Bolognese with fresh pasta!

When your stove bites the dust on Thanksgiving day, you resort to your favorite stove-top recipes…. There’s nothing like Bolognese with fresh pasta.

I honestly can’t eat anything BUT fresh pasta after making this recipe. OK, spaghetti in a pinch but otherwise, it has to be fresh.

My mum always made a great meat sauce. It is quick and super tasty. But what about those Sunday afternoons when you feel like a 5 hour cooking expedition? I found the answer with Anne Burrell’s bolognese recipe. The video is hysterical but super helpful so it’s not to be missed.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/pasta-bolognese-recipe/index.html

She’s not kidding when she says to salt the hell out of the vegetables as they’re browning….then again when the meat is browning. Just be sure to taste as you go.

The browning of the pureed vegetables and meat takes time. A lot of time. Also, when she says to cover the beef & vegetable mixture with an inch of water, repeatedly, go easy. A cup of water, at a time, is perfect. Otherwise, you’ll end up with boiled beef.

For the meat, I used to buy sweet Italian sausage, ground chuck and ground pork. That works well but then I found some crazy mixture called meatloaf mix. It’s veal, pork and beef and it works perfectly.

Lastly, I always add sugar to cut the acidity of the tomato paste. It’s a must. Bay leaves are also crucial.

Don’t forget the wine!! A $10 bottle of cab sav will do just fine.

….time for sweatpants and my couch because bolognese + fresh pasta + garlic bread = food coma!

Anne Burrell’s pasta recipe is also excellent.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/chef-annes-all-purpose-pasta-dough-recipe/index.html