I'd like to start out by saying that this isn't a traditional bolognese, whatever that is. It's rather my interpretation of the dish. Here's what you will need if you want to make it (all amounts are rough estimates, I've only cooked it at home, so I've never bothered measuring):
1 kg (~2 lbs.) plum tomatoes
0.5 kg (~1 lb) ground beef
0.2 kg (~0.5 lbs.) Italian salami
5-10 2-3" beef bones, with marrow
0.2 kg (~0.5 lbs) slab bacon, smoked
veal stock
2-3 onions
garlic
red wine
olive oil
oregano
basil
black pepper
salt
sugar
Roast the bones in the oven. Sautée the chopped onions in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, seasoning them with salt to draw out excess moisture and with sugar to enhance their natural sweetness. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic, chopped or sliced, to taste. Let it cook for a while, but make sure the garlic doesn't brown.
Add the diced tomatoes (I like plum tomatoes because of their sweetness, but feel free to use any kind of tomatoes you want), bones, salami and bacon. Let it all cook for a few minutes, then pour a glass or two of a nice red wine (I have used an Italian chianti called Leonardo) and a few ladles of veal stock. Season with dried oregano and basil.
Put a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer ever so gently for as long as you wish, but at least two hours (I usually cook it for four hours), adding a little more stock, wine and/or water if needed.
When the taste agrees with you, pull out the bones, salami and bacon. Be sure to scrape out all of the bone marrow in the pot if it hasn't fallen out on its own.
The tomato sauce is suppose to have a slight acidity from the wine (like a traditional bolognese should have), while having a robust body from the bones, bacon and salami.
Now fry the ground beef in a little olive oil with some salt, pepper and garlic (garlic towards the end, so it doesn't burn) and mix it with the tomato sauce.
Serve over pasta, with some grated parmigiano reggiano (or grana padano, which I find is just as good at half the prize) over the top.
1 kg (~2 lbs.) plum tomatoes
0.5 kg (~1 lb) ground beef
0.2 kg (~0.5 lbs.) Italian salami
5-10 2-3" beef bones, with marrow
0.2 kg (~0.5 lbs) slab bacon, smoked
veal stock
2-3 onions
garlic
red wine
olive oil
oregano
basil
black pepper
salt
sugar
Roast the bones in the oven. Sautée the chopped onions in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, seasoning them with salt to draw out excess moisture and with sugar to enhance their natural sweetness. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic, chopped or sliced, to taste. Let it cook for a while, but make sure the garlic doesn't brown.
Add the diced tomatoes (I like plum tomatoes because of their sweetness, but feel free to use any kind of tomatoes you want), bones, salami and bacon. Let it all cook for a few minutes, then pour a glass or two of a nice red wine (I have used an Italian chianti called Leonardo) and a few ladles of veal stock. Season with dried oregano and basil.
Put a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer ever so gently for as long as you wish, but at least two hours (I usually cook it for four hours), adding a little more stock, wine and/or water if needed.
When the taste agrees with you, pull out the bones, salami and bacon. Be sure to scrape out all of the bone marrow in the pot if it hasn't fallen out on its own.
The tomato sauce is suppose to have a slight acidity from the wine (like a traditional bolognese should have), while having a robust body from the bones, bacon and salami.
Now fry the ground beef in a little olive oil with some salt, pepper and garlic (garlic towards the end, so it doesn't burn) and mix it with the tomato sauce.
Serve over pasta, with some grated parmigiano reggiano (or grana padano, which I find is just as good at half the prize) over the top.