RED WINE BOLOGNESE WITH RIGATONI
I am sitting here with a cup of tea in my wool socks and white terry cloth spa robe watching the snow fall outside my kitchen windows. I am cozy and content and love how peaceful and silent the snowfall makes the world feel. I love when there is a big snowfall in January, it is kinda a much needed break from the hustle and bustle that Christmas and the holidays can create. It is kinda of like this is our break and time to recharge without any guilt that can come when you have to turn down Christmas parties or when you have had to host a few too many and feel rather exhausted from all of it.
I am about to start a large pot of turkey chilli, one of my favourite snow day comfort foods, I have one special ingredient that I think takes the chili to a whole other level but I will save that for another post. My other favourite snow day comfort meal would be this here red wine bolognese of mine. Now, I know everyone says they have the best bolognese sauce recipe, come on you know you want to say you have the best, you do, I get it! Maybe it has been passed down from generations, Grandmother to daughter to her daughter and so on and I bet its good, I bet its really good. But you guys, this one is so good, great, even dare I say fricken amazing!
It is also created with almost an entire bottle of red wine, so if you are a red wine drinking kind of friend you will probably like this bolognese even more. Even if you don’t like red wine the richness and depth it gives this bolognese, makes you want to speak in Italian and dance around the kitchen singing “Bellissimo!!”. I am not Italian by any means but I if I have any picture of an Italian home kitchen that is what I think is happening and I kinda want to be included.
This red wine bolognese, like any good red wine bolognese takes time. The longer you can simmer it the better, 3 hours minimum, but on the plus side it should make enough for leftovers and trust me, you are going to want leftovers. Some might say a little dash of cinnamon or nutmeg is missing but personally I don’t love the sweet spices in my bolognese, however feel free to add them in if that is your thing! I love rigatoni with my bolognese but any pasta of your choice will work wonderfully.
Red Wine Bolognese
Ingredients
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 cups of vine tomatoes (or 454 grams)
1 large onion
6 cloves of garlic
3 cups of red wine
2 720 ml jars of strained tomatoes
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 pounds of ground beef
1 cup of half and half milk
3 bay leaves
bundle of fresh basil
5 sprigs of thyme
5 sprigs of oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a food processor, separately pulse until fine the celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Roughly chop the small vine tomatoes. Take the sprigs of thyme and oregano and tie into a bundle, set aside.
In a large deep sauce pan or stock pot on medium/high heat add 3 tbsp of olive oil and 3 tbsp of tbsp of butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until they are translucent and slightly browned. Add in the celery, carrot and tomatoes, cook until the juices have absorbed and the veggies are thick. About 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan on medium heat, add in a dash of olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of butter. Add the ground beef and brown, season with salt and pepper. Once browned, add a splash of red wine to de-glaze the pan, then add the ground beef to the veggies.
Once the veggies and ground beef are combined, add in 1 cup of red wine and cook for 5 minutes. Next, add in the jars of strained tomatoes, bundle of herbs, bay leaves and the remaining red wine and salt and pepper (1-2 tsp of each) stir well, bring to a bubble then turn the heat down to a simmer. Stirring occasionally let the sauce simmer. After 45 minutes, add in the balsamic vinegar. Then after 2 hours stir in the half and half milk and let simmer for one more final hour, also do a little taste test here to see if you need anymore salt and pepper. Trust me these ‘hours’ are worth it!
Boil your favourite pasta 15 minutes before you are ready to serve and add a bundle of fresh chopped basil to the bolognese sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and a little more fresh basil on top! Bellissimo!