September Team Cook - Pasta Bolognese

[SheilaAnn]

Since I am addicted to the Paprika App (and the formatting therein), here ya go!

[Allon]

Please ship mine in ice packs...

[Carolyn]

I you are worried about simmering the ragu on a stove for so long, when I made bolognese, the recipe I used called for cooking the ragu on the stove-top for 40 minutes, which I did, but then I simmered it in a 300 degree oven for 2.5 hours.

[WI Bubba]

Simmering in the oven is a pro tip that I wish I had seen yesterday!

[bbq_esq]

Great idea.

[58limited]

I made this yesterday and it is great! I'll post pics at the reveal.

[OC Sandy]

I cooked this yesterday and made a double batch. I now have plenty for the freezer to use in the future. I will say that a double batch took quite a bit of time to evaporate the liquid on each of the evaporating steps due to the doubled liquid. However, since I was home for the whole day anyway it wasn't a problem. I'll reveal at the end of the month.

[58limited]

Same here. I made a single batch but this is a really humid area. I spent an hour evaporating the milk and wine.

[CaptainMike]

I have cooked Hazan's bolognese many times, as well as Chef John's. Both are wonderful. I'll try to do this one, time permitting. Great choice!

[WI Bubba]

I made this last night, and it's pretty darned good. Hopefully I'll remember to post pics on the reveal date.

[SheilaAnn]

Any hints or tips or anything? I’ve never made a traditional bolognese before!

[WI Bubba]

SheilaAnn The reduction steps are time consuming, so plan accordingly. It took me about 2 hours to reduce the milk and the wine, plus the 3 hour simmer to finish. I was running pretty low heat for the milk to make sure I didn't burn it, so that added to the time. If you're more comfortable, then you could probably run hotter. Next time I make it I will use pork or lamb and beef. It's a little one dimensional with just ground beef.

[Troutman]

Man I just cooked a huge pot of Bolognese last weekend. Served with tagliatelle and crusted bread. Had so much left over that I froze in single serving containers. Is it alright that I take a picture of one of the frozen containers and have that as a submission, LOL !!

[MBMorgan]

I’d probably take it a step farther and just take a pic of the freezer.

[SheilaAnn]

Or plate up a serving on reveal day 🤪🤓🍝💗

[Troutman]

SheilaAnn Well mine is not the Marcella Hazen recipe but that's not a bad idea. Guess my work here is done !!!!!

[Santamarina]

A good meat sauce is frequently cooked in our house, but I’ve never made a bolognese. I keep it simple - San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt. Ground beef if I’m in a hurry, chuck or some other cut when I’m making an all-day sauce.

Bolognese has always intrigued me, so I’ll give this a go and see how the fam likes it.

And as the linked article mentions, I’m surprised by the lack of garlic. Honestly, gonna be hard to cook without it.

[Donw]

No garlic surprised me too. Neither my wife nor I grew up eating Italian food beyond a Chef Boyardee can but she took night classes at the local community college culinary arts school and now makes an outstanding Bolognese. There is plenty of garlic in her recipe.

[58limited]

I will be using garlic the next time that I make it.

[CaptainMike]

My understanding is that garlicky red sauces/ragus are an Italian American thing, whereas Italy Italians are more stingy with garlic in their recipes.

I like a little garlic in Bolognese, but I also like it sans garlic. Try it without for the first time and see if you like it. Garlic can sometimes over-shadow the subtlety of the other ingredients. Not that this is a subtle dish, but there is a lot going on in there.

[Troutman]

Not trying to be a smarty pants but I'm surprised the Marcella cookbook calls it a "sauce". According to a few Italians I know, the true term for a good Bolognese is a "ragu" versus a sauce. They are pretty vehement about that for some reason. I think it has to do with it being somewhere between a meatless sauce and say a chili in consistency. Anyone seen this argument in terms?