Mari’s Chef Gennaro Contaldo-inspired One Hell Of A Bolognese
Recipe Adapted by Mari Loewen from Chef Gennaro Contaldo's Bolognese
Bolognese taught by Chef Gennaro Contaldo which he calls "one hell of a recipe that is worth every minute of love, care, and attention”. Originally created by his mother, this recipe is epic. And instead of the usual ground meats, he uses whole pieces of meat cooked until they fall apart..
Here, I used short ribs and Italian sausage, the meat falls apart after hours of braising this recipe is perfect for your slow cooker or Dutch oven. This is a weekend make ahead, which you can freeze and warm just before serving.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Italian sausage, casing removed and cut into large chunks
1 pound beef short ribs, cut into large chunks (or 3 rib pieces)
1 small onion, minced
1 small carrot, minced
1 cup good red wine
1 (28-ounce) and 1 (14 ounce) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 whole bunch basil
1 (1-lb) package spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Preparation
Melt olive oil in dutch oven, and over medium to high heat, brown meat making sure not to overcrowd the meat. Your want a good sear on all sides. Remove and set aside. In same Dutch oven, reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrot; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add seared meats back in, add red wine, and tomatoes by squeezing tomatoes through fingers into pot. Add whole bunch of basil on top and cover with lid. Reduce heat to medium to low and cook up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Watch the heat as well, Dutch ovens really hold their heat, you may want to turn the heat down to lowest after a while, you want a simmer at this point.. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, cook pasta in stock pot in well-salted water to just before al dente stage. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Place pasta and reserved pasta water back into pot, add 4 cups meat sauce and cook another 2 to 4 minutes or until pasta is al dente (firm to the bite) and the sauce has thickened. Adding the pasta water adds the gluten into the sauce making it silky and creamy and coats the pasta well. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.Serves 4.
Note: For slow cooker or Instant Pot, please use cooking times according to manufacturers directions for each individual pot. The important thing is to sear the meat before hand. Searing the meat adds flavour.
