Monday, September 26, 2005
Bolognese season is upon us
Yesterday on my day off, I made the cold weather season's first bolognese sauce. Given that Tuesday is my day off and practically no one elses, I have all sorts of time to do this without missing anything. I ate some, froze some and put a little bit in the fridge to eat later this week. Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmm.
I like cold weather food. It takes longer and makes a bigger mess than the grill but I love the concentrated flavors and heartiness of a good braise, stew or roast. Next time maybe I'll invite people over to share with me.
Here's my basic recipe if anyone cares. I made enough to enjoy now and put some away for quick defrost later on. I imagine that it would serve 5-6 people if served all at once. This is just the basic, feel free to improvise.
· Total 2.5 pounds mixed ground meats: veal, beef and pork seasoned with salt and pepper.
· A few ounces of pancetta, soppressata, guanciale or sausage, chopped coarsely into small bits. This adds a little fat and flavor to the meat.
· Brown the meats in a largish, thick-bottomed pot or dutch oven with half butter, half olive oil.
· While this is going on, finely chop a cup of either shallot or white onion and a few cloves of garlic, to your taste.
· Clean and peal a small-medium carrot and grate it finely. I like to grate it so it is absorbed into the sauce and lends a sweet flavor without texture. A sweet pepper finely chopped can fill this role as well.
· Once the meat is done, remove it to a bowl lined with paper towels to capture some, but not all of the grease. Drain off excess grease from the pot and add the onion, garlic, cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly.
· At this point you can add some herbs. I use whatever is fresh: rosemary, sage, maybe some oregano. This is also the time to add dry herbs if you’re using them: basil, oregano, maybe a bay leaf…
· Add a cup or so of dry wine. Bring to a boil and reduce slightly while scraping the brown frond off the bottom of the pot. I usually use a hearty Italian red like a barbera or chianti classico that I’ll end up drinking later with the meal. White would be fine if you have a bottle in the fridge for cookin’.
· Put the meat in the pot and stir together with the aromatics. Add two large cans, two pomi brand boxes or 4 small cans of tomatoes (have an extra small can on hand in case the proportion isn’t right). I use strained or pureed tomatoes as they bring everything together instantly but whole tomatoes, properly broken up and de-stemmed and seeded will work nicely. If sauce looks thin, add some tomato paste to thicken it up. Bring to a burping boil.
· Season with salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for a few hours stirring and sampling occasionally.
· A half hour before serving, add coarsely chopped basil, saving some for garnish.
· Top with grated cheese and serve with pasta. I like thick fettucine or pappardelle but shells or penne hold the chunky sauce well.
This will only get better with time. If you can make it in the morning, it will be great in the evening. Make enough to put some away in the fridge or freezer and it will be only get better.
Variations:
· In the past I’ve used just veal and just lamb. The veal comes out very delicate and requires more butter to cover the lack of fat. The lamb is nice and earthy and likes strong rosemary flavor. Bison would work well instead of beef. Wild boar is a common menu item but not practical for most of us at home.
· I had some dried porcini mushrooms lying around and added them after hydrating them in hot water (add the resulting broth with the wine) and chopping them up pretty finely. They add a nice earthy flavor and soft texture.
· There are versions that use a little cream to thicken the sauce though I avoid it because I don’t think it would keep as well.
I like cold weather food. It takes longer and makes a bigger mess than the grill but I love the concentrated flavors and heartiness of a good braise, stew or roast. Next time maybe I'll invite people over to share with me.
Here's my basic recipe if anyone cares. I made enough to enjoy now and put some away for quick defrost later on. I imagine that it would serve 5-6 people if served all at once. This is just the basic, feel free to improvise.
· Total 2.5 pounds mixed ground meats: veal, beef and pork seasoned with salt and pepper.
· A few ounces of pancetta, soppressata, guanciale or sausage, chopped coarsely into small bits. This adds a little fat and flavor to the meat.
· Brown the meats in a largish, thick-bottomed pot or dutch oven with half butter, half olive oil.
· While this is going on, finely chop a cup of either shallot or white onion and a few cloves of garlic, to your taste.
· Clean and peal a small-medium carrot and grate it finely. I like to grate it so it is absorbed into the sauce and lends a sweet flavor without texture. A sweet pepper finely chopped can fill this role as well.
· Once the meat is done, remove it to a bowl lined with paper towels to capture some, but not all of the grease. Drain off excess grease from the pot and add the onion, garlic, cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly.
· At this point you can add some herbs. I use whatever is fresh: rosemary, sage, maybe some oregano. This is also the time to add dry herbs if you’re using them: basil, oregano, maybe a bay leaf…
· Add a cup or so of dry wine. Bring to a boil and reduce slightly while scraping the brown frond off the bottom of the pot. I usually use a hearty Italian red like a barbera or chianti classico that I’ll end up drinking later with the meal. White would be fine if you have a bottle in the fridge for cookin’.
· Put the meat in the pot and stir together with the aromatics. Add two large cans, two pomi brand boxes or 4 small cans of tomatoes (have an extra small can on hand in case the proportion isn’t right). I use strained or pureed tomatoes as they bring everything together instantly but whole tomatoes, properly broken up and de-stemmed and seeded will work nicely. If sauce looks thin, add some tomato paste to thicken it up. Bring to a burping boil.
· Season with salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for a few hours stirring and sampling occasionally.
· A half hour before serving, add coarsely chopped basil, saving some for garnish.
· Top with grated cheese and serve with pasta. I like thick fettucine or pappardelle but shells or penne hold the chunky sauce well.
This will only get better with time. If you can make it in the morning, it will be great in the evening. Make enough to put some away in the fridge or freezer and it will be only get better.
Variations:
· In the past I’ve used just veal and just lamb. The veal comes out very delicate and requires more butter to cover the lack of fat. The lamb is nice and earthy and likes strong rosemary flavor. Bison would work well instead of beef. Wild boar is a common menu item but not practical for most of us at home.
· I had some dried porcini mushrooms lying around and added them after hydrating them in hot water (add the resulting broth with the wine) and chopping them up pretty finely. They add a nice earthy flavor and soft texture.
· There are versions that use a little cream to thicken the sauce though I avoid it because I don’t think it would keep as well.
# posted by Yossie @ 5:12 PM 
