COOKING CLASS OHIO

Why must April's homemade Bolognese sauce take SO long to cook! It's making me really nuts. And I'm usually a very patient mental patient...er...man.

BTW, this isn't a family recipe or anything. It came from some internet site a while ago. Don't recall which one, but here it is for those who asked. My apologies to the author, since I can't recall its origin. I have April leave out the celery because I really loathe celery.

Bolognese Sauce - Ragu alla bolognese

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: At least 2-3 hours
Cost: Reasonable
Difficulty: Easy

Chef's Note
This traditional recipe originated in Emilia-Romagna, Italy's richest gastronomic region.

There's no better place to savour traditional Bolognese sauce with delicious pasta than in Bologna, a city with a wealth of Roman and medieval ruins. (And while you're here you might also sample the famous ham from the neighbouring town of Parma.) There exist as many versions of the sauce as there are cooks in Bologna. The recipe can vary in proportions or in the addition of certain ingredients, but the basic recipe remains the same - one to which cooks add their own personal touches!

Pasta with Bolognese sauce is served as a first course or as a side dish with breaded veal scaloppini. But whatever the menu, don't forget to pour a glass of Lambrusco, a wine from the region.

Tips
We've suggested a simmering time of two to three hours, but if you have the time, let the sauce simmer over low heat for four to six hours. The principle is simple: the longer the sauce simmers, the richer the flavour and consistency become. Be sure to stir it regularly so that it doesn't stick., always using a wooden spoon. Metal can oxidize in contact with tomato and leave an unpleasant metallic taste.

Uses
Even though this sauce is usually paired with spaghetti, it is also good with tagliatelle or lasagne.

Ingredients

* 125 g (4 oz.) lean ground pork
* 375 g (13 oz.) ground beef
* 125 g (5 oz.) smoked ham
* 125 g (5 oz.) chicken livers (optional)
* 2 onions, chopped
* 4 tbsp. chopped carrot
* 125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped celery
* 4 tbsp. butter
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 125 ml (1/2 cup) red or white wine
* 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
* 800 g (1 3/4 lb.) peeled tomatoes + 2 tbsp. tomato paste
* 3 tbsp. cream (optional)
* Salt, pepper
* Bay leaves, basil (optional)


Method

1. Make a "battuto" - in other words, chop all the vegetables (don't forget to remove the "strings" from the celery before chopping);
2. Saute the onion, carrot and celery over low heat in oil (or oil and butter); sweat the vegetables until they colour slightly;
3. add the garlic, stirring well with a wooden spoon;
4. add the ground meat and cook over low heat, breaking the meat up with a fork. Season with salt and pepper;
5. deglaze with the white or red wine; increase the heat and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the quartered tomatoes and the tomato paste, thinned with a little tomato juice, water or broth.
6. Season with the bay leaves and basil, if using, and combine well.
7. Increase the heat to medium so that the sauce boils gently; cover the pot and let simmer for two to three hours, adding more broth as necessary.
8. If you are using cream, add it an hour before the end of the cooking time; remove the bay leaves before serving. The cream will tend to cut some of the tomato's acidity.

Buon appetito!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with butter spray, or lightly oil with vegetable oil. Place slice of ham in cup, fold in any excess (you don't want the edges flopping out and laying over each other). Put about a tablespoon of caramelized sweet Vidalia onion and grated smoked Gouda cheese* in each cup. Top with an egg. Bake for about 20 minutes or until eggs are set.

*You can of course use literally any toppings you wish. The first time I made these I used goat cheese and Pesto alla Genovese. Use regular deli ham, not paper thin but thin enough to easily go into the cups. The edges look burned, but that's just because I used Black Forest ham, which has that black glaze. The eggs are going to be solid; you can't bake eggs and wind up with a runny yolk. Texture-wise they're like a poached or medium-boiled egg. Sometimes you will get an egg that bubbles as it cooks (see lower right corner); it looks weird but is a normal process of cooking and tastes fine.

Time-saving tip: Caramelize the onions the night before and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

From The I <3 Trader Joe's Cookbook.