Pasta Bolognese
Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell. Brown food tastes good - don't rush the browning. It's a game of reduce and add more water; adding it all at once gives boiled meat sauce. Pasta water should always be salted like the ocean.
Ingredients
- 1 Onion, large (or 2 small), 1-inch dice
- 2 Carrot, large, 1/2-inch dice
- 3 rib Celery, 1-inch dice
- 4 clove Garlic
- Olive oil, extra-virgin, for the pan
- Kosher salt
- 3 lb Ground chuck, or brisket or round, or a combination
- 2 cup Tomato paste
- 3 cup Red wine, hearty
- Water
- 3 Bay leaf
- 1 bunch Thyme, tied in a bundle
- 1 lb Spaghetti
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- Olive oil, high-quality extra-virgin, for finishing
Directions
- Puree the onion, carrots, celery and garlic into a coarse paste. Coat a large pan with oil over medium heat, add the paste and season generously. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until all the water evaporates and it's nice and brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient.
- Add the beef, season generously again and BROWN it, another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook until brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add water to about 1 inch above the meat, add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally. Add 2 to 3 cups more water at a time as it evaporates. Taste often and season. Simmer 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- In the last 30 minutes, boil the spaghetti in well-salted water for 1 minute less than the package says. Save 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Set aside half the ragu. Add the drained pasta to the pot with the rest and toss, adding reserved sauce as needed for an even ratio. Add the pasta water and cook over medium heat until it reduces.
- Off the heat, add a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of finishing oil and toss vigorously. Serve topped with the remaining cheese.