Kyle Jaster is one of my guests at the June 20th Virtual Table. Kyle practices regenerative agriculture at his pig fam in the Catskills. So, it made sense to cook a dish that uses lamb and pork. I thought initially of a basic lamb and pork ragù, an Italian sauce of ground meet, onions, tomatoes, and wine. But then I decided, why not go for the ultimate ragù, Bolognese Sauce? I found an elaborate Bolognese recipe in my favorite cookbook, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt. It involves making and combining several sauces with a mix of ground lamb, pork, and veal. It includes fresh parsley, basil, and sage. A whole bottle of wine! Olive oil and butter and pancetta as cooking fat. Plus, Parmesan cheese and five umami* enhancers: chicken liver, anchovies, Marmite, soy sauce and Thai Fish Sauce. Phew!
1. Blitz umami mix (4 oz chicken livers, 4 anchovy filets, 1 T Marmite and 1 T soy sauce).
2. Make cream sauce (mix 2 c whole milk, 1/2 c cream, 2 c stock, and sprinkle 1 pkg gelatin on top and let sit).
3. Simmer tomato sauce (2 T olive oil, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp oregano, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes) for 15 minutes, then blitz.
4. Sauté mirepoix (2 T olive oil, 4 oz pancetta, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks) till soft but not browned.
5. Cook meat (1 lb each of ground lamb, pork, and veal) and 1/2 c chopped sage in 4 oz butter till not pink, but not browned, then add Unami mixture and cook for five minutes.
6. Add mirepoix and 1 bottle dry red or white wine and simmer for 15 minutes to evaporate the alcohol in the wine.
7. Add tomato sauce, cream sauce, 3 bay leaves and 1/4 c basil and 1/4 c parsley. Bring to boil then simmer for 2 hours with lid ajar.
8. Add 1 T fish sauce, 1 c Parmesan, salt, pepper, 1/4 c parsley, and 1/4 c basil.
9. Cook 1 lb fresh pappardelle for one and a half minutes, drain, and add to 5 cups of sauce.
10. Plate with more grated Parmesan.
*Umami is the fifth taste element (besides sweet, sour, bitter and salty). It is a savory, meaty flavor. In Japanese, umami means “essence of deliciousness.”