January 10, 2010

Bolognese Sauce

I somehow got on the mailing list for Williams-Sonoma and if I ever win the lottery, I would like to have every pot, pan, knife and kitchen gadget they sell! Their catalog is gorgeous, AND they throw in a few recipes too!

Bolognese Sauce is my absolute favorite sauce of all time. I NEVER make it since its so high in calories, but I never knew exactly how high until I decided to figure out the calories for this recipe. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought. The recipe says it makes 9 cups, so I figure 1 serving for me would be 1/2 a cup.

For each 1/2 cup it would be 202 calories, 12 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber.

I based that on 85% lean beef in the recipe, if you use a leaner cut, that could save you a few calories, and you could lessen the amount of beef I suppose. BUT, I am going to make it like this, and enjoy it with my favorite pasta and not feel guilty about it!

Bolognese Sauce
This classic Italian sauce, made with ground beef, pork and pancetta, is easy to prepare in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/4 lb. each ground beef
1 1/4 lb. ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup milk
2 cans (each 28 oz.) whole tomatoes, passed through a food mill
2 bay leaves
1 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
1 lb. tagliatelle, cooked
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions:
In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the ground beef, pork, salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Add the pancetta to the insert and cook until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the ground meats, pancetta, milk, tomatoes, bay leaves, cheese rind, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Place the insert on the slow-cooker base. Cover and cook on high until the sauce thickens, about 3 1/2 hours. Discard the bay leaves and cheese rind. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with about 3 cups sauce (reserve the remaining sauce for another use). Serve immediately and pass the grated cheese alongside. Makes 9 cups sauce.