Authentic Spaghetti Bolognese Food

THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
• Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
• Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
• Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
• Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
• When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
• Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.

TRADITIONAL SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Gently melt the butter & oil in a large pan which can be covered.
• Add chopped carrot, onion, celery, bacon & bay leaves, gently cook until golden.
• Add minced steak & garlic, season well with salt & pepper, cook until meat is no longer pink.
• Add wine,cook until liquid reduces a little, add mushrooms thyme& oregano.
• Blend the tomato puree with the beef stock,then add to pan along with the tinned tomatoes, stir well then cover and cook on lowest possible heat for a couple of hours. The secret to this dish is long, slow cooking as to allow the flavors to meld.
• As this dish slowly simmers you will need to add more liquid; use either wine or a little water.I find a little wine does best.
• After two hours or so remove from heat, remove bay leaves, add 2 tbsp of cream, stir well, serve with hot pasta or spaghetti with fresh baked garlic bread and grated cheese.

AUTHENTIC SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel and finely chop the onions.2 onions
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan.2 tablespoons olive oil
• Add onion and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes and cook until they are softened and lightly golden.
• Turn the heat up to high, add beef and use a spatula or wooden spoon to really break the mince down as it browns. (see notes)2lb/1kg ground beef/beef mince
• Crumble over the beef bouillon cubes and stir well to coat the meat.3 beef bouillon cubes
• Peel the garlic and grate or crush it into the mixture. Stir well.4 cloves garlic
• Add in the red wine and let it sizzle for a couple of minutes.¾ cup/180ml red wine
• Add in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, oregano, Italian mixed herbs and water.2 cans crushed tomatoes1 tablespoon sugar1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce1 tablespoon dried oregano1 tablespoon Italian mixed herbs½ cup/125ml water
• Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Put the lid on and cook over a very low heat for 1 1/2 hours; stirring occasionally.
• Once the time is up, increase the heat to medium and cooke without the lid for a further 20 minutes.
• Taste the sauce and then add extra salt and pepper to taste.salt and pepper to taste
• At this point you can cook the pasta or cool the sauce and refrigerate it until later.
• Bring a very large pan of water to the boil, once boiling salt it generously and cook the pasta until al-dente. (1 minute less than the packet suggests)
• Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
• Place the pasta back into the pan and add the reserved water. Place over a high heat and add half of the bolognese sauce. Stir well until the sauce has thickened around the pasta.
• Serve the pasta with extra sauce spooned on top.
• Garnish with parmesan.

PASTA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• For the pasta dough: Combine the flour, eggs and yolk in a food processor and pulse until a dough comes together. Transfer to a counter dusted lightly with flour and knead gently until the dough comes together and is smooth, about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
• Divide the dough into 4 pieces. With your hands, flatten and shape one piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it lightly with flour and pass it through the widest setting on the pasta machine. If the dough comes out oddly shaped, reform into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds, like a letter, and if necessary, flatten it to a 1/2-inch thickness. Pass it through the widest setting again with the seam of the letter perpendicular to the rollers. Repeat this folding and rolling step 10 to 12 times, dusting the dough with flour if it becomes sticky.
• Without folding the dough, pass it through the next setting on the pasta machine. Keep reducing the space between the rollers after each pass, lightly dusting the pasta with flour on both sides each time, until the pasta is about 1/16-inch thick and 3 inches wide.
• Lay the rolled-out dough on a counter. Roll out the remaining dough in the same manner. Cut each strip of dough into 11-inch lengths. Cut the dough into fettuccine. (Alternatively, use store-bought dried or fresh fettuccine.)
• For the meat: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook slowly until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Increase the heat to high, add the chuck and pork to the pan and season with the fennel, chile flakes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the pan.
• For the quick bolognese sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the celery, fennel, onion and carrot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and ground fennel and cook for 1 minute more.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Coarsely mash the tomatoes using a potato masher or wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce comes to a boil and begins to thicken slightly, about 15 minutes. Add the cooked bacon, chuck and pork to the pan and continue cooking until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes more. Fold in the parsley and oregano and season with salt and pepper.
• For the garlic bread: Preheat the broiler.
• Place the ciabatta on a baking sheet cut-side up. Heat it under the broiler until lightly golden brown. Combine the butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slather the garlic butter over the bread and broil until bubbly and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove, let cool for a few minutes and cut into slices.
• To serve: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 4 minutes (if using dried noodles, follow package directions). Reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Put about 2 cups of the sauce in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the pasta, creme fraiche, some of the pasta water and a few handfuls of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss, top with the parsley and serve. Reserve remaining sauce for another use.

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
• To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
• Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
• Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.

AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE (SUGO ALLA BOLOGNESE)

Steps:

• Place the chopped onions, carrots, celery, and garlic clove in a food processor. Pulse the motor until the vegetables are finely chopped.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and chopped bacon (or pancetta, which is an Italian bacon). Stir in the salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the ground veal (or beef) to the pot with the vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in the wine, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and the milk (or cream). Add the pinch of ground nutmeg.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve over spaghetti, cooked al dente, and pass the grated Parmesan cheese.
• Mangia!