Recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese

This popular Italian meat sauce is cheap to make, very filling, and will change the way you look at "spaghetti sauce". I mean, what is "spaghetti sauce" anyways?

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Italian Sausage Meat
1 Large Carrots
2 Stalks Celery
1 Large Onion
6 Cloves Garlic
1 Pack Mushrooms (baby bella, crimini, button all work)
1 14.5 oz can of Chicken Broth (or use water and chicken bouillon)

1-2 28 oz cans of San Marzano Tomatoes
*These measurements will make for 1 large pot, enough for 5-6 people easily*
Red Wine
Basil
Oregano
Anchovies
Hot Pepper Flakes
Parmigiano Reggiano
Tomato Paste
Spaghetti

DO:
-Try eating with different types of pasta! Penne or rigatoni works very well!
-Use any type of grated Parmesan cheese you like! I frequent the Trader Joe's selection of many different cheeses.
-Use more garlic if you love it as much as I do! Personally, I would add 1 whole head of garlic in for a large pot.
-Plan to make a big batch, this stuff holds extremely well in the fridge and freezer!

-I recommend using at least one 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes,  but I've used up to two regularly for a large pot. This is so you can adjust how much tomato you want in the end. But when in doubt, use two!
-Prepare mise en place (prepare everything before cooking)!

DON'T:
-Use store bought pasta sauce for this. For this recipe it just won't work.
-Use the hot pepper flakes that you've been collecting from all of that delivery pizza. Their flavor and heat are not as strong as store bought chili flakes. Be careful if you're using the good spicy stuff!

The Meat:
For a large pot, I use about 1 pound of ground beef (85/15) and 1 pound of Italian sausage. Season the mince with salt and pepper and toss into your pot on high heat with a good amount olive oil. We're going to essentially fry the outside of the meat and create a lovely fond (meat bits stuck to the pot) at the bottom. To help break up the meat, I've had success using a potato masher. Keep it on high heat until you see the bottom covered with bits of fried meat. Whether the meat is fully cooked thru at this point doesn't matter.

The Vegetables:
I prefer to grate my carrots when making this sauce. Finely chop your celery, onions, and mushrooms (yes we're chopping the mushrooms, they should look like little bits when you're done). I aim for a size less than 1 cm wide. Add all of your vegetables to the pot with the seared meat, along with a tin of anchovies (half a tin for a small portion). Saute until soft and translucent. Finally, add your minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.

The Tomatoes:
I get a kick out of buying whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes and crushing them with my hands at home. Empty the can into a large bowl, and break up the tomatoes with your fingers. Or just used the diced variety (you're missing out!). Before we add our tomatoes, open up a well to the bottom of the pot and add 1 heaping tablespoon of tomato paste. Tomato paste is concentrated tomato. It makes our sauce hold more tomato flavor as it stews over time. And don't let the word paste scare you off.

 Shown above is the ingredients list of Prego's Italian Sausage & Garlic.

Used in the right way, tomato paste will no doubt improve your bolognese. We want to cook the tomato paste for about 1 minute first, then add 1-3 cups of red wine (I Toscana, but adjust for your own taste. The more red wine you add, the more bold, heavy, and stringent the sauce feels on the palate). Go ahead add stir in your tomatoes now too.

Simmering and Aromatics:
If you decided to use chicken broth, add the can into the pot now and add water until the liquid sits 1-2 inches above all the ingredients (depending on the dimensions of your pot). If you decided to use chicken bouillon, add 1 tbs to start or 1 cube, then add water until the liquid sits above the ingredients as mentioned above. The is almost no difference in what method you choose, but do pay attention to the salt content of either methods (taste test accordingly).

At this point, I'll chop in a large handful of basil and add some hot pepper flakes. Bring the pot up to a boil, and then back down to a simmer for 2 hours. I can guarantee that the flavor of the pot right now will taste completely different with time. Be sure to check on the sauce for water content! I like my bolognese to be thick and meaty as shown earlier.

The recipe is done and what you do next is entirely up to you! Serve your bolognese on top of your pasta and feast! Garnish with basil? Grate some fine aged Parmigiano Reggiano on top? Just some ideas to play around with.

*Below are some miscellaneous tips and other things that I found useful when making spaghetti bolognese*

-Most ground beef is made from beef chuck (shoulder), which has lots of connective tissue ground into it. By simmering the sauce for a long time, the meat actually becomes more tender as the connective tissue breaks down. This also releases a lot of flavor from the meat, which is perfect!
-Split Italian sausages out of their casings and use their meat directly. But don't let that be the only way to do it! You can sear the sausages whole to develop even more flavor! You can cut the sausages up after, or just let them fall apart in the sauce.
-Taste testing before simmering often has weird results. You still taste every ingredient separately and it's hard to gauge the actual flavor.
-Want to increase umami? Cook your bolognese in a dutch oven. Instead of simmering, bake your entire pot at 350 F for a few hours to caramelize the bolognese on the side of the pot. Scrape them down later and stir in before serving.
-Wrap up your extra tomato paste in plastic wrap and freeze in 1-2 Tbsp portions for easy use!
-Only use a red wine you would drink for your cooking. In fact, drink some as you're cooking!

Recipe: Carbonara Pasta

Let's face it, we've all tried to make Carbonara and failed at one point or another. There is so much dispute about this dish: to add cream or not, to use guanciale, pancetta or bacon, Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, or even what type of pasta to use! The answer? It doesn't matter at all.

Shown above is a Bucatini Carbonara made with pancetta. Yes, it was delicious. No, it was not my preferred way of making it. Point is, make your dishes so that you love to eat them! 

Below is the recipe of how to make this delicious pasta dish. Even further below that are some tips, food science, history, and how to argue with Italians.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti or Bucatini

Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano

Pancetta, Bacon, or Guanciale

Eggs

DO:

-Take into account that 2 eggs is perfect for about 8 oz of pasta, which is enough for about 2 people!
-Use whatever choice of meat you want, whether it be bacon, pancetta, or guanciale!

-If you're using bacon, about 2-3 strip per person will be enough.
-Do remove some fat rendered and replace with olive oil for a slightly less greasy palate (optional)!
-Prepare mise en place (get everything ready before you start cooking)!
-Salt your pasta water generously!

DON'T:
-Pour in all of the egg mixture at once if you don't know what you're doing.
-Cook your meat on high heat, for it will burn and fry before fully rendering out the fat.
-Use too much meat. More on this later.

Preparing the cream sauce:
Beat your eggs and a generous amount of grated cheese into a bowl. We're talking about at least 1/2 - 1 cup of grated cheese. Be sure to add lots of pepper, enough til where you can see many specks of black pepper in the mixture. The black pepper is almost worthy of calling a main ingredient in this dish.

Preparing the pasta:
Boil your pasta according to instructions, or until the pasta is fully cooked (do not undershoot by 1-2 minutes for al dente/absorption).

Shown above is some delicious pancetta that I bought at a local Italian market.

Preparing the meat and timing:

Briefly gauge how long your pasta will cook, for it will determine when you should start cooking your meat. You want the pasta to be hot and right out of the boiling pot for this dish to work. Begin by slicing your meat of choice into small chunks or slices. Cook your meat on medium heat. If you were to use high heat, the meat will be fully fried before the fat has had time to render out all of its goodness. The meat is done when it's slightly crispy, but doesn't look like you're stirring around fried bits.

Optional tip: I know of some people who do not like the extremely fatty palate of the all the fat produced in this dish. I suggest absorbing half of it out with a paper towel, and adding in some olive oil instead, which is much healthier and emulsifies into sauce just as well.

The assembly:
Everything in this step happens very fast and you may want some help. When the meat and pasta are cooked to your liking, transfer the pasta directly from the boiling pot into your pan. For good measure, add a ladle of pasta water into the pan. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, and slowly drizzle in your egg and cheese mixture, stirring as you go. Don't have a helper? Spoon in the sauce in small amounts, making sure it's fully incorporated before you continue. By adding it in slowly, you prevent the eggs from cooking regularly and becoming a pasta dish with a side of eggs. The hot pasta and residual heat from the pan will cook the egg and cheese mixture as it's mixed in, turning into a most creamy and decadent sauce.

I have to say, I don't have any good experience with how carbonara sits in a refrigerator as left overs, so try to finish all of it (and get FAT). Not that you would have any trouble for how amazing this pasta dish can be.

*The recipe ends here, but below are some things that I have learned when preparing the dish and some extra information for the scholarly*

Shown above is Carbonara made with spaghetti and bacon. My girlfriend had the brilliant idea of seasoning and toasting breadcrumbs to top the dish with. It was absolutely amazing. The crunch contrasted the creamy texture, and I would definitely suggest it if you're willing to branch out of the norm.

The Meat:
-All three types of meat are cured to have immense flavor. When I bought pancetta to make this dish a second time, I made the mistake of adding too much of it into the dish, resulting in a salty and very "ham" tasting pasta.
-When using bacon, try to use an non-smoked variety and avoid maple/sweet bacons. In fact, the package should just say "Bacon" on it.
-Guanciale is cured pig cheek. It is the most traditional meat you can use for this dish, followed by pancetta, then bacon. But honestly, I think the bacon version of this dish is just as amazing.

The Pasta:
 -Bucatini pasta is a fat version of spaghetti, but with a hole that runs thru the center of the pasta. I've found enjoyment in using both.

The Cheese:
-Pecorino Romano is the authentic cheese to use for this dish, but Parmigiano Reggiano works just fine.

The Black Pepper:
-My sources (the internet) tell me that the term Carbonara was to refer to the carbon-like speckles that the black pepper appears as in this dish. So be sure to use enough black pepper to achieve this appearance.

Carbonara History:
-If it had to be said, Carbonara would be the one pasta dish that defined Roman pasta. So as I've encouraged you to make the pasta dish however you want to, be ready to don gladiator gear and ward them off. Be sure to use many hand gestures.