Spaghetti Bolognese

I have a HUGE weakness for Spaghetti Sauces.  When I was a young girl (sounds like the beginning of a song doesn’t it?)  I would walk to my Grandma’s house for lunch.  My elementary school was a 10 minute walk and I always loved having her all to myself for lunch.  My grandpa worked and wouldn’t come home for lunch, which meant my grandma and I would have some alone time.  As some of you know from my previous post my grandma passed away this past Wednesday May 30.  So tonight I decided to make a delicious bolognese sauce in her honor.  My grandma would make me spaghetti and bolognese sauce pretty much every day I would have lunch with her….even if I would be there 5 days in a row she still would make it for me.  That’s the kind of grandma she was and that’s the kind of grandma I want to be.

I found this delicious recipe in a book called: The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry.  Lots of wonderful recipes along with a sweet story by writer: Kathleen Flinn.  I know some of you have already seen this recipe and probably made it….it doesn’t lessen how tasty and fabulous it is.  Make it again, maybe this time with someone that has filled your life with loving memories.

Ingredients:

2 large onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 bottle dry red wine (go for it….trust me you will love every single bite of this amazing dish!)

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

1 cup heavy cream

Salt & Pepper to taste, at least 1/4 teaspoon of each

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil (optional) I usually put both

1 pound spaghetti, cooked & drained (or any pasta you like)

Parmesan, grated

How to:

In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened.  Stir in the garlic, add the beef, and stir until the meat cooks through and separates into crumbly pieces.  Add the wine and turn the heat up so that the wine bubbles continuously.  Reduces by about half.  Skim off any gray foam.  Add the tomato paste and stir.  Cover and turn the heat down very low, and cook for a minimum of two hours and up to four hours. Stir from time to time, scraping the bottom to ensure that nothing sticks to it or burns.  Shortly before serving, stir in the cream and Italian herbs.  Taste, and then add salt and pepper.  Let simmer uncovered another ten minutes.  Taste again, adjusting seasonings as necessary, and stir in the parsley.  Serve with pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan.

Note; This sauce may surprise a few by the fact that it doesn’t contain tomatoes but it is a true bolognese: meat sauce.  Give it a try you will be amazed at the wonderful flavor combination.

Another note: The sauce is absolutely amazing as a “pizza sauce” completely different than a tomato sauce but scrumptious nonetheless.

Printer Friendly: Bolognese Sauce

Peace and Love,

Isabelle

Visit Isabelle’s blog at Isabelle at Home