December 12, 2022
I also make this bolognese to enjoy with pasta. In fact, on this o occasion, I used half with pasta because my son was comingover for dinner and Iknew hewould prefer this, and half of the sauce was used as a topping for roasted butternut squash (I was craving this comfort food, and I also wanted the added nutrients that squash bringsot the table,over spaghetti)
Start with quality ingredients. I had some preserved tomatoes on hand from my mom's garden, some fennel pollen from my last harvest, and some sausage and veggies that I picked up from my local farmer's market. These all came together to make a deeply flavorful bolognese sauce!
Apple-Fennel Salad
Chop up some fresh apple, celery and fennel. Drizzle with EVOO and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fennel fronds. Takes 5mn!
Bolognese
Ingredients
2 cups cahopped tomatoes with their juices (preferably fresh, or home-preserved)
1/2 cup tomato paste (preferably roasted and reduced from garden-fresh tomatoes,orfromhome-preserved tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic, minced and smashed
1large yellow onion
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
2 bay leaves (sadly my bay tree died, but I was able to find fresh bay leaves at my market.)
bundle of thyme, tied
optional: a few pinches of fennel pollen
kosher salt
1 lb Italian sausage
2 cups of red wine
filtered water
In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, saute the finely diced carrot, celery and onion until they're beginning to brown slightly. The secret to this sauce is tocook everything longer than you normally feel comfortable with. The browning gives it the deep, rich flavor that's so yummy. Take the sausage out of its casing, and add to trepan.Break it up and cook until it's lightly browned and there is some brown "crud" on the bottom of your pan. Add the tomato paste and brown some more, about another 5-10mn. Add the wine and reduce by half, while also scraping the delicious "crud" from the pan. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme and enough kosher salt to taste. If you have some fennel pollen, add a few pinches as well. Let simmer for about 3-4 hours...adding filtered water just a little at a time ,to keep the meat covered and the sauce wet. Don't add too much water at once or it won't allow the flavors to develop as well. Stir occasionally. Remove the thyme bundle and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over fresh-roasted butternut squash. If you. like, top with some fresh grated or torn cheese of your choice, and a bit of torn fresh basil.
Optional:
Instead of serving over squash: Right before you serve, you can add in some al dente spaghetti and a little pasta water,along with a combination of freshly-grated parmesan and pecorina.
For Breakfast:
This bolognes is also yummy when dished into the bottom of a ramekin. Then, crack and egg on top and drizzle a bit of cream and sprinkle a little parmesan. Bake at 375F until egg white is set but yolk is still a bit runny, about 12mn (in my oven.)
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