Monday, November 26, 2012

Pasta Bolognese



This is by far one of the most delicious pasta dishes I have ever made. This is hearty and amazing! I started with Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese recipe and changed it around a bit. You will need 2lbs of ground meat for this recipe and please, please, please don't use two pounds of 96-98% ground beef. Fat= flavor!!!  I use one pound of a meatloaf mix which is typically 85% lean and one pound of 96% lean organic ground beef.

2 Tbsp of butter
3 Tbsp of olive oil
2 stalks of celery
8-10 baby carrots
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
3/4 can of tomato paste
2 lbs of ground beef- at least one 1lb should be 85% lean
1 cup of milk
1 cup of red wine
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, shredded-1/4 cup for sauce plus additional for serving
pinch of red pepper flakes if desired
1 lb rigatoni
1/2 cup of reserved pasta water

Put the carrots, garlic, celery and onion in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. If you don't have a food processor, finely chop veggies with a knife. In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter. Then add the diced veggies and cook for 10-15 min or until veggies are tender. Turn heat to medium high and add 2 lbs of ground beef to the veggies. Cook the beef for 10-15 min or until brown. If there is alot of grease, drain beef. Then add wine, tomato paste, milk, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook on low for 1-1 1/2 hours. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Boil water for noodles and cook rigatoni. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooked pasta water and add 1/4-1/2 of the pasta water to the sauce to thin it out a bit. Drain the rigatoni and add to sauce. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.