The other day, -L mentioned sauce Bolognese, something I've never
tried, but have always thought sounded very good. I just spent some
time googling and have cobbled together several web versions of
"Ragù alla Bolognese", "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
I probably won't get a chance to make this anytime soon, maybe in
November, but I'll post results when I do. I think the combination
of cream and tomato will be lovely... :-)

Ragù alla Bolognese
Adapted from "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz fresh unsalted fatback or lean salt pork, cut into small dice
1 quart water
1 cup diced carrots
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/4 lbs beef skirt steak or boneless chuck blade roast, coarsely
ground
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons double concentrated Italian tomato paste
DILUTED IN
10 tablespoons poultry or meat stock
1 cup whole milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

Simmer heavy cream in a small saucepan until reduced by one third
(should yield about 6 tablespoons) and set aside.

If using salt pork instead of fresh fatback it must be blanched in
the 1 quart of water. Boil water, add salt pork and blanch for 3
minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Saute the fatback/blanched salt pork in heavy 3 or 4 quart saucepan
over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes or until almost all of the
fat is rendered. Stir in the diced vegetables and saute for about 3
minutes or until onion is translucent.

Raise heat to medium and add ground beef. Cook beef for about 5
minutes or until meat is medium brown in color. Don't let meat get
crisp or overly browned.

Stir in wine and diluted tomato paste and reduce the heat to low.
It is critical the the mixture reduce as slowly as possible. Cook
partially covered for 2 hours, adding a tablespoon or two of milk
at intervals thoughtout that time. At the end of the two hours the
milk should be used up and the sauce only slightly liquid. Stir in
the reduced cream. Toss the sauce with freshly cooked pasta of your
choice, such as tagliatelle or penne.

--
"Little Malice" is Jani in WA
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

Little Malice wrote:
> The other day, -L mentioned sauce Bolognese, something I've never
> tried, but have always thought sounded very good. I just spent some
> time googling and have cobbled together several web versions of
> "Ragù alla Bolognese", "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
> I probably won't get a chance to make this anytime soon, maybe in
> November, but I'll post results when I do. I think the combination
> of cream and tomato will be lovely... :-)
>
> Ragù alla Bolognese
> Adapted from "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper
>
> 1/2 cup heavy cream
> 10 oz fresh unsalted fatback or lean salt pork, cut into small dice
> 1 quart water
> 1 cup diced carrots
> 2/3 cup diced celery
> 1/2 cup diced onion
> 1 1/4 lbs beef skirt steak or boneless chuck blade roast, coarsely
> ground
> 1/2 cup dry white wine
> 2 tablespoons double concentrated Italian tomato paste
> DILUTED IN
> 10 tablespoons poultry or meat stock
> 1 cup whole milk
> Salt & Pepper to taste
>
> Simmer heavy cream in a small saucepan until reduced by one third
> (should yield about 6 tablespoons) and set aside.
>
> If using salt pork instead of fresh fatback it must be blanched in
> the 1 quart of water. Boil water, add salt pork and blanch for 3
> minutes. Drain and pat dry.
>
> Saute the fatback/blanched salt pork in heavy 3 or 4 quart saucepan
> over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes or until almost all of the
> fat is rendered. Stir in the diced vegetables and saute for about 3
> minutes or until onion is translucent.
>
> Raise heat to medium and add ground beef. Cook beef for about 5
> minutes or until meat is medium brown in color. Don't let meat get
> crisp or overly browned.
>
> Stir in wine and diluted tomato paste and reduce the heat to low.
> It is critical the the mixture reduce as slowly as possible. Cook
> partially covered for 2 hours, adding a tablespoon or two of milk
> at intervals thoughtout that time. At the end of the two hours the
> milk should be used up and the sauce only slightly liquid. Stir in
> the reduced cream. Toss the sauce with freshly cooked pasta of your
> choice, such as tagliatelle or penne.
>
> --
> "Little Malice" is Jani in WA
> ~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~
Do you remember the "Great Chefs" series? I saw one with an older guy
making Bolognese
sauce- it had equal amts of ground beef and pork(not sausage) onion,
white wine, tomato sauce, and salt- that's it! I tried it, and it was
surprisingly good.