Pasta Bolognese Sauce

Pasta Sauces

Bolognese sauce is a go-to sort of dish for most families so each cook has his/her version.  The following recipe is an amalgam of all the recipes I've tried, cooking shows I've watched, dishes I've eaten in various restaurants, observations in restaurant kitchens in Bologna and all the comments of my family.  Who knew a supposedly "straightforward" dish could have so many pitfalls?

6 months preggers and still have the energy to throughly enjoy the culinary delights of
university town, Bologna

When cooking this version, you must be willing or must have the time to hang around in the kitchen.  Since this style is time consuming, I usually make a big batch which can be served for two meals for a hungry family of four.



Ingredients:

• 4 slices of pancetta or regular bacon but not the smoked version; cubed
• 5 tablespoons of extra virgin oil (EVO)
• 3 big white onions (seriously); medium chop because you will caramelize it anyway

Don't be alarmed by the seemingly staggering amount of onions.  When properly caramelized,
will add a tinge of sweetness to your pasta sauce.

• chili flakes; stock powder; salt 
• 3 fillets of drained anchovy
• 12 cloves of garlic; minced
• 2 pounds ground beef; in our attempt to eat healthier, I combine 1 pound each of ground beef & turkey
• a bottle of CHEAP red wine
• small can of tomato paste
• a cup and a half of sliced mushrooms; when my kids were young, I used to add a cup of grated carrots too

Process:

- in a hot wide pot, brown the pancetta but not crispy level; at the start, I add a tablespoon of water to hasten the process
- pour EVO and wait for it to warm up
- plonk in all your onions and try to coat all with the pancetta fat and EVO; caramelize

*) This caramelizing business is critical to the success of this pasta sauce and I guess any stew. For this amount of onions, it took me about 15 minutes to fully caramelize it. When I notice the oil drying up, I would add a little (like a tablespoonful) of warm water or stock.  Perhaps, every 5 minutes or so.  Thus, you should be really willing to stay in the kitchen for quite a while. During this process too, I add chili flakes, stock powder and the anchovy which I kind of mash while mixing the onions. 

On the left is the start of the process.  I would suggest that you use this flat type of cooking spoon, like a spatula, to be able to gather all the onions stuck on the sides.  After about 12 minutes, right, the onions are really tender and but still lacks the caramel colour.

- add garlic; saute until cooked but not browned
- mix in your choice of minced meat and brown very well; I belong to the school of adding flavour as I go so I add salt and more chili flakes 
- when meat is well-cooked, pour the whole bottle of red wine and spoon in the tomato paste; mix well
- boil then simmer for an hour; mix every 15 minutes to avoid crusting at the bottom of the pot
- after an hour, I increase the flame again to speed up the reduction process and leave the pot uncovered
- last few minutes, I mix in the sliced mushrooms or whatever veggies you have on hand.  See if you need to season more. Cover the pot again

Bolognese sauce with the wine all reduced

Rich meaty pasta sauce.  No need for herbs or cheese even.