Thursday, December 16, 2010

Bolognese with Pappardelle

as adapted from the book Rachel Ray's Look + Cook



2T EVOO
1/4 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 onion diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1T fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano, 1/3 palmful
1/2 tsp crush red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups red wine
3 cups beef stock
1 pound pappardelle or fettucine pasta
1 cup whole milk or half & half
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano (I used the prepackaged Kraft Italian blend)
1/2 cup chopped parsley

In a large pot, heat EVOO over med-high then add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until it is browned and the fat is rendered, 3-4 minutes.  Add the ground beef and pork and brown for 8-10 min, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring, until the veggies are softened, 6-7 min.  Add salt/pepper, nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram or oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add tomato paste and stir for a minute or two then add the wine and scrape up all the drippings. Reduce wine by half for 2-3 min then stir in the stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and thicken the sauce for 1-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.  Cook the pasta.  When pasta is done reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining.  Add the milk to the sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes to heat through. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasonings to taste. Turn off the heat. Add the reserved pasta water back into the pasta pot, along with 1 cup of grated cheese and a couple handfuls of chopped parsley. Add half the pasta sauce and toss to coat.  Serve in shallow bowls, topped with additional sauce and cheese.



Miss Almost Vegetarian was not a huge fan of this but managed to eat some of it.  Mr Picky thought it was yummy.  Both DH and I LOVED this too.  We were also make this one again.  That's 2 for 2 in this recipe book!

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