Just stir it every couple of minutes and watch as it browns. This will be worth it in the end.

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Once you get a lot of browning on the vegetables, add the ground beef, along with another 1/2 tsp of salt and some black pepper. You will also need to let this get a good sear on the beef. This is probably going to take another 20-25 minutes to get a good base going on the meat. I like to get a ladle and spoon some of the grease out. I put it in an old coffee cup I keep around for such things. Set that aside and let it cool off before you toss it out. At this point I add the garlic and start seasoning.

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I have learned over the years from countless hours of reading and watching food shows that cooking out tomato paste makes a big difference. So, now I add it before I add the liquid parts of dishes, just to give it some time to cook a bit before it gets diluted into the rest of a dish. I add the tomato paste and let it cook for a few minutes – like 3 to 5 – after I stir it into the meat and vegetables. Next I stir in the wine, and keep an eye on it, stirring often. If you are not a wine type person just skip this step, then just add about a cup more beef stock. The final dish will have a little less depth, but you will still totally enjoy it. I let the wine almost totally cook out before I move on to the dry seasonings. Start with one teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, bay leaf or two, another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and more grinds of black pepper. Let that cook together for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes. I am spoiled by my own canned tomatoes seen in the picture, but any good canned product that you like works great here too. Add your beef broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and let the sauce simmer for 1/2 – 2 hours, stirring every few minutes. This is a great place to use any parmesan cheese rind you have hanging around. Just toss it in for a bit, remember to move it and the bay leaf before serving.

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It’s very important to taste this dish as you go along. Add salt/pepper/oregano etc.in small increments to your taste. I have also added granulated garlic when I think it needs a little more garlic background. I will also admit that the traditional Bolognese sauce usually has a finish of milk or cream in it. I don’t care for that (probably because I don’t really like milk) so I don’t add it. If you want to try it out feel free. I’d start with about 1/2 a cup and go from there. Or just cook what you like, that’s how I roll! More wine please! I told you this was a marathon dish!

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Time to serve this up! Cook your pasta about 1-2 minutes short of the cooking time, since we are going to cook it in the sauce for a few minutes. Feel free to use any wide noodle you like, but make sure it’s not something thin, you need a wide vessel for this thick sauce! I cook the pasta, drain it and put it back in the pot. Add the sauce and some cheese to start with. Let that cook together for 3-5 minutes under low heat. Serve in a nice pasta bowl with more parmesan cheese and probably some crusty garlic bread would be nice too. Enjoy!