Best Nonna Consuelos Bolognese Sauce Recipes

THE BEST BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Combine the beef and pork in a large bowl. "Pull" the ground meat apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and incorporating the meat without compacting it. Continue to pull the meat apart until thoroughly mixed and no clumps remain.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and is golden brown on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Spread half of the ground meat in an even layer in the pot and cook undisturbed until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pot, until the meat is lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the browned meat with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the pancetta, leaving the fat in the pot. Repeat with the remaining ground meat.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, celery, carrots, onions, bay leaf, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and brick red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil and cook until it reduces and thickens and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the stock, milk and browned meat.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the Parmesan rind and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated away and the mixture resembles sloppy joes, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There shouldn't be any rapid bubbles while cooking. Instead, the sauce should release occasional small bubbles. If you have a small burner you should use it; the larger burners even at their lowest setting might cook the sauce too quickly. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add 1/2 cup of stock or water and continue cooking; repeat if necessary. The sauce needs the full 2 to 2 1/2 hour cook time to develop the flavors.
• Discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Use the back of a spoon to break up any remaining clumps of meat for an even-textured sauce. Season with salt and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce. Increase the heat to medium, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, tossing the pasta constantly, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is slightly thickened, adding pasta cooking liquid if necessary, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the pasta to a platter and top with grated Parmesan.

NONNA CONSUELO'S AUTHENTIC ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE (FROM LIVE WI

Steps:

• Brown, crumble and drain the meat. Set it aside.
• Peel onion, carrots and celery. Cut them in small pieces and finely chop them in food processor to a puree consistency.
• In a 10 quart non-stick pot pour the olive oil and cook the pureed vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, at medium heat.
• Add the meat, the tomatoes, the bouillon cubes, the garlic, the pepper and the sugar to the cooked vegetables.
• Cook at low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Finely chop the basil and crush the oregano. Add them to the cooking sauce.
• Cook the sauce for an additional 1½ hours. Add the can of tomato paste to thicken sauce, if needed.
• Remove the garlic, put it on a small dish and crush it into a puree consistency using a fork. Put it back in the sauce, stirring thoroughly.
• Cook sauce for 5 more minutes.
• **Note: Generally, the sauce is done when the garlic is soft.

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• For Nonna's bolognese sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, then add the carrots, celery, garlic and shallots. Continue to saute until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat and then add the wine. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a medium simmer and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt. Remove from the heat, transfer to a dish and let cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For Nonna's signature ricotta: Put the ricotta, cream, garlic, shallots, dried basil, oregano, and chile flakes in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine until there are no lumps. Season with salt. Set aside.
• For the lasagna bolognese: Prepare a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish by coating the bottom with 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce, spreading it out evenly. Arrange a layer of the lasagna noodles to completely cover the sauce. Add a third of the ricotta mix and spread evenly. Add a quarter of the cooled bolognese sauce and spread evenly. Repeat this process layering two more layers of lasagna sheets, ricotta mix and bolognese sauce for a total of three layers.
• After finishing the third layer of sauce, arrange a fourth layer of lasagna sheets on top and cover it with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara. Then sprinkle with the Parmesan and lightly cover the entire top with the Italian cheese blend. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and plastic wrap and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Let set 10 minutes before serving.
• To serve: Cut into 6 servings and top each serving with the remaining bolognese sauce, Parmesan, Italian cheese blend and fresh basil.

NONNA CONSUELO'S BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pulse onion, carrots, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped; set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring often, until brown and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean and add remaining 3 Tbsp. oil; heat over medium heat. Add reserved onion mixture and cook, stirring often and lowering heat if starting to brown, until softened, about 20 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup water. Stir in reserved meat, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and oregano. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce thickens 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove garlic; crush with the back of a spoon and stir back into sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt, pepper, sugar, and more bouillon, if desired. Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/nonna-consuelos-bolognese-sauce#ixzz1s9eVVHNG