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Last summer, while on vacation in Maine, I had Pasta Bolognese that was so under-whelming and bland that it never occurred to me to want to make it for myself.
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But a more recent experience was far more pleasant.
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Over the Independence Day weekend, we dined at a lovely waterfront restaurant on the south shore of Long Island and I ordered the Bolognese.
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I wasnt sure what to expect but I wanted a pasta dinner since the rest of the holiday weekend was shaping up to be a meat-intensive grill-fest.
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What arrived couldnt have been more different than what I was served last summer!
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This was a big bowl of perfectly cooked pappardelle pasta in a rich, creamy and well-seasoned sauce flecked with fresh basil and topped with a generous dollop of soft ricotta cheese.
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It was so good that I had to keep Brian (who had ordered an excellent salmon) from eating half of it out from under me!
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And now, I suddenly wanted to cook a Bolognese.
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Enjoy!
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Chop the carrots, celery, onion and garlic into a very small dice.
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The vegetables are meant to almost melt into the sauce so a food processor or small chopper works well for this.
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Add the olive oil and diced vegetables into a saute pan and cook over medium heat until softened.
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Remove the cooked vegetables from the pan, add the ground beef into the pan and brown it.
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Once the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce (home made or whatever brand you like) and the milk and simmer on low heat for approximately an hour.
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In a separate pot, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until tender (according the the timing recommended on the package), drain it and add it to the meat sauce.
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Toss in the chopped basil and most of the parmesan cheese.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with another sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a tablespoon of ricotta cheese on top.
