I discovered what a real bolognese should taste like at age 30 when I visited Bologna (better late than never!)! I made this recipe again and again until it tasted as I remember in Italy and I’m so happy with this recipe! It’s got such a depth of flavour and I love the bolognese meat sauce mixed through tagliatelle in the traditional way (rather than dolloped on top of spaghetti which I now realise is the British rendition – “spag bol”!).
Ingredients (serves 6):
– 500g beef mince (minimum 10% fat)
– 500g pork mince (minimum 8% fat)
– 1 brown onion
– 1 carrot
– 1 celery stick (remove leaves)
– 2 to 3 garlic cloves
– 125ml red wine
– 1 tsp oregano
– 2 bay leaves
– 1 can of plum tomatoes
– 1 tbsp tomato purée
– 1 beef stock pot
– 100ml semi-skimmed milk
– Parmesan
– Handful of fresh parsley
– Salt & pepper
– Tagliatelle pasta (75g dried pasta per person)
How to make real bolognese:
1. Start with the soffrito: finely chop the onion, carrot and celery and cook in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
2. Add the minced beef and pork to the pan and break up with your wooden spoon. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until browned.
3. Add the red wine, let it cook for a couple of minutes, then add the can of plum tomatoes and the tomato paste. Break up the plum tomatoes up with the wooden spoon and mix through with the oregano and bay leaves, then turn it down to a simmer.
4. Add the beef stock pot – check the liquid level now and if there isn’t that much liquid bubbling around the meat, add a little water (I normally half fill the tomato can with water to get every bit of tomato out and as a measuring jug!).
5. Now for my first secret to getting a load more flavour into the bolognese sauce – add the rind of the parmesan! It releases lots of umami flavour giving a deeper, meatier flavour! Leave the bolognese to simmer for at least 1 hour.
5. The next secret ingredient that I discovered in Bologna is milk! Add around 100mls and leave it to simmer for at least another 20 mins and it’ll take the bolognese to the next level!
6. Finally cook the tagliatelle in salted water, then transfer directly to the bolognese pan and mix through the meat sauce with a handful of freshly chopped parsley. Serve with a generous grating of parmesan, a little more parsley and black pepper.
Tips:
– It’s best to avoid really lean meat – a higher fat content beef and pork mince adds more flavour and keeps the meat juicer over a long cooking time.
– Adding milk to bolognese sauce gives it more body and richness, plus helps to tenderise the meat and balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
– Parmesan rind is full of umami flavour – let it simmer with your bolognese sauce for a deeper, richer flavour (just don’t forget to remove it before you serve!).
– Bolognese tastes even better the next day – the flavours intensify even further!
I hope you enjoyed my recipe tips from Italy and experience this ‘proper’ authentic bolognese!
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