Freakin Delicious Bolognese Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, leek, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper; cook and stir until mushrooms are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir crushed tomatoes, creme fraiche, carrots, red lentils, vegetable broth, and sambal oelek into the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large stew pot or Dutch oven heat butter and oil until foam subsides.
• Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute 5 minutes.
• Add pancetta and/or sausage (I've done it all ways), breaking up into small pieces, saute 5 minutes.
• Add ground beef and saute until all meat is browned, breaking up large chunks.
• Add wine, broth, and tomato paste. Cook over high heat 5 minutes.
• Add spices and cook 10 more minutes over medium heat.
• Add crushed tomatoes (with juice) and return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer two hours, stirring occasionally.
• Before serving, add milk or half and half slowly while stirring. This gives the sauce a slightly creamy touch. Use higher fat content for richer flavor. Be sure to allow the dairy to reach room temperature as it will separate and look ugly if you add it cold.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over al dente pasta.
• Note: if using Ethiopian/Eritrean berbere for an Northeast African flair, omit nutmeg but add together with other spices (oregano, sage, etc) in step 6. Berbere is very strong and spicy and contains a unique blend of capsicum, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. Add a little at first and adjust. Too much will ruin the dish!

Steps:

• Add bulgur wheat to a pan with 1 1/2 C boiling water.
• Reboil, cover and take off the heat to absorb the liquid.
• In your favourite pan, saute onions and garlic in the oil until softened.
• Add capsicum and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until soft.
• Add zucchini, tomatoes, puree, herbs,salt,sugar and pepper.
• Cook over very low heat whilst you are boiling up pasta of your choice.
• Add bulgar, cook for 2-3 minutes and check seasoning.
• I serve this over spaghetti, with parmesan on the side for those who like it.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown and drain the beef.
• Stir in the marinara sauce, mushrooms, black pepper, cayenne pepper and sugar; mix well.
• Add the cream cheese and stir constantly until it melts into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Toss with the cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Ensure the minced meats are at room temperature, leave defrost overnight if necessary its best to do this after you have done the tomatoes.
• Tomato Preparation (the night before):.
• Cut a light cross in the smooth end of the tomatoes. In a large pot of rapidly boiling water, quickly place a tomato in and let sit for no longer than 30 seconds to blanche the skin. Remove and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. You should now be able to gently peel the skins off the tomato.
• Next, quarter the tomato and spoon the pulp into a sieve over a bowl. For each tomato that is pulped add a couple of light pinches of salt over the pulp in the sieve. Let the pulp drain overnight in the fridge to remove all the juice in the bowl.
• On the day of cooking dice the tomato flesh and set aside for during the cooking process.
• The day of the Ragu.
• Pre heat an oven to 150°C.
• Dice the onions.
• Heat a good cast iron caserole dish on the stove and add the olive
• Fry off the onion in the caserole dish until they are well caramelized.
• Add the pork mince first and cook off until brown.
• Once the pork is browned add the veal and cook altogether well.
• Add the tomato paste to the meat/onion mix and cook off briefly for a minute or two.
• Add the diced tomato flesh and stir in well, at the same time add the juice collected overnight.
• Stir well and cover the caserole dish then place in the pre heated oven.
• Wait at least 4 hours before removing and giving gentle stir. Test for liquid consistency and add water as necessary to reach your preferred level. This is entirely subjective and it depends how "soupy" you prefer your ragu. Now is the perfect time to test your seasoning levels, add salt as necessary however most of the salt needed is added during the tomato preparation.
• 2 hours before dishing time add the fresh herbs and stir in well and taste test.
• 1/2 hour before dishing remove and do a final liquid check and taste test.
• Dish up and enjoy. This is ideally served on fresh home made pasta (1 large egg per 125g fine plain flour) you should have ample time to make this while the ragu is cooking.