Mums and Babies

Bolognese Sauce for Pasta

Today there are many different recipes, variations on the original Bolognese Sauce which originated in Bologna, Italy.

Typically a meat sauce, Bolognese was simmered for hours with a small amount of milk and tomato, carrot, celery and onion and served either as a part of a lasagna dish or with flat fresh pasta called tagliatelle, the original recipe has over the years and throughout different households and countries taken on a lot of different characteristics.

The recipe that follows is for a Bolognese Sauce with ground beef and tomato sauce that we have been cooking in our family for as long as I can remember. I have made a few changes based on where we live, but it is essentially the same bolognese sauce as my mother made when we were growing up. Likely to be deemed unauthentic by any Italian food purist, our sauce continues to please family members and friends on an almost weekly basis!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 T finely diced fresh rosemary (omit if fresh unavailable)
• 1 T finely diced fresh oregano (use 2 t dried if fresh unavailable)
• Grated fresh nutmeg
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 rib celery, finely diced
• 2 t salt
• 1/4 C red wine
• 1 can (8 oz), diced tomatoes with their sauce
• 2 T tomato paste or concentrate
• 2 T sugar
• 6-8 pitted green olives, roughly chopped (optional)
• 1/2 C crème fraiche or sour cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large skillet with high sides, brown the ground beef over high heat adding seasonings about halfway through the browning process, until there is no redness visible in the meat.

Add the vegetables and salt and stir, cooking until the vegetables become soft, about 8 minutes.

Add red wine to the skillet and cook until the liquid has evaporated, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any flavor that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan

Add tomatoes with juices, tomato paste and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer mixture to combine flavors and thicken the sauce, about 20 minutes.

Add sour cream and olives, stir to combine

Taste and adjust seasoning for the bolognaise sauce as required

Serve Bolognese Sauce over spaghetti, tagliatelle or penne noodles. Add a salad for a complete meal.