Bolognese Sauce

The thought of savoring a hearty bowl of bolognese Pasta on a Winter night is so comforting to me. Growing up in Brazil, my mom used to make it all the time during the cooler months. 


There are a lot of things I like about bolognese sauce:


1- It is kid-friendly. Every time I serve this sauce over pasta my kids lick the plate and ask for more!


2- It is freezer friendly. I make huge batches and freeze it in Ziploc bags. To use it again, I just defrost it over the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator, heat  it on the stove top or microwave, and serve.


3- It is versatile. It can be served over your favorite pasta or gnocchi, with polenta (my month is seriously watering right now!!), with rice, inside a bun or crusty bread, etc. One of my favorite uses is to make Lasagna.


4- You can make it your own. By adding olives, capers, cheese rind, fresh herbs, etc, you can customize your sauce!


Here is my version of bolognese sauce:




Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped
obs.: to make life easier, you may use a food processor to chop it all

1 pound of ground beef

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup of red wine

26.5oz tomato sauce

4 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 1/2cups of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cube of chicken bouillion

1 tablespoon of cognac or brandy

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

½ teaspoon of brown sugar

Black pepper to taste

¼ of teaspon of red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves (dry or fresh)

1 teaspoon of dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons of fresh oregano)

½ teaspoon of dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon or fresh thyme)

optional: kalamata olives, capers, parmegiano reggiano rind for cooking

Lots of fresh basil for serving.

Preparation

Place a heavy bottomed pan over medium- high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot add the ground beef and cook it, sitirring it often, until golden brown.

Now add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Stirr it all around and cook it until the onion starts to get transluscent (about 5 minutes).

Bring the heat to medium and add 1 ½ cups of red wine to the pot. Stir the wine around while scraping the bottom of the pan. Alow the wine to reduce for about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste, the cognac,the beef broth, the salt, peppers and sugar, and finally the spices (bay leaves, oregano and thyme). If using cheese rind, olives, and/or capers, you may add them at this point. Cover the pot and cook the bolognese for 2 hours over very low heat. Check and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary. Discard cheese rind, if using it.

Important: During the 2 hours of cooking time, occasionally stir the sauce to make sure it is not stucking to the bottom of the pan and to check is enough liquid. You can always add more beef broth or water, if needed.

Serving Suggestion

Cook your favorite pasta on salted boiling water, drain, stir in some hot bolognese sauce and lots of grated cheese, such as parmigiano reggiano. Plate it and top it with a handful of fresh chopped basil leaver, some more cheese, freshly grounded black pepper, and a drizzle of your favorite olive oil. Those finishing touches make a world of difference!