Bolognese Meat Sauce

Just in case you're tired of all the excesses the holiday season brings and craving something simple, here's a sure fire guaranteed to please solution.

This bolognese sauce starts with a saute of celery, onions, carrots and garlic, seasoned with red pepper flakes, crumbled sage and a bay leaf and nutured along for a good 10 minutes or so to get the absolute most flavor out of the mix before chopped bacon and ground meat hit the pan. A few minutes later several glugs of good red wine join the party followed by a mere hint of tomato in the form of a little sauce and a touch of paste then several cups of good beef stock. 

A 45 minute simmer and Bob's your uncle - minimal effort for fabulous flavor. As you can see, we enjoyed our meaty sauce on a bed of pillowy gnocchi, but almost any kind of pasta will do just fine. 

 

Bolognese Meat Sauce (adapted from Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

½ cup finely chopped celery

½ cup finely chopped carrots

½ cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 large bay leaf

½ teaspoon crumbled dried sage

3 slices bacon, diced 

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/2 cup red wine

8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil until sizzling – add red pepper flakes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and sage  and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and cook additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high, add bacon and beef and cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes until meat is no longer pink. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated – about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, paste & stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until sauce is thickened to desired consistency - approximately 15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required.

A Year Ago - Apple Bourbon Country Style Pork Ribs 

Comments

[pam (Sidewalk Shoes)]

I made a bolognese sauce for our Christmas Eve dinner, so humble and comforting! Happy New Year!

[June]

Happy New Year to you too Pam. Hope you're feeling better soon!

[Lea Callais]

Glad to see you back among the living - and eating well, to boot! Recovering from bronchitis here - icky pooh! But, glad to have my sweet CA home for vacation! Happy New Year to you and the Big Guy and all the fur babies!

[June]

Lea - hope you're feeling better soon. Happy New Year to you and yours and all the best in 2014.

[Lorraine]

Believe it or not but bolognese sauce was the first thing we made in home ec. I managed to burn the garlic bread but the sauce turned out great. Like your addition of red pepper flakes. Are you loving the weather or what!

[June]

You know Big Guy - darned near everything must have "heat" and yes, the weather's been fabulous. Winter - what winter?