**Introduction:**
Indulge in the culinary masterpiece of Italy with our comprehensive guide to preparing an authentic and delectable Italian Bolognese sauce. This hearty and flavorful dish, also known as Ragù alla Bolognese, originated in the vibrant culinary region of Bologna, Italy. Our collection of carefully curated recipes offers a diverse range of options to suit every palate and preference. Whether you're seeking a traditional, meat-based rendition or a vegetarian-friendly alternative, our expert guidance will lead you to Bolognese perfection. Discover the secrets behind this timeless sauce, including the art of selecting the finest ingredients, the delicate balance of flavors, and the techniques for achieving the perfect texture. Embark on a culinary journey and let the rich aromas and deep flavors of an authentic Italian Bolognese sauce transport you to the heart of Italy's culinary heritage.
**Recipes:**
1. **Classic Italian Bolognese Sauce:**
This recipe embodies the traditional essence of Bolognese sauce, using a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal to create a robust and savory flavor base. The holy trinity of vegetables—onions, carrots, and celery—provides a foundation of aromatic sweetness, while tomatoes, red wine, and milk lend their distinct notes to the sauce. Simmered to perfection, this classic Bolognese is a testament to the art of slow cooking and the harmonious blending of flavors.
2. **Vegetarian Italian Bolognese Sauce:**
Crafted for those seeking a meat-free alternative, this vegetarian Bolognese showcases the versatility of this iconic sauce. A medley of mushrooms, lentils, and vegetables, including carrots, celery, and onions, come together to create a hearty and flavorful base. The rich tomato sauce, infused with red wine and herbs, provides a complex and satisfying depth of flavor, making this vegetarian rendition a delectable choice for any occasion.
3. **Easy Weeknight Italian Bolognese Sauce:**
Tailored for busy weeknights, this simplified Bolognese sauce offers a shortcut to homemade goodness without compromising on taste. Ground beef or turkey serves as the protein base, sautéed with aromatic vegetables and seasoned with Italian herbs. The addition of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and a touch of red wine creates a rich and flavorful sauce that can be simmered quickly, making it the perfect weeknight dinner solution.
4. **Slow-Cooker Italian Bolognese Sauce:**
For those who prefer a hands-off approach, the slow-cooker method offers a convenient and flavorful way to prepare Bolognese sauce. Simply combine all the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it work its magic over several hours. The result is a tender and deeply flavorful sauce that requires minimal effort and yields maximum satisfaction.
5. **Baked Italian Bolognese Sauce:**
This innovative take on Bolognese sauce involves baking it in the oven. Layers of pasta, Bolognese sauce, and a creamy béchamel sauce create a delectable and comforting casserole. The baking process intensifies the flavors of the sauce, resulting in a rich and satisfying dish that is perfect for special occasions or family gatherings.
"REAL" ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
After traveling throughout Italy, savoring the fine tastes of Bolognese from the many different regions, I decided to formulate my own. Try it, you'll love it.
Provided by Classic Chef
Categories Sauces
Time 2h40m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- In a Dutch Oven or Medium Size Pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter begins to froth.
- Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bacon.
- Cook until onions are translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes).
- Remove bacon and remove fat.
- Chop lean portions of bacon in small pieces and return to pot.
- Add Ground beef and ground Pork, and cook until meat loses red, raw color.
- Raise heat and add wine and consomme.
- Cook sauce until wine and consomme are mostly evaporated.
- Turn heat down to simmer and add oregano, salt, pepper, sage, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.
- Let cook for approximately 20 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes and bring heat to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, return to simmer.
- Let sauce simmer (very slowly) partially covered for about 2 to 4 hours (the longer the better), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- About 5 to 10 minutes before serving, add milk.
- Sauce can now be added to cooked Penne Pasta, Spaghetti or many other Pastas to your liking.
- Remaining sauce may be frozen for up to two months for future use.
CLASSIC ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Provided by Food Network
Time 2h35m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a 3 quart saucepan heat oil and butter. Add pancetta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until most of the fat has be rendered. Then add carrots, celery, and onions and saute for 3 minutes. Now add the beef, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the milk and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the milk is completely evaporated. Add wine and simmer until evaporated.
- Finally, add the tomatoes and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours partially covered. It's important to reduce as slowly as possible. If sauce becomes dry, add 1/2 cup water whenever necessary. When almost ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, pat dry and return to the pot. Add your sauce to the past and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
CLASSIC BOLOGNESE
I make many meat-based sauces, or ragu. The original ragu alla Bolognese (meat sauce) dates to the late 19th century and is credited to a cook named Pellegrino Artusi, in 1891. Though it is named for Bologna, Italy, it was first cooked or created in the town of a lesser-known name, Imola, in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Serve this sauce with egg tagliatelle or pappardelle or layer it between egg pasta sheets with bechamel for lasagna alla Bolognese.
Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 3h50m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
- To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
- Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
- Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.
THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE
Our best ever spaghetti bolognese is super easy and a true Italian classic with a meaty, chilli sauce. This recipe comes courtesy of BBC Good Food user Andrew Balmer
Provided by Andrew Balmer
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper
Time 2h15m
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
- Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
- Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
- Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
- When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
- Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 624 calories, Fat 25 grams fat, SaturatedFat 10 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 58 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 12 grams sugar, Fiber 6 grams fiber, Protein 35 grams protein, Sodium 1.6 milligram of sodium
MARCELLA HAZAN'S BOLOGNESE SAUCE
After the death in 2013 of Marcella Hazan, the cookbook author who changed the way Americans cook Italian food, The Times asked readers which of her recipes had become staples in their kitchens. Many people answered with one word: "Bolognese." Ms. Hazan had a few recipes for the classic sauce, and they are all outstanding. This one appeared in her book "The Essentials of Classic Italian Cuisine," and one reader called it "the gold standard." Try it and see for yourself.
Provided by The New York Times
Categories dinner, pastas, main course
Time 4h
Yield 2 heaping cups, for about 6 servings and 1 1/2 pounds pasta
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.
- Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
- Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating -- about 1/8 teaspoon -- of nutmeg, and stir.
- Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.
- Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. This means using fresh, organic vegetables and herbs, and the best quality meat you can afford.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. This will help to evenly distribute the heat and prevent the sauce from burning.
- Brown the meat well. This will help to develop the flavor of the sauce.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce. This will help to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pot.
- Simmer the sauce for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 hours. The longer you simmer the sauce, the better the flavor will be.
- Add the milk or cream at the end of the cooking time. This will help to make the sauce creamy and smooth.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve the sauce over pasta, rice, or polenta.
Conclusion:
Real Italian Bolognese sauce is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a perfect meal for a special occasion or a casual weeknight dinner. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make this classic Italian dish at home.
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