Bolognese Recipe Strut
fishmongerfunk
4,154 Posts
so, i have looked at bunch of recipes and some say finish with cream, milk or even butter, whereas others don't. some recipes talk about how no basil should ever be added.
what is the strut's take on how to make the best bolognese sauce?
what is the strut's take on how to make the best bolognese sauce?
Comments
I was wondering what you know about this^?
As I recall you have been the recipient of large amounts of crab, don't ask where they came from, before.
i think the ones that were given to me actually came from a raid but i intentionally didn't ask too many questions about their origin. the stolen fish racket is not be trifled with.
speaking of organized crime, check this story out:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/31/2244321/russian-mob-eclipses-italian-mafia.html
:hi:
I would have thought that Columbian, or other S. American organizations would rule Miami. Perhaps they have not branched out beyond drugs much.
For me the Key is high quality beef (or beef/pork or veal/pork blend etc...) since that's the core of your sauce. By high quality you're looking for meat with good interstitial fat and marbling and from an animal that was well cared for and fed a healthy and natural diet which adds that depth of flavor that makes a great meat sauce. Save the butter or cream unless you're working with leaner cuts of meat that require the extra richness. Basil is never going to be unwelcome. But don't be afraid of a little carefully administered nutmeg or even a kiss of cinnamon, old world style.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/magazine/17food-t.html
I like to make a double batch and then use a bunch of the leftovers to make a lasagna.
this.
and all day simmer
I like to add bit of minced liver (like 150 gramms on 600 gramms minced meat), I prefer beef to pork. Some extra flavour added with two or three chopped filets of Anchovis. You won't notice the fishy notes in the end but will boost overall taste, it's like glutamate.
I don't use basil at all. Perhaps a little thyme and nutmeg, a bit of cayenne. But I'm generally very careful with seasoning Bolognese. The only thing I add in abundance is garlic. Moderation in garlic is for pussies.
I brown the meat together with the onions and add carrots and celery letting it all fry before deglazing it all with redwine. Than tomatoes, salt, pepper etc.
Simmering should take as long as possible. At least two hours but a day is much better. Some parsley right before serving adds some fresh color and taste.
Top it generously with Parmigiano and drink redwine, at best the one you used for cooking.
I need to cook this again soon. :necessary:
I use dry white wine rather than red
Passata & tomato paste
2+ hours on the simmer
Ha! This is my exact move, and yes, this recipe is amazing. Just finished off some 2 month old sauce for dinner last night, and now there's only 2 portions of lasagna left in the freezer. Looks like it's nearly that time again.
The recipe's basically a full day commitment, but absolutely worth it.
Here is an excerpt. The guy with the embryo ragu is quite special...
Yes, that's a great recipe. I wouldn't say that the use of milk is a must but I'm fairly liberal with adding butter. This is according to a handwritten recipe from the Italian father of an old girlfriend. The most important thing is to have a long roasting process, I roast for at least an hour, when the meat, root vegetable and tomato paste have really thickened up and browned, I add more wine and repeat all the while stirring like a motherfucker and making sure to scrub the bottom of the pot using a large wooden spoon. I think it's important to use celery root and not the stalks with the carrot for the roasting, you can also add fine cut parsley root but this can't substitute the celery. I use more than a clove of garlic, usually one whole garlic or even two if it's the small ones and I add the garlic for the simmer and not for the roasting. Unless the taste is desired, garlic should never be browned and in this case I'd say it's not desired.
As for Basil, I don't think it belongs in a Bolognese. I'd use oregano and a some thyme for the simmer and not for the roasting. If you use part lamb (which can be amazing) I'd throw in a few twigs of rosemary.
I make very large quantities as this stuff is so prefect to put in the freezer. It's one of the very few foods that don't suffer at all from being frozen and it also makes sense to do a ton because it's so labor intensive. I always believe that it tastes even better when warmed up again the next day.
yeah I would seek out this old thread on the SS search engine. it's where i first learned about the NYT recipe and it's now an essential go-to. low heat, crud and scrape, crud and scrape.. brown food tastes good.
some great commentary on the process (mirroring this thread) and some pretty funny freakouts about 57 varieties ketchup bolognese impostors.
Hell fuckin' yeah.
In fact, Bolognese will be made tomorrow while I work from home. Lasagna possibly to come on Sunday. Gonna be a good weekend.
Also: I agree with the poster upthread who said that if you ask 20 people for their Bolognese tips/recipes, you will get 20 different interpretations, all claiming to be "the best." Do what sounds good to you and keep experimenting until you make that sauce that has you saying, "This is exactly what I wanted." It'll be very gratifying to hone in on your personal recipe, but all that experimentation is, more often than not, quite tasty, too, and I don't see any down side to getting to try out lots of Bolognese.
For real. Truth be told, I never make anything the exact same way twice. Keeps things fresh.
Meat (beef), tomatos (canned), olive oil, onions, celery, oregano, pepper, salt, tomato puree (concentrated tomato).
add red wine and/or carrots if you like...
parmesan cheese on top.
let it boil for 2 hours. keep it simple and stupid. and don't add anything like butter or milk. sounds digusting!
thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and advice.