This is the modern meat sauce!
Inspired by Honest Cooking
This is not the Bolognese sauce by the book… this is just my meat sauce, the sauce of my dad, and of my grandma.
The ragù was the sauce that was used to dress the pasta on holidays or special occasions. On a daily basis there was always a broth or a soup, but on that special day my grandmother made the homemade egg noodles. So of course I had to make my own homemade noodles!
Recipe for homemade noodles after the meat sauce.
The trick to a successful meat sauce is a wooden spoon and a very slow cooking!
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion or 2 red spring onions finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper,chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped, seeds removed
- extra virgin olive oil
- 0,7 oz (20 g) butter
- 3,5 oz (100 g) mixed dried mushrooms
- 0,7 lb (300 g) ground pork
- 1,5 lb (700 g) ground beef
- 1 and 1/2 tbs salt
- 1tbsp. oregano
- 1tsp. cinnamon
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 glass red wine,
- 6,4 cups (1,5l) tomato sauce
2. Soak the mushrooms in a cup of hot water until soft.
3. Add into the meat and sauté on a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break up any meat lumps. Stir continuously to let the meat cook evenly and mix it to the chopped vegetables. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the moisture from the meat has evaporated. Scrape the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour in the red wine, bit by bit, not all at once. I recommend adding it in three stages, stirring with the wooden spoon and letting it evaporate before pouring the remaining wine. You’ll need about 10 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce, stirring thoroughly to mix it with the meat. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, then add in the squeezed and finely chopped mushrooms and the strained mushrooms water.
6. Partially cover and simmer for at least 1 hour and a half. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking.
Some tips. I know I used a large quantity of ingredients! It’s better to cook a good supply since it calls for time and dedication, isn’t it? We usually use a part of the meat sauce to dress pasta, spaghetti or lasagne on the very same day, a part is kept to be stored for a few days in the fridge, closed in a glass jar, and a part is frozen. You can use ice-cube trays to freeze single portions of meat sauce or small aluminum muffin size molds if you want to have two large portions of it.
Fresh Pasta Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of salt
Preparation Instructions:
1. Begin by mixing all of the ingredients in a food processor.
2. Add water slowly until the dough can form a ball. It's best to add a little at a time.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until you can form a ball.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Once the dough is chilled, you can cut it into pieces and use as you desire to make any type of pasta you desire.
6. Here I used a hand cranked pasta machine and made fettuccine noodles.
7.Set the machine at the widest setting roll through several times folding the dough in half till the edges form a smooth line. Then set at the machine to the narrowest setting and then the finest setting. Run the pasta through the cutter. Add a little flour to the pasta to prevent sticking.
Boil the noodles, drain and add your favorite sauce.
Pasta can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
~Making your own pasta takes a little time, but you'll find the delicious fresh taste is worth every crank of the pasta machine.
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