Pasta Bolognese

Pasta Bolognese is a family favorite at my house

This is one of those Sunday meals you start early and let simmer on low until the whole house smells fantastic

Basically, Bolognese is a meat sauce

We use ground turkey but you can use ground beef, pork or veal or even a mixture of meats

To get started we will need 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 dry bay leaves, 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground black pepper and about 1/2 a teaspoon of crushed red pepper

I like to peel the carrot skin off, then peel the carrot all the way down and chop it as it will almost melt into the sauce

Give all the veggies a good chop

Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pot and add in the bay leaves and crushed red pepper

I like to let these heat up and smoke slightly to release more flavor

You will know when this happens as the kitchen will start to smell really good, keep and eye on them so they don’t burn and add a bitter flavor

I also count my bay leaves and remove them at the end of cooking as they can be tough and mostly inedible

Next add in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic into the pot and cover

Let these sweat down about 10 minutes stirring every couple minutes

Next I’m adding in 3 pounds of ground turkey

Stir this around and brown it while breaking it up into smaller pieces for about another 10-12 minutes

Next we will need a 6 ounce can of tomato paste, 1 cup of dry white wine (like a Chardonnay), 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup of crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of whole milk

Add in the tomato paste and stir to combine

Add in the white wine and stir, bring to a boil and let simmer for around 10 minutes to cook off the alcohol

Next add in the broth, milk and crushed tomatoes

Mix together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours stirring occasionally

The meat sauce will thicken considerably and have a rich flavor

Serve with your favorite pasta!

Enjoy!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board

© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved