Blonde Bolognese
For when you want to have more fun.
Ingredients
Soffritto
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
Other
- 600 g pork or beef mince (ground), or a mixture
- 120 g pancetta, chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1½ cups white wine
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 450 g pasta - casarecce/fettucini/tagliatelle/rigatoni. Normally allow 100g dried pasta per person but with this sauce, a smaller amount goes a surprisingly long way
- herbs of your choosing (parsley, thyme, rosemary)
- lemon, squeeze plus some zest if you wish (optional)
- parmesan to finish
- olive oil, salt, pepper
Instructions
- Fry pancetta in olive oil until fat renders off, but that it doesn't get too dark.
- Add onion, celery and carrot to pan and gently cook until soft. Add a little more oil if necessary. Remove soffritto and pancetta from pan.
- Fry meat, breaking it up, until mostly cooked. Add back in the pancetta, onion/celery/carrot mix, as well as the garlic.
- Add wine and cook for about 4 minutes, continuing to break up meat, until wine reduces.
- Add 1 cup of stock, ½ cup milk, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer slowly on a low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add remaining 1 cup of stock and remaining ½ cup milk. Continue to simmer slowly on a low heat, partially covered, for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. If the heat is low enough it should not dry out, but if it ever does, add in a little extra stock.
- Start cooking pasta according to packet directions. Be sure not to overcook, as it will finish in the sauce. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
- Add salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon and zest if using. Any additional herbs.
- By now the bolognese will have been cooking for about 1 hour and 40/45 minutes. Add drained pasta, pasta water and stir continuously but gently for a few minutes, ensuring ingredients are well distributed and pasta soaks up the juices from the bolognese.
- At this point, if you like your pasta creamier, you could add in a little extra milk or some cream.
- Add any extra herbs, salt, pepper. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.