Pasta Bolognese

There are almost as many Bolognese recipes as there are Italians, each one unique. Yet, here's my favorite take on it. This tasty version combines beef, chicken stock and milk, simmering for over 2 hours.

Combine it with your favorite pasta, add a dusting of Parmesan, and pair it with a somewhat decent Barolo. This pasta dish is sure to impress and never disappoint.

Method

Start off with some preparation.

Finely chop the celery, carrot and onion, the pieces of vegetable should be very, very small so it melts into the sauce. Use a kitchen blender if you have one! Place the mix of vegetables in a container.

Mirepoix

A mix of celery, carrot and onion is called a mirepoix and is a common flavor base in cooking.

Next, finely chop the garlic, then slice the bacon/pancetta into small cubes, about 5mm/0.2inch in size.

After that, measure up the rest of the ingredients (the wine, tomato paste, chicken stock and milk) and place in containers.

With your hands, roll the beef into balls, about 5cm/2inch in diameter. Don't roll them too tightly, just enough to make them keep their shape.

Like a Rolling Stone

The reason we roll the meat into balls is because we want a lot of browning due to the flavor it produces, but not on all the meat because that'll make it dry

Heat vegetable oil in a pot on high heat. Add the balls of beef and brown it.

Once browned, transfer the balls of meat to a bowl and let it rest for a bit.

Embrace the caramelization

Don't be scared here, the beef should get a really dark brown color. You want that Maillard reaction going on to increase the flavor.

Turn down the heat to medium and add the bacon/pancetta into the pot, let it cook for a few minutes. Once the fat is all rendered add the mirepoix (celery, carrot, onion).

Let it cook for a minute or two until softened.

Add the balls of meat into the pot and gently break them apart with a spoon. Add the wine and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, a pinch of freshley shredded nut meg and a small pinch of dried oregano. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the bay leaf and the optional demi-glace, and pour in the chicken stock and milk.

Let everything cook on low heat for 2–2½ hours without a lid. Stir the pot once in a while. If the sauce starts to dry out towards the end, add some more chicken stock.

The finished sauce should be very thick, but'll get desired consistency once a splash of pasta water is added towards the end.

Remember to continuously taste and season as the sauce cooks!

Once you're happy with the flavor of the Bolognese, start to boil the pasta.

Get salty

Remember to add a bunch of salt in the pasta water, it should taste like taking a sip of the sea. If you think that “this is enough salt” you should probably add a bit more

When the pasta is almost done (very al dente), take a cup and grab some of that pasta water. You'll use this later to thicken the sauce.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pot with the Bolognese.

Add a splash of the pasta water that you saved in a cup.

Stir the pasta and the sauce and let it all combine for a minute or two.

Serve the dish with some parmesan, freshly grounded black bepper, olive oil and fresh oregano sprinkled on top.

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