The Sobremesa 04.

let's talk about bolognese

If you were to ask me what I’d want for my last meal on earth, absolutely anything in the world, I would choose bolognese.

I never knew what I loved so much my whole life was really called “bolognese” until a about five years ago. Growing up, we always called it “spaghetti.” Spaghetti meant a rich red sauce with ground beef - and my mom always made a huge vat of it so that I could take leftovers in a big ass container to school the next day for lunch. Move over PB&J! I was the queen of lunchtime.

Like many great dishes, there are one million and one ways to make bolognese. And of course there are when the two main ingredients are just ground meat and tomato sauce! Everyone claims theirs is the best - there’s a lot of legacy and pride in a bolognese recipe. I think it’s because bolognese is such a homey meal, and many of us grew up eating this as a weekly staple. My mom even had two versions: the fancy one with a rich blend of pork, beef, and veal that simmers on the stovetop for 6 hours (available exclusively for my birthday because that was the reaaaal deal). And the chill weeknight one we had every few weeks in-between soccer practice and homework made with Rao’s jarred sauce with ground beef and doctored up with some spices (aka Spaghetti!).

One thing I love about this dish is that it’s actually a really a simple, peasant meal where your only real critical investment is the investment of the hours that it takes for it to simmer on the stovetop. But hey, even time isn’t even really an investment these days! It’s a pandemic after all and most of us have nothing but time. Might as well make some bomb bolognese while you sit your ass inside.

It’s been hot as hell in my apartment this summer - mainly because I’m stubborn and cheap and I refused to install AC until one fateful morning in August when I woke up sweating on top of my sheets. As a consequence, I didn’t really eat any hot food in my apartment because turning on the stovetop for a long period of time meant willingly bringing a fiery hell into our home.

But, finally, I woke up late this Sunday and felt a chill in the air. Could it be….fall is here? A quick weather app check and a peek outside my window to see the passerbys wearing sweaters confirmed my suspicion. I jumped out of bed and cried out “LET’S MAKE BOLOGNESE!” I was craving delicious, hot food that could actually simmer on my stovetop for hours without making my dog sprawl out on the wood floor panting his lungs out.

It was on. I checked my cabinet and I had the essentials already, I just needed to grab a couple things from the bodega. I was back in 5 mins and ready to rock.

What’s cool about making bolognese on a Sunday is that you can sleep in, throw your ingredients in a pot, and then let it simmer while you tend to your other Sunday tasks. Bonus - you use about half a bottle of wine in this recipe, so you can also drink while it cooks! Awesome!

We got to work on Tim’s family’s recipe that has become our home’s staple. While I originally felt like I was betraying my own family recipe that I grew up loving so much, this one really speaks to me and I’ve decided to welcome it into my heart. It’s rich, flavorful, and homey. And the ingredients are most likely cheap weird staples in your pantry already. It uses soy sauce, ginger, and curry powder - which I would never ever think of myself - and adds a ton of depth and umami to the dish. This recipe is actually originally from a newspaper clipping from the 70’s that they still keep safe in a Ziploc bag on the kitchen counter. Like me, Tim also has fond memories of growing up with his family making this dish every couple weeks. And they would also make a ton of it at a time so that they could reheat for the next few days. We’ve just done a lil’ tweaking to this recipe to make it our new staple and continue the bolognese legacy in our home.

Patch Bolognese

Serves 8-12. But even if you aren’t serving this many, make this amount so you can have LEFTOVERS!!!

~3 hours

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or ground bison

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, chopped finely

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 package mushrooms, chopped

7 cups Italian plum tomatoes

2 small cans tomato paste (12oz total)

2 cups dry red wine, like a Merlot or Pinot Noir

4 cups beef broth (or beef bone broth if you wanna upgrade!)

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon teaspoon fresh minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon fresh curry powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Ready? Let’s gooooooo!

Pour your oil in dutch oven or in the largest pot you got, turn to medium heat, and brown your beef and mushrooms. We like adding mushrooms because it supplements the meat well and makes it that much richer.

Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, wine, soy sauce and some cranks of pepper and a couple pinches of salt. Use a spoon to break down the plum tomatoes a bit. Simmer for 2-3 hours over low heat, stirring every 15-20 mins (otherwise, the sauce will burn on the bottom…we’ve learned that the hard way).

Add the curry powder, fresh ginger, and brown sugar and simmer for at least another 15 mins. I put some measurements for these ingredients to help guide you, but you really should be adding to taste as it simmers. Cooking is all about tasting and adjusting as you go, and this is especially the case with bolognese! Don’t be afraid, just go for it and trust your taste buds!

When it’s finished, the sauce should be thick, and reduced down a couple inches (measurement depends on your pot size, but you’ll see where it’s cooked down on the side of the pot).

This will taste even better if you let it sit overnight (but who are we kidding, you’re going to eat this TONIGHT!) so that’s why I advise you to make a big ole’ batch and then eat leftovers the rest of the week. Also, if you’re going to go through the effort, might as well enjoy it as many times as possible.

Scoop this ish over a bowl of your fav noodle. I’m partial to a spaghetti or bucatini, because I love the act of swirling it up with my fork and slurping it up like I’m recreating Lady and the Tramp.

Now define your dining mood. Are you on a sexy date? Set a table with glasses of wine and candles and feel like you’re in a Piazza. Or are you looking to continue your Sunday Netflix binge? Put on your sweatpants and bring this party to the couch. Dealer’s choice - bolognese loves you no matter what.

Happy cooking! Love ya mucho,

Tessa