Bolognese Sauce
I have a weakness for pasta dishes. I really do. When I went to Italy a few years ago, I was in heaven. Truly.
When I do give in and decide to satisfy my pasta cravings, I rarely do so in a restaurant (I’m very pro home cooking). Restaurant food is more often than not over salted, too heavy and oily, and I bet you they use tomatoes from a can (a huge faux pas in Italian cooking in my very humble opinion). Also, I like to know where the meat I am eating is coming from, and while Boston does have some fabulous restaurants that tell you from where their food is sourced (eating local is quite a trend here), most of the times the meat on my plate remains a mystery to me, which is why when I want to eat pasta with my favorite sauce — bolognese, I do so at the comfort of my own home.
I wont claim that this recipe is super authentic (it may be, it sure does taste like it), but it is delicious, I promise. And making it yourself is so much more satisfying than restaurant instant-gratification.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced into small pieces
- 1 celery stalk, diced into small pieces
- 1.25 lbs organic, grass fed ground beef
- 5 juicy tomatoes, chopped — put the can away!
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- Fresh parmesan cheese, for garnish
Method:
In a heavy large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add onions and cook until translucent. Next, add the garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add a bit more salt and pepper if necessary. At this point you can also add the spices and milk. Lower the heat, cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. Make sure to keep checking and stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Serve over your favorite type of pasta. Sprinkle with fresh basil and fresh, organic parmesan cheese to serve.
Serves 4-6