Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese sauce brings back so many memories. When my mom would call and ask what we wanted for dinner I almost always said “pasta with tuna” or “pasta with meat sauce” (bolognese). Bolognese sauce in restaurants never tasted right to me. They had too many spices and the presence of carrots and celery turned me off. Our sauce at home was always perfect. Batch after batch of perfection, regardless of who made it- my mom, auntie, or nonna.

The day before or of Christmas Eve I remember my aunt coming over and helping to assemble the lasagna. It was a multi-process recipe that required making the sauce, making the bechamel, soaking the lasagna sheets, assembling and finally baking it off. The ladies (my mom, aunt, and nonna) would chatter in Italian, and I always wanted to be part of the cool lasagna making club. We still have it every year on Christmas Eve. And it is still one of my favorite dishes, though I have yet to make it myself.

In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever made the famous bolognese. I called my auntie yesterday and asked her to share every detail and tips on how to make the bolognese, and I wrote it all down. It is your lucky day because I am going to share her recipe with you.

It is a good one. In fact, it was so great that I couldn’t stop telling PB how good the kitchen smelled and how excited he would be for dinner. This sauce may seem to take awhile, but it is quite simple. It also makes a huge batch and freezes really well. I froze both individual and family size servings in tupperware containers.

Toss pasta with this sauce or serve it over soft polenta. Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano finishes the dish nicely.

Bolognese Sauce
*Auntie D’s Recipe
Serves about 8-12

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs 80% lean ground beef
2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbs flour
1 28 oz can San Marzano peeled tomatoes
kosher salt
black pepper
crushed rosemary, if desired

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the ground beef and top generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Mix now and again until the beef is cooked through and there is no liquid remaining. The process on the stove up until now should take you about 30 minutes. Add the white wine. Meanwhile, place the peeled tomatoes with the liquid in a blender and blend until slightly frothy and salmon in color. When all the liquid evaporates from the pot remove from the stove. Sprinkle the flour over the beef, put the pot back on the stove (still medium high heat) and keep stirring as the mixture might stick. Add the tomato mixture a bit at a time until desired consistency. For me this was the whole mixture. Stir well and season again with kosher salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Other Family Recipes:
Roast Tenderloin
Fried Calamari
Rolls With Jam