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| Written by Bear | |
| Tuesday, 19 February 2008 | |
 This world famous sauce from Bologna in Italy has, like much that travels round the world, lost it's special character in a thousand pre-packed dishes and bottles.DON'T buy it! Make your own. To do this properly is really not very difficult, though I admit it is hardly the quickest dish out. As a Ragu it can be made with anything - beef, pork, veal, venison, but here I am making it with pork and beef - about half and half. One of the keys to this dish is the tomato contribution. This dish should not be drowned in tomato, however the tomato sauce used should be very rich. In Bologna they often achieve this by cooking the meat and the tomato seperately, combining them later in the proceedure. I started using this method a few years ago and the difference to the sauce was quite astounding. Also, try to avoid using spaghetti. Nothing particularly wrong with it, but it's shape makes combining with the sauce very difficult. Btter using something like Tagliatelli, or even penne. In Italy they only serve Spaghetti Bolognaise to tourists. THis recipe makes quite a lot - but it freezes very well!
Put in a blender the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and 2/3 of the parsley. Blitz roughly so it does not become a paste but is reasonably fine. Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion mixture and fry slowly till the onion is soft and all the water from the mixture has been boiled away. However, don't let it brown. Add the pancetta and fry for a minute or two. Add the Pork and the Beef and fry, stirring gently till the meat is browned. Add the wine and cook till mostly evaporated. Add lots of pepper and a little salt.. Put a lid on the pan, turn low and let the meat cook in it's own juices. In a second pan pour in the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste. Heat gently, stirring from time to time, until it has reduced by at least half and is really thick. After about an hour, add the cooked tomato to the meat pot. Check the seasoning and continue to cook together for at least another 1/2 an hour till the meat is very tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining parsley, finely chopped. Leave to cool a little with the lid on while you cook your pasta. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta in a large bowl - do not drown the pasta; you should still see the creamy white of the pasta showing through the sauce. This is a very rich sauce, it is not designed to be eaten by the bucket load! Serve with a light green salad of rocket, romaine and basil and a crisp Italian white wine. For a wondrous variation at the end of summer, make the tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. Heat up till they fall apart then put through a sieve to remove the seeds and skin. Then reduce down till you get a thick sauce. To help this process, you can pour the tomato purée into a muslin and let the water drain off - don't throw it away, I will tell you else where how to make a very special tomato consommé from it! |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 ) |
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