I think the KEY to a GOOD BOLOGNESE is FRESH Ground Chuck…
A good place to start infusing flavor is by snipping some nice quality bacon into a HEAVY bottomed casserole dish…
I love my Le Creuset for this (AND for many other soups and stews and curries)…
When the fat is rendered (melted)… you have lovely, deep colour on your bacon bits…
Remember… once you add another ingredient like onions… the bacon will stop browning because of the moisture released by the vegetables… this will create steam and won’t allow any more caramelization…
So, get the bacon as crisp as you like BEFORE MOVING ON!! It can take a while!!
Add diced onion…
Dice carrots and celery…
To cut celery… hold a stalk by the top end and make long slices down the length of this wonderfully aromatic vegetable…
Italians say that you get a depth of flavor from adding celery to a dish that can’t be achieved any other way!!
Now dice across the cut stems!!
Job DONE!!
CARROTS… likewise…
These lend a sweetness…
I add my veggies as I cut and slice them… don’t worry too much about the order… but sauté on a medium-low heat so they will start to soften!!
When they ARE nice and tender… add the beef…
Poke and prod it around to get rid of its pinkness…
The other day I made an English breakfast and saved the tomato and mushroom JUICES from the pan at the end…
I ALWAYS do this these little flavor bombs… brilliant addition… I save the tiniest amounts of LEFTOVER JUICES for just this purpose!!
Some basil left over from a Marinara sauce… in THAT GOES!!
Continue to cook out the pinkness…
Once it’s gone… you can add your tomatoes… I like crushed, all natural… NOT from concentrate!!!
And, as I’ve said before… when using tinned tomatoes… swish out the CAN with some water and add that!!
But not too much… about a 1/4 CAN here… I don’t want to drown my meat!!
LOOKIN’ GOOOD 😋
Season…
Add some sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes…
I use balsamic vinegar… here about 1/8 of a cup…
BEEF LOVES PEPPER 😝👍
Bring it up to a boil… turn it down to a simmer… and let it cook away…
Stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes!!
It will thicken… and the flavors will meld!!
As you can see, it has reduced somewhat… and that intensifies the sauce…
LOVE IT!!
I then like to let it cool… and refrigerate over night… somehow this improves things even more!!
I’ll make LASAGNA with it tomorrow!!
