Bolognese: a Marathon, not a Sprint
It’s a rainy day and we’re welcoming guests tomorrow, so we’re spending the afternoon tidying up and playing “Ina” in the kitchen. (Only the really good olive oil, duh!) At the moment, we’ve got a pot of bolognese on the stove. Bolognese isn’t complicated, but it is a marathon not a sprint.
First you’ll want to finely chop the holy trinity of veg.: carrot, onion & celery. Equal parts — roughly 2 or 3 Tbs — of each. I used one small carrot, 1/2 a medium onion and 1/2 a large celery stalk. I also minced 4 cloves of garlic because, why not? Sauté all those savory goodies in a Dutch oven with a few Tbs of butter for 5ish minutes until they begin to soften.
Next up add 1/2 tsp of salt and the meat. Today I used all beef, but it would be better using a blend of ground beef, ground pork and ground veal (aka Meatloaf Mix) — they have “meatloaf mix” in Italy, right? Super authentic.
Once the meat has cooked through which shouldn’t take terribly long, you’ll need to summon your patience. Add 1 cup of whole milk. FYI here’s a link to milk substitutions because let's be honest I rarely have whole milk in the fridge. Let that milk simmer low and slow until it almost completely disappears, except for the fat it has rendered. Again, be patient. It should take around 15 minutes.
Now add 1 cup of white wine to your glass and 1 cup of white wine to the pot. Bring that to a simmer and let it go for a little while until it evaporates. You’ll need to continue being patient, but at least now you have wine.
If your kitchen doesn’t smell ah-ma-zing by now, then you’re either suffering from terrible seasonal allergies or you’ve forgotten to turn on the stove. After the wine is just about gone it’s finally time to add the tomatoes — a 28 oz can of whole San Marzanos, “chopped,” which to me just means squished in the palm of my hand and out between my fingers like a toddler playing in wet sand.
Bring that saucy goodness back up to a simmer then ease off the heat until it hardly makes a bubble but now and again. Patience can go out the door now in lieu of a good book because the ragù will need about another 3 hours on the stove. If you need a book recommendation, check out Laura’s Next Chapter where there’s a little something for everyone. Except coloring books, I haven’t seen her review one of those yet. Hey Laura, if you’re reading this, maybe throw your artistically-minded followers a bone.
At this point, you should have finished the bottle of wine and 2/3 of the Iliad and the Odyssey just in time for dinner. To serve, cook your favorite pasta noodle in heavily salted water. **A note specifically for my Mom: Did you salt the pasta water? Good. Now salt it again. And again for good measure. Maybe hit it one more time just because. Love you!** Either toss the cooked pasta directly in the sauce or ladle over top. I think the addition of torn basil is just lovely to finish it off, as is a healthy dose of grated parm. Make Ms. Garten proud.
Congrats, you just finished a 26.2 miler of Ragù alla Bolognese. Now enjoy those carbs — you earned it!
Rainy Day Ragù alla Bolognese
ingredients
2 Tbs onion
2 Tbs carrot
2 Tbs celery
4 cloves garlic
3 Tbs butter
1 lb meatloaf mix
1 c whole milk
1 c white wine
28oz can whole tomoatos
1/2 tsp salt (+/- to taste)
fresh basil, for garnish
grated parmesan, for garnish
instructions
Melt butter in dutch oven and add finely chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until beginning to soften then add the ground meat and 1/2 tsp of salt.
When meat has cooked through, add milk. Bring to a low simmer and reduce, about 15 minutes. Add wine. Simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, another 15 to 30 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with all the juice and return to a simmer, then reduce heat to low so it barely bubbles. Let it go uncovered for about 3 hours, checking it occasionally.
Serve tossed with your favorite cooked pasta or spoon on top. Garnish with freshly torn basil and as much grated cheese as your heart desires.
Recipe is my take on "Pasta with Classic Bolognese Sauce" from the Cook's Illustrated cookbook.