In a What’s for dinner thread there was mention of making an easy meat sauce. I did a search and sauce threads on Bolognese (Hazan) and another on half ass ragu came up. I have no doubt there are plenty of others, but since my search hit all around it but not spot on, what the heck…new thread.
I make soffrito with carrots, celery, and red onion in olive oil. You could sweat some minced but not too long. I usually skip the garlic. Add meat and brown it. I like it when I have a little ham to mince and toss in. Crush a can of peeled tomatoes, Cento, in my fist and add some concentrated tomato paste. Grind fennel seed, nutmeg, and black pepper and add them. A hearty splash of white wine. Pinot Gris is almost always on hand. Simmer until the raw wine taste goes away. Sometimes I stir in a few tbsp. of Mexican crema before serving. Put the pasta, usually tagliatelle, in a bowl with some sauce and a little of the salty pasta water. Grate some Parm. Toss and serve. Save the extra sauce for another dinner or some sloppy Joex. I welcome alternatives or tweaks.
I like it more Bolognese style with very little to no tomato (sometimes a bit of tomato paste) and diary (milk or cream) added throughout the cooking. Splendid Table has a good variation
I like Bolognese but am often looking for something quicker and tomato-ier with a more Italian-American flavor profile. Here’s where I landed last time and was very pleased with the results:
1 medium onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced (I did these and the onions in the mini chopper)
1/4 c olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 lb ground beef
1 small can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes (I used Tutorosso, which seem sweet)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (ideally with some texture; I used Furmano’s)
Pinch red pepper flake
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp MSG, optional
In a large saucepan saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil with the bay leaves. Add the ground beef and brown*, breaking into small pieces. Stir in the tomato paste and allow to cook a few minutes until lightly caramelized. Add the remaining ingredients (crush up the stewed tomatoes) and simmer with the lid askew until ready to serve – ideally at least 15-20 min.
*I sprinkled the meat with a little Montreal steak seasoning while it cooked.
Somewhere an Italian nonna is turning in her grave, but we liked it.
For a (relatively) quick meat sauce for pasta, I use fresh sausage, and then alongside the recipe below. I don’t often have fresh cream at home, so I’ll do mostly a few tablespoons of canned Mutti tomato pulp. And of course you can use any pasta you like, one that fits a meat sauce. I like to use penne.
Not many ingredients, as typical for Italian cuisine, and also because for a quick sauce I don’t like to do a lot of work. Very tasty, in fact this post has made me want to put fresh sausages on my Saturday shopping list!
Love it. When I was a kid and everyone was heading in because it was getting dark, the scent of sauces like this filled the hallways in our apartment buildings. I often make a similar one, but I substitute anchovy paste for the soy and MSG.
@ChristinaM 's recipe is similar to what I do for a quick, tomato-forward sauce. I generally go with an Italian seasoning blend and/or fresh basil if I have it rather than straight oregano. If I have a parmesan rind, I’ll throw that in during simmering. Always some type of alcohol (any color wine or sometimes white vermouth) and a touch of butter to finish - both are essential, IMO, to bring out all the flavor of tomatoes.
Speaking of tomato-forward, I find Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese too tomato-y for my taste - I mean, it’s good, but it’s not really what I’m looking for in a true Bolognese. I prefer to use tomato paste as the tomato component, and not a whole lot of it.
I don’t think I’ve met a meat sauce I wouldn’t eat (though lumpy meat is a minor deterrent).
But, if I’m being honest, my favorite meat sauce for pasta is Indian Kheema, lightly spiced with cumin, coriander, and chilli, plus the usual aromatics
I do love a Marcella Hazan-style bolognese. She has a few versions, I prefer the one where the milk goes in first because of the the silkiness it imparts to the meat, but I think I also find that version a bit shy on tomato flavor (maybe because the mirepoix vegetables are in generous proportion).
Have yet to try “white” bolognese, though it has done the rounds a few times over.
Don’t love a heavy hand with herbs in a meat sauce, where the dominant flavors are italian seasoning more than aromatics and meat.
Quick cheat: sauté ground meat with onion & garlic, pour in some Rao’s arrabiatta, add pasta, eat
In her first book, “ The Classic Italian Cook Book, the aromatics are considerably less. For 3/4 lb . beef, the celery, carrot, onion are only 2T each.
I also prefer adding the milk first, tames the wine.
I’m with you on this one. I’ve never been a fan of the long cooked Bolognese type of sauce. I’m also not generally a fan of things like pot roast or beef stews. Clearly, those very well cooked/braised flavors are not my thing.
Some crispy, herby porky nuggets studding a salty, creamy sauce? Sign me up.
My understanding is that it traditionally contains just a very small amount of tomato, more for color than flavor. “White” bolognese, with no tomato at all, is also a thing, but even the type with tomato is primarily a meat sauce, not a tomato sauce.
2 Likes
BarneyGrubble
(Beethoven and Latina singer fan in Ottawa)
17
Vincenzo from “Vincenzo’s Plate” on YouTube was commenting on someone else’s meat sauce, and liked the idea of chicken livers in it.
Yeah, I think I add a blob of tomato paste when I start it. I have no recipe to share bc I don’t really use one for meat sauce. It seems rather self-evident, and easy to tweak according to one’s personal preferences.
