The Perfect Bolognese

Sometimes perfection comes in the shape of something familiar. The Italians have given the world iconic dishes, Pizza, Pasta and Gelato to name a few. When talking about Italian cuisine, it always focuses on using the best ingredients in the area and bringing out the flavors that characterize the region.

 Everybody, unless they have been living under a huge rock in the middle of nowhere, has heard of Spaghetti Bolognese, a pasta dish with beef ragù cooked in tomato sauce. Ironically, in Italy, Bolognese sauce is served with tagliatelle, a wider type of pasta, so when travelling to Italy do not expect to have spaghetti with your Bolognese. The sauce originated from the city of Bologna, hence the name. It is a city located in the north of Italy close to the mountains. The earliest documentation of a meat-sauce (ragù) was back in the 18th century in the city of Imola, not far from Bologna in a cookbook by Pellegrino Artusi. The sauce was specifically named “Bolognese”.

 Cooking Bolognese sauce seems very simple to make but it takes time and multiple cooking methods, such as sweating, rendering and braising. There are many factors that can contribute to a not-so-perfect Bolognese; fatty meat, sauce consistency, seasoning, mirepoix, meat ratio and the list goes on.
There are thousands and thousands of recipes of this famous sauce all over the world. Unfortunately, most recipes are far from the original, which is not a good thing. The main components of the sauce are minced beef, pork fat, tomato sauce and red wine. Changing the meat from beef to turkey or chicken would be considered a cardinal sin.

INGREDIENTS

  • 30 Ml Cooking Oil
  • 6 rashers of pancetta (Italian style bacon), chopped
  • 1 Kg lean minced beef
  • 300 Gr onions, chopped
  • 3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 300 Gr carrots, chopped
  • 100 Gr celery
  • 200 Ml of red wine
  • 800 Gr canned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 Pcs bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Grated parmesan cheese, to serve




Method:

  1. Render the fat of the pancetta with cooking oil
  2. Add onion, celery and carrot, cook until softened
  3. Add the minced meat, cook until brown and slightly caramelized
  4. Add the chopped garlic, bay leaf and Season with salt and pepper
  5. Pour the wine into the pot and make sure to scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, let reduce to half
  6. Once wine is reduced, add the chopped tomatoes
  7. Let the sauce simmer until the sauce is thickened while stirring occasionally


To stay true to the original serve the sauce with tagliatelle but if spaghetti is everyone in the household’s favorite then no one is going to judge. 



To enjoy an Italian meal with your family, book a table at Tempio. Open from 11.00 – 23.00. Gluten Free and vegetarian options available. 

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