***JJR4884's Pasta Bolognese DIY***

Hello All

Figured I would change it up a bit and do something nice and simple. Total prep time was 10 minutes, if that.... and total cook time was about 45 minutes (could have been 20, but I used raw canned tomatoes so they had to cook longer)

K so we have a simple bolognese that is easy to cook and tastes great, here is what we are gonna need

1 pound pasta
1 can of tomatoes, crushed is fine, kitchen ready... w/e its the same thing
1 pound of ground beef, i used 93% fat free so i can use all the juices
8 garlic cloves (4 is fine, i like a lot tho)
1 large shallot (or half yellow onion is fine)
Salt
Pepper
Red Wine
1/2 tsp Cumin


K to start off with any pasta dish, get some garlic, chop it up, put it in a pan with some EVOO and simmer it. Don't cook it to fast, if you burn it I'll come to your house and kill you....





When its soft, pour the tomatoes in, cook it on high and stir frequently. After you pour the tomatoes in, fill about a 1/3 of it with water, swish it around get the rest of the tomatoes out of there and pour it all in



K keep that on high and lets focus on the beef. Mine was still frozen, so i did defrost it on and off for a few minutes, but its not necessary. If you put it in the frig in the morning it will be perfect, i forgot I chopped up a decent sized shallot and chopped it up, however i should have used a little bit less, and i should have sauteed them a little bit before i put the beef in, but whatever they were fine.




Since it was frozen, i had to keep flipping it and scraping off the cooked/defrosted meat. Here it is mostly broken up




Here it is pretty much cooked. Don't worry if it isn't fully cooked, it will finish in the sauce




Taste the sauce... if it still tastes like raw tomatoes, don't put the meat in yet. I think mine cooked for about 25 minutes on high heat with a consistent boil (wasn't bubbling like crazy) You can actually see that the sauce thickens up. so once done...... toss everything in. Since I used 93%, i poured all the meat/juice in..... if it were a higher fat content, i would have scooped some of that out, would have been too greasy



Pasta should be in at this point.... follow the directions on the box for best results

Pour in about 1/3 a cup of wine... you don't have to, but it completely changes the flavor of the sauce. It adds a great earthy taste to the sauce and I think it compliments the meat very well... so pour it in and let that cook/simmer to burn some of that alcohol off. Any red wine will do BTW, doesn't matter if it cabernet or pinot noir



Here is a new thing that I tried, and I gotta say it worked out great. Add the cumin...... MAKE SURE YOU DON'T OVER DO IT...... literally a 1/2 of teaspoon, maybe even a little less... This adds a great spicy/smokey flavor that brings the meat out. Never thought about using it before, but i tried it a few weeks ago and everyone that tried it raved about it.

After you add the cumin, i'm sure it will need salt and pepper........ maybe even a little water, so taste it a few times from here on out until it tastes good to you. If you want to spice it up even more, you can even throw in some red pepper flakes too i didn't, but its always an option






Once the pasta is ready, strain it and toss it right in the pasta, mix well... it surprising takes a while to have it mixed evenly lol



Plate up and serve
You have an awesome dinner for a tuesday night




Clearly serve with a heavier and drier red....... merlot or cabernet will work perfectly fine

Casillero del Diablo Cabernet was our choice for tonight (not my pic btw)





Enjoy

J

will try this soon. sub'd...

You know how I know you're gay?





jk, looks good mang :|

real men cook wes, girls are for clean up and getting me a brownie
thats right, laura rewarded me with a brownie, it was delicious

guys

Originally Posted by JJR4884

thats right, laura rewarded me with her brown eye, it was delicious

guys

oh really?


hahaha.

I have tried cumin in tomato sauce, I don't care for it much.


We make pasta at least once a week, I have a really quick and inexpensive recipe.

First thing I do is get a pot on for the pasta, I always use a lot of water, so it takes a while to get going. Also remember to salt the water liberally.

For the sauce, I let the cans of tomato be my limiting agents, so this is for one can of tomatoes....

one medium onion, sometimes I use a red onion-- diced
about five good cloves of garlic smashed and chopped- love garlic
sometimes some carrot diced

all of this goes in the pot with a good amount of evoo, more than I would use if I were just cooking the onions/garlic/carrot since the oil will flavor the rest of the sauce. If I am adding meat to the sauce I add it now to cook with the onions.

Salt.

Once this is going well, I will throw in some crushed red pepper flakes and dried spices. The Fresh Market sells an italian seasoning mix that is rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil and marjoram. I like to get those in early because the hot oil really opens the spices up an fries them a bit, and in return they flavor the oil. It really helps to disperse the flavors evenly throughout the sauce.

Then I dump in a can of crushed tomatoes, san marzano if I have them. Let the tomatoes cook a bit to round off the harsh edge of the flavor and to get the oil dispersed around. Many times I will add some alcohol, sometimes wine, sometimes vodka, to help with the alcohol soluble flavors of tomatoes- often overlooked.

By now, hopefully the pasta is a bit under perfect, so I will drain it and dump it into the sauce to let it finish up in the sauce.


This usually takes about 30-45 minutes in total, so it's pretty fast.

Originally Posted by davidwarren

oh really?


hahaha.

I have tried cumin in tomato sauce, I don't care for it much.


We make pasta at least once a week, I have a really quick and inexpensive recipe.

First thing I do is get a pot on for the pasta, I always use a lot of water, so it takes a while to get going. Also remember to salt the water liberally.

For the sauce, I let the cans of tomato be my limiting agents, so this is for one can of tomatoes....

one medium onion, sometimes I use a red onion-- diced
about five good cloves of garlic smashed and chopped- love garlic
sometimes some carrot diced

all of this goes in the pot with a good amount of evoo, more than I would use if I were just cooking the onions/garlic/carrot since the oil will flavor the rest of the sauce. If I am adding meat to the sauce I add it now to cook with the onions.

Salt.

Once this is going well, I will throw in some crushed red pepper flakes and dried spices. The Fresh Market sells an italian seasoning mix that is rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil and marjoram. I like to get those in early because the hot oil really opens the spices up an fries them a bit, and in return they flavor the oil. It really helps to disperse the flavors evenly throughout the sauce.

Then I dump in a can of crushed tomatoes, san marzano if I have them. Let the tomatoes cook a bit to round off the harsh edge of the flavor and to get the oil dispersed around. Many times I will add some alcohol, sometimes wine, sometimes vodka, to help with the alcohol soluble flavors of tomatoes- often overlooked.

By now, hopefully the pasta is a bit under perfect, so I will drain it and dump it into the sauce to let it finish up in the sauce.


This usually takes about 30-45 minutes in total, so it's pretty fast.

dave

thanks for the recipe
i never finished cooking pasta in the sauce before

i'll try it out definitely, thanks

hey JJ, the wine that you drank, is that the same you used when you prepared the meal? Also, if you have time, would you make a thread about wine and how to taste it and all these little things about wine that you know? I realize you always drink wine when making a DIY and I know nothing about wine.

~

^



i have a copy...

Originally Posted by FlasHGordoN

hey JJ, the wine that you drank, is that the same you used when you prepared the meal? Also, if you have time, would you make a thread about wine and how to taste it and all these little things about wine that you know? I realize you always drink wine when making a DIY and I know nothing about wine.

~

That wasn't the wine I drank with the meal, however it would have paired up nicely with it.... That 337 is a great $13 cab from California, and i'm very picky with Cali wines

If Laura and I don't finish a bottle or only have a little left, it can turn afer a few days and become very dry and bitter, so I'll throw it in the fridge and use it to cook

I'll make a thread on wine tasting for you

Originally Posted by EDawg

^



i have a copy...

hahaa you say but that is one of the best wine books I have read yet.... that book is the PERFECT book for a beginner. I refer it to everyone and they all give me the stink eye

in

Johnathan, where do you live?

I'm coming over for dinner.

rhode island, come find me, i'll either be

1. At the lq store picking out wine
2. The kitchen GETTING at it

my lunch is in half an hour , you're in Rhode Island? You're near Newport? I just went down there last week for squid fishing. It was awesome.

I am going to make this either tomorrow or Saturday.

Originally Posted by AznGuilty

my lunch is in half an hour , you're in Rhode Island? You're near Newport? I just went down there last week for squid fishing. It was awesome.

i'm about 45 minutes north/northwest.... close to provicence
how awesome is newport

next time you come lemme know, i'll take a swing down

Originally Posted by that_one_guy

I am going to make this either tomorrow or Saturday.

BTW i forgot to mention it, but i seasoned the meat with salt and pepper while it was cooking
and i didn't measure the cumin, but seriously only put in a little bit.... it should give a tiny little smoky hint to the sauce, thats it. if you don't taste it right away, you can always at a little more at a time

enjoy

The original bolognese sauce (ragu') is made a little different, though. Briefly:

1)You start (like with many sauces for pasta) with what it's called "battuto" which means a fine chopped mixed of onion, celery and carrots which you put to simmer with EVOO. Usually no more than a clove of garlic is added (it depends on your taste, of course) but don't chop it or it will overpower the flavor of the "battuto".

2)when the onion is perfectly browned (careful no to burn it) you add the ground beef and finely chopped mortadella and let it cook for a while while adding some cloves. After a few minutes add some salt (which will make the beef loose its water) and pepper.

3) Once the meat has changed color you add a glass of white wine. One useful tip: when you add ingredients that are at a different temperature of what you are cooking in a pan (like wine and later tomato sauce in this case), try to create a space in the middle of the pan pushing the cooking mixture to the sides. then pour the cold ingredient in the middle of that "hole".

4) After a few minutes it is time to add the tomato sauce (actually, the original calls for tomato paste but I prefer to use crushed tomatoes). More salt and pepper and you are set.

5) Let it cook to taste (Usually the longer, the better).

Originally Posted by Camicia

The original bolognese sauce (ragu') is made a little different, though. Briefly:

1)You start (like with many sauces for pasta) with what it's called "battuto" which means a fine chopped mixed of onion, celery and carrots which you put to simmer with EVOO. Usually no more than a clove of garlic is added (it depends on your taste, of course) but don't chop it or it will overpower the flavor of the "battuto".

2)when the onion is perfectly browned (careful no to burn it) you add the ground beef and finely chopped mortadella and let it cook for a while while adding some cloves. After a few minutes add some salt (which will make the beef loose its water) and pepper.

3) Once the meat has changed color you add a glass of white wine. One useful tip: when you add ingredients that are at a different temperature of what you are cooking in a pan (like wine and later tomato sauce in this case), try to create a space in the middle of the pan pushing the cooking mixture to the sides. then pour the cold ingredient in the middle of that "hole".

4) After a few minutes it is time to add the tomato sauce (actually, the original calls for tomato paste but I prefer to use crushed tomatoes). More salt and pepper and you are set.

5) Let it cook to taste (Usually the longer, the better).

this "bolognese" was a tuesday night quick dinner so i improvised to make it a "less than an hour to make" dinner, i do make it similar to the way you make it

onions, carrots and celery ..... then i take them out when its time to add the tomato paste/crushed tomatoes

the mortadella however..... never tried it using that, i'll try it next time, thank you!

yummmmmm

I love your food threads

Originally Posted by slog7

yummmmmm

I love your food threads

more to come i promise

I usually add carrots, celery and onions to my bolognese, and a lot more spices...