Bolognese Sauce

Υλικά

1000g lean beef mince

Olive oil, for cooking

Mirepoix: (ratio 2:1:1)

- 1 medium onion, ~150g

- 1/2 carrot, ~75g

- 1-2 celery stick,~ 75g

2-3 garlic cloves, ~10g, minced

Pinch of salt

100 g tomato paste

Bouquet Garni:

- 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme (~10g)

- 2-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, optional (10g) or substitute with 1 tsp (~3g) dried oregano

- 6 parsley stalks only (no leaf)

- 4 bay leaves

- 8 juniper berries, optional

- 15 fennel seeds

- 10 coriander seeds

- 1/6 star anise (1-2 follicle petals)

200ml (~200g) white wine

200ml chicken stock, (or 1 chicken stock cube (~10g), dissolved in 175ml hot water)

600g (~550ml) thick tomato sauce (refer to Tomato Sauce recipe notes in Sauces) or else passata, using more if you are seeking an even stronger tomato flavour profile

60g (~60ml) milk

Gastrique:

- 30ml red wine vinegar (~30g) or or thin ie. cheap Balsamic vinegar

- 30g sugar

10g cold butter, small slice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional: 10g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), grated

Optional: 1 red chilli (~10g), finely chopped (seeds removed for milder heat) or chilli flakes 1 tsp (~5g) or more as you prefer

To Serve:

Parmesan cheese, finely grated (~50g)

Οδηγίες

Beef Mince:

Bring a large ceramic Dutch oven, or else a large cast iron or metal pan, to a high heat. This can take from 5- 10 minutes, depending on your dutch oven or pan.

Add a small drizzle of olive oil, and cover the bottom evenly, then immediately add a quarter of the beef. Cook without stirring initially to allow browning, then break it up and stir until well browned and any liquid evaporates (about 10–15 minutes). Depending on your pan, you may need to reduce the heat to medium once the meat's juices have evaporated to allow the beef to continue browning without burning. This step creates a flavourful fond on the pot base. When done, remove the beef, set aside and and repeat in batches with the remaining fresh mince and set aside. If you are using beef mince with a high fat content, you can opt to strain the fat from the mince by placing it into a fine colander or large sieve sitting on top of a metal mixing bowl.

Mirepoix:

Peel the onion and carrot. Trim and wash the celery. Chop all coarsely. Add to a food processor and chop finely for 10 seconds or so. Scrape down the sides to ensure the mirepoix is evenly chopped, then process again briefly. Repeat if necessary to ensure the mirepoix is evenly chopped.

Bouquet Garni:

Make up the bouquet garni, and set aside.

Cartouche:

Make the cartouche, and set aside

Bolognese Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in the dutch oven, or a large heavy-based pot if using, over medium heat. Add the mirepoix, minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Adding salt early to the mirepoix changes how the vegetables cook at a cellular level, it controls and accentuates the development of their flavour, so it's not just seasoning.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften fully without over-browning. This evaporates their water content, breaking down any natural acids, and allows the onion's sweetness to develop, carrot sugars to mellow and the top bitter notes of celery to disappear (~10 mins).

Add the tomato paste, mix thoroughly through the mirepoix and continue to cook until it darkens in colour (~5 mins).

Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate almost completely to intensify the flavours. We are wanting about a 70-80% reduction, with only a small amount of wine left visible on the bottom of the pot. If you're unsure, relax, getting this wrong won't be a catastrophe.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer to allow it to reduce by one third (~7-10 mins).

Add the beef mince, mix through and continually break it up thoroughly with a wooden spoon to remove as many odd sized lumps as possible. Continue simmering for 5-7 minutes to allow the chicken stock to be absorbed by the beef.

Add the thick tomato sauce, or passata if using. Stir through thoroughly then add the bouquet garni, pushing it down to submerge it in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then top the dutch oven or large pot with the cartouche.

Wrap the lid of the dutch oven or pot completely in alfoil, folding the excess underneath the lid. Place the lid on the dutch oven or pot, ensuring it creates a tight even seal.

Dutch Oven Method (Preferred):

Pre-heat the oven to 140°C. Place the dutch oven in the centre of the oven and set the timer for 90 minutes, but you can go up to 2.5 hours for a deeper, more complex sauce.

When finished, the bolognaise can be removed and proceeded with immediately, but turning the oven off and leaving the Dutch oven to cool slowly will deepen the flavours further. I prefer to leave it overnight to cool, and given I use a large Dutch oven with double the quantity, I find it is still slightly warm the next morning.

Stove Top Pot Method:

Ensure the pot is on a gentle simmer, with the lowest gas setting or 1-2 on an electric or induction top. Cook slowly for at least 2 hours (or longer for deeper flavour. Leave the pot on the stove to cool for as long as possible, overnight is even better.

Remove the cartouche from the Dutch oven or pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. If needed, continue simmering to reduce the sauce to the consistency you are seeking.

Keeping For Another Day:

If you are keeping the sauce to use for another day, either storing it in the fridge or freezer, stop here. The rest of the recipe is for finishing prior to serving, so it is best done when the sauce has been reheated and you are close to serving.

Finishing:

Add the milk, and continue to simmer on a low heat, say setting 2-3 of 10, for 15-20 minutes. The milk will be completely absorbed by the sauce and it will return to its original dark red colour.

Add the gastrique sugar to a pot and bring to a high heat. Add the gastrique red wine vinegar and allow the mixture to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce by half (~ 5 mins) until it has noticeably thickened but is still runny, and set aside.

If opting for the addition of chocolate, which will make the sauce richer and helps balance its acidity, stir in the grated dark chocolate until it melts.

If you like chilli and want a kick, add the chopped chilli or chilli flakes for a subtle kick and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the butter and stir through. The butter will make the sauce glossy and round out its mouthfeel.

Right at the end, using a spoon, season the Bolognese with droplets of the the gastrique, (~1 tsp) and stir through. Taste and season with a little more gastrique if required. The gastrique should brighten the sauce, but less is more as too much will overpower it and make it taste sweet.

Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

Grate the parmesan cheese using a microplane or the finest grating setting on your box grater, set in a bowl and serve.

You have now climbed your Bolognese Everest. It is now complete, ready to be eaten by people who will thank you for it. Well done!

Σημειώσεις

This Bolognese recipe comes with a very long diatribe. It's because amazing Bolognese is an Everest to climb for any serious cook or chef. This recipe gets you to the peak first go, no years of trial and error needed, because I have done the work and suffered the heart-break for you. Understanding why you do something, and not just how, is fundamental to good cooking, so the price you have to pay for your short-cut is reading my novella below :-)

About This Recipe:

There are so many Bolognese recipe variations, all of them professing to be the best. I have tried them all. For any beef and tomato dominant recipe, they are not it, this one is. It uses white wine and chicken stock and is finished with milk as per traditional recipes. You can replace them with red wine and beef stock to create a heavier, richer sauce but for me it seems to miss the complex finesse of this version. Using chocolate is also an option if you prefer a richer, meatier sauce.

What we call Bolognese sauce is authentically ragù alla Bolognese, which evolved from traditional recipes in Bologna. Bologna is in Northern Italy where the cuisine is influenced by neighbouring French slow cooked ragoûts and meat-based stews. The original versions did not contain tomatoes, which struggle to grow in the region's cold climate, and tomato flavours were introduced much later.

Traditional Bolognese is a meat sauce not heavily flavoured by tomato, which I personally prefer. It includes pork and pancetta for additional complex meat flavours, but in my house tradition takes a hike because rich, tomato heavy and beef focused Bolognese is what creates the smiles. I have provided the original recipe however, which is titled Ragù alla Bolognese in Family Meals.

Batch Fry Beef:

Cooking the beef in batches first allows the meat to fry and render in its own fats, developing powerful umami flavours, and taking this dish to another level. The meat is initially fried on a high heat so when the meat releases its juices they evaporate quickly, else you end up with beef braising in the pan. Braised beef mince will stay grey in colour and will not develop the brown 'crust' we are looking for, what is known as the Maillard reaction, hence the beef is cooked in small batches to prevent overcrowding in the pan to allow this to occur. You know when the meat starts to render because you can hear it. The pan changes from simmering sounds to that of oil frying. Once this happens turning the heat down will allow the meat to fry without burning.

Bouquet Garni:

What sets this recipe apart from traditional recipes, and in my humble opinion takes it to another level, is the bouquet garni.

A bouquet garni, which is French for "garnished bouquet," is a bundle of fresh herbs, which traditionally are parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf, which are then tied together commonly with leek or twine. It infuses flavour into simmering dishes like soups, stocks, and stews, and is then easily removed before serving without having small herb pieces floating in the final dish. This is a quick video on the traditional leek method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq81HJEP5KU

I use cheese cloth however because leeks aren't widely available in Thailand. You simply cut a small square of cheese cloth, put the contents in the centre, and create a parcel which you wrap tightly with twine. Works a treat. You can buy pre-made small cheese cloth bags online, which are cheap and even better, because they're so easy to use and you can wash and re-use them.

Thyme, oregano and bay leaves are traditional aromatics used in meat sauces like this. Parsely stalks add further clean, herbal flavour without the grassy notes from the leaves.

Coriander seeds provide subtle warm, nutty, almost citrusy aromas and flavours. They act as a background enhancer, deepening the overall flavour profile without overpowering the main ingredients. Also Joel Rubuchon, arguably the world's best chef ever and of who I'm a fanboy, uses them in his beef stock, so who am I to argue.

Juniper berries (which are used in making gin) add clean, piney flavours with subtle citrus and pepper-type undertones, and are commonly used with game for this reason. I use them in beef stews a lot as I find the slight astringency they add also cuts through the richness and fattiness of the beef.

Fennel seeds add anise-like or mild licorice sweetness, but which is milder and more subtle than star anise, and so deepens this profile in the overall backnote of the sauce, while still keeping its complexity perfectly balanced.

Star anise contributes a warm, sweet, and subtle licorice-like undertone while also chemically intensifying the umami, savoury notes of the sauce and the meat itself. Star anise is intensely flavourful and aromatic, especially when infused in a long, slow cooked sauce like this, so less is more; use it very sparingly. One to two follicles or 'petals of the star is enough.

If you've gotten this far then hopefully you get it, you're on the way to climbing Bolognese's Everest, and on your very first attempt.

Cartouche:

A cartouche is a round parchment paper lid used in slow cooking. I use them all the time. It's essentially a 'false lid' which allows steam to escape, but more slowly than otherwise, while keeping the food being cooked submerged, and so preventing the formation of a skin on sauces. Plus it supports even cooking throughout the pot. It's used in this recipe to prevent the sauce from over-evaporating, and so keeping as many of the flavours and aromas contained within the sauce rather than disappearing into the ether where they are only enjoyed by angels. They take seconds to make and a sub one minute lesson is here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rNmT5Q6M5JY

Milk:

Milk is added to Bolognese sauce in traditional Italian recipes to tenderise the meat. The calcium in milk reacts with meat enzymes, helping break down connective tissue, making the mince incredibly tender and preventing a dry, sandy texture. Milk solids caramelise during cooking, adding depth and a subtle, nutty dairy note while creating a richer, silkier, and smoother sauce with a more rounded, balanced flavour profile. It's key in achieving the classic, deep flavor and tender texture. I add it near the end after the acidic ingredients have reduced and their flavours intensified but although in other recipes its introduced early. So yes, there's milk in Bolognese.

Gastrique:

A gastrique is simply a sweet-and-sour sauce made by caramelizing sugar and then deglazing the caramel with an acid, usually vinegar, although sometimes fruit juices or wine are used. Think of it like a seasoning but with acid buffered by sugar. Quick and easy to do and the impact is noticeable.

This is a basic gastrique of sugar and red wine vinegar, which is drizzled sparingly in droplets over the Bolognese just prior to serving. An aged Balsamic vinegar, say 15 years old which is syrupy, thick and sweet, can also work brilliantly but aged Balsamic is expensive and a basic gastrique is not.

The gastrique in Bolognese balances the sauce's acidity without sugariness, it rounds the sauce out more precisely than adding sugar alone. It gives the sauce a lift, a sense of brightness, which after long, slow cooking can be somewhat flat with the loss of high notes. The gastrique also deepens savoury complexity while correcting the fattiness of the beef, milk and butter which makes the sauce taste 'finished' rather than heavy. It's a hack worth the little extra effort.