If you know anything about me, you know that I abandon hobbies like I’m being paid. Sewing, cross-stitching, comics, video games — the list goes on.
However, one ‘hobby’ if you can call it that, that I have always done, enjoyed and never given up on is cooking. I love to cook.
I especially love cooking a really nice Sunday dinner. Something that is going to take all day? I’m in. Dessert included? Absolutely.
Give me a clean kitchen, my apron, and a Spotify playlist, and I’ll call you when dinner is ready.
Recently I have made, what may possibly be, two of the best meals I have ever made. Both very similar, but opposites.
They were a white and red Bolognese, each with homemade pasta. Although, full disclosure, the white really only had about half homemade pasta, because I didn’t have enough flour for a full batch…
Anyway, these recipes were so amazing, I thought I would share them with you. While neither of these recipes are particularly difficult, they are time consuming, taking about four hours total each, so prepare yourself if you are going to take either one on.
First up, the white Bolognese; this Ragù Bianco (aka White Bolognese) is a rich and savory twist on traditional bolognese, made without tomatoes and slow-cooked to perfection with white wine, aromatic herbs, and a creamy base. Tender ground meat and vegetables give it a hearty flavor, making it a comforting and elegant sauce perfect for date night or to impress a crowd.
White Bolognese
Ingredients:
• 2 sticks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large carrot peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion quartered
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound beef
• 1-pound mild Italian sausage removed from casings
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
Directions:
Add the celery, carrot and onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse until the veggies are broken down into very small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add in the veggies, season with salt, pepper, fennel seeds and ground sage and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
Add in the ground beef and sausage and use a wooden spoon to split up any large pieces and break the meat into a crumbly texture. Once the meat is no longer pink and has begun to develop a golden color, pour in the wine.
Leave the wine to simmer for 8-10 minutes until most has cooked off then add in the chicken stock, milk and bay leaves. Lower the heat to low and leave to gently simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
After 2 1/2 hours the meat should be very soft and crumbly in texture. Pour in the cream and stir through. Leave to simmer for an additional 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Serve with your favorite pasta.
It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients (or a lot of money) to make a standout Bolognese. What it does take is patience. Most of the time is hands-off, but be prepared.
Red Bolognese
Ingredients:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef chuck (20% fat), patted dry
• Kosher salt
• 3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of finely grated nutmeg
• 2 cups (or more) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 lb. fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, or dry rigatoni
• 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
Directions:
Pulse 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 celery stalk, chopped, and 1 small carrot, peeled, chopped, in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium. Break 1 lb. ground beef chuck (20% fat), patted dry, into small clumps (about 1½”) and add to pot; season lightly with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally but not breaking meat apart, until beef is lightly browned but not crisp, 6–8 minutes. It may be gray in spots (that’s okay!) and still a little pink in the center. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.
Wipe out pot. Cook 3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped, in same pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pancetta has released some of its fat and is crisp, 6–8 minutes. Add reserved onion mixture to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and beginning to stick to surface, 6–8 minutes.
Return beef to pot and pour in 1 cup dry white wine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, smashing beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated, surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes. (The meat should be reduced to what looks like little bits. It takes a bit of effort, but you can take breaks.) Add ⅓ cup tomato paste, 1 bay leaf, and one pinch of finely grated nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally and still pressing down on meat, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 5 minutes.
Pour 2 cups chicken stock or broth and 1 cup whole milk into pot; add a pinch of kosher salt. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until meat is very, very tender, 2–2½ hours. There shouldn’t be any rapid bubbles at this stage. Instead, the sauce should release the occasional small bubble or two. When finished, the pasta sauce should have the texture of and look like a sloppy joe mixture. If the liquid reduces before the meat is completely tender, add an extra ½ cup stock and continue cooking. Discard bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt; keep warm.
Cook 1 lb. fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, or dry rigatoni, in a large pot of boiling salted water. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
Using tongs, transfer cooked pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup). Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Transfer pasta to a platter and top with more Parmesan cheese.
As I mentioned, I chose to make my own pasta for these dishes. You don’t have to be that extra if you don’t want to, but sometimes a girl just wants to use her pasta machine. I made something akin to pappardelle — I’ve always just called them homemades, but it’s just wide pasta. I had to hand-cut them because my machine doesn’t cut that wide, but again, you can always just pick up some pappardelle or whatever pasta makes your heart happy! But a heartier pasta is going to hold this sauce better than say an angel hair or even linguini.
Happy cooking y’all!
