Spaghetti Alla Bolognese

Perhaps after the marinara sauce, Bolognese is the most sought after and popular recipe for a scrumptious plate of pasta. Traditionally made with minced beef and pork, this Italian Ragu is known for its deep red colour and flavour. Other than slow cooking the meat for more than 2 hours, using a good quality wine is just as an important ingredient for cooking Bolognese. I used spaghetti, but Tagliatelle, Pappardelle, Penne are also some of the popular choices for this recipe.

Spaghetti Alla Bolognese

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 medium onions – chopped

2 sticks of celery – chopped

2 large carrots – chopped

6 cloves of garlic – minced

6 large ripe tomatoes – chopped

2-3 tbsp concentrated tomato paste

500gm of minced mutton

2 cups of mutton stock

1 cup of red / white wine

1 and ½ tsp dried thyme

3 medium bay leaves

¼ cup of olive oil

Some grated parmiggiano-reggiano

Some chopped parsley

Salt & pepper

500gm of pasta of your choice

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot and add the chopped onions, chopped celery and chopped carrots into it.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper over them and cook on medium heat until the onions become translucent.

Add the minced mutton to it and cook until the meat is browned.

Season them with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped tomatoes, concentrated tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves to it.

Give it a good stir to mix everything and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the mutton stock, red / white wine and stir to mix.

Switch the flame to the lowest and slow cook, covered for about 1 and half hour. Do stir in between to prevent the sauce to stick to the bottom of the pan.

After slow cooking pour the sauce in a casserole and let it simmer in the oven for another 45 minutes at 350F.

After 45 minutes take the sauce out of the oven and let it sit aside.

Cook your paste according to the package instruction.

In a bowl take some of the sauce and dump the pastas in it.

Drizzle some more olive oil and mix the pastas.

Serve in a plate or bowl and pour one ladle of the sauce on top of it.

Add some grated parmiggiano-reggiano and chopped parsley on top of the sauce.

Serve immediately.