Baked Bolognese Food

THE BEST BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Combine the beef and pork in a large bowl. "Pull" the ground meat apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and incorporating the meat without compacting it. Continue to pull the meat apart until thoroughly mixed and no clumps remain.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and is golden brown on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread half of the ground meat in an even layer in the pot and cook undisturbed until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot. Repeat with the remaining ground meat.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, onions, bay leaf, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and brick red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and cook until it reduces and thickens and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the stock, milk and browned meat.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated away and the mixture resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the sauce should release occasional small bubbles. If you have a small burner you should use it; the larger burners even at their lowest setting might cook the sauce too quickly. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of stock or water and continue cooking; repeat if necessary. The sauce needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Use the back of a spoon to break up any remaining clumps of meat for an even-textured sauce. Season with salt and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce. Increase the heat to medium, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, tossing the pasta constantly, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is slightly thickened, adding pasta cooking liquid if necessary, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the pasta to a platter and top with grated Parmesan.

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano.

BAKED BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add oil to large skillet over high heat. Add ground beef and saute, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Add garlic, oregano and chili flakes and cook a couple minutes. Add tomatoes and season, to taste, with sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• For the bechamel:
• In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat until bubbling. Add onions and saute until translucent. Sprinkle with flour, stirring constantly and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Gradually whisk in the wine, if using, and then gradually whisk in the milk and nutmeg and cook until smooth, thick and creamy. Combine the meat sauce and pasta, and then pour in half the pasta mixture. Spoon half the bechamel over the pasta and top with half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake 30 to 45 minutes until browned and bubbly.

BAKED RIGATONI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Meat sauce:
• Heat butter and oil in large skillet over med.-high heat. When butter foams, add onion, carrot, celery, cook, stirring until veggies lightly golden and soft, 4-5 minute
• Add veal and pancetta, cook, stirring, until meat lightly colored, 5-6 minute.
• Raise heat to high and add wine. Cook until wine almost all reduced, 3-4 minute
• Add tomatoes and broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet with lid slightly askew. Cook 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until sauce has med.-thick consistency. Stir a few times during cooking.
• Béchamel sauce:
• Heat milk in small saucepan over low heat.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over med.-low heat. When butter foams, add flour and stir 2-3 minute without letting flour turn brown.
• Add milk to butter all at once and mix quickly. Season with salt and cook, mixing constantly, until sauce has med.-thick consistency and is smooth and velvety, 3-5 minute (If too thick add bit more milk).
• Remove from heat, cover pan, refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat oven 400°F Generously butter large deep baking dish.
• Bring large pot of water to boil. Add salt and Rigatoni. Cook, uncovered, until tender, but firm to bite. Drain pasta and place in large bowl.
• Add meat sauce, 1 cup béchamel and 1/3 cup cheese. Mix thoroughly and place in baking dish. Top with Béchamel and sprinkle cheese over top, dot with butter.
• Bake 10-15 min., or until cheese melted and pasta nice golden color.
• Prepare ahead:
• Meat sauce day ahead. Reheat when ready to use.
• Béchamel few hours ahead.
• Pasta cooked and assembled with sauces one hour ahead.
• Bake just before serving.

BAKED PENNE BOLOGNESE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
• COMBINE beef, onion and garlic in large saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in tomato paste, water, milk, wine, bouillon and Italian herb seasoning; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until flavors are blended.
• LAYER ingredients as follows in 13 x 9-inch baking dish: half of pasta, half of sauce and half of cheese. Repeat layers; cover.
• BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.

BAKED PENNE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Preheat a 3-quart lidded sauté pan or pot over medium-high heat.
• Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Coat the pan with the oil and throw in the ground meat. With a wooden or plastic spatula, break up the meat so it browns. This will take about 7-10 minutes, depending on the meat you're using. If it's fatty you'll need to drain the grease.
• Toss in the dried herbs and the onion and mix it all in well with the meat. Cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are pliable; add garlic.
• Stir cans of tomatoes and the puree well into the meat mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer, give it one more good stir, cover, lower the heat and let all those ingredients get happy together. Let simmer for about 30 minutes (or even an hour if you have the time).
• Two things to do while the sauce is coming together: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. When you have about 10 minutes left on the sauce, take a large pinch of salt and dump it into the boiling water along with a tablespoon of olive oil and, finally, the pasta. Cook the pasta about 3/4 of the time it says on the box, so that it is very "al dente."
• When there are just a few minutes left on the sauce, pour in the sugar and the wine. Doesn't matter what kind of wine, as long as it's red. Mix in these two ingredients and let the sauce cook a few more minutes while you drain the pasta.
• After you've drained the pasta, put it in a 3-quart (such as a 9-by-13-inch) baking dish and pour in as much of the sauce as you like. You will likely have leftover sauce - use it again for pasta or even with green beans. Be creative. Mix the sauce and pasta well, and cover the top with the cheese. A nice sprinkling of dry oregano or basil will add taste and visual appeal.
• Put the dish in the bottom rack of the oven and let it cook for 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and just starting to brown. Carefully remove the dish, and set it aside. Thinly slice some fresh basil and set the table while the dish cools for 5 to 10 minutes.

BAKED GNOCCHI BOLOGNESE WITH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Saute' ground beef, onion and garlic in a nonstick pan and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
• Stir in the mushrooms and cook another 5-6 minutes until the meat is browned.
• Pour in marinara sauce & bring to the boil, season with salt & pepper, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare gnocchi per package directions & drain well.
• Next, spoon half the Bolognese mixture into a large baking or casserole dish, then top with the gnocchi. Add the remaining Bolognese sauce and then spoon the formaggio cheese sauce over the top.
• Sprinkle with the mozzarella to coat top.
• Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
• Serve immediately.