# Very new to cooking - Spagetti Bolognese?



## jcv (Feb 8, 2007)

Hello eveyone!

This is a fantastic forum you have here!

I am not a very good cook at all. Wifey and I have been married for 13 years and I've done about 7% of the cooking  . I can toss chicken or pork chops in the oven, make Prince spagetti with Ragu - stuff like that. A little over a year ago, I started making my own chili froma recipe I found online and it's really great... and I really enjoy making it. I think it's time I start learning to cook some things that my family will actually eat LOL.

I'd really like to make spagetti bolognese. I want to make the spagetti from scratch and everything. I could probably search for a recipe but I wanted to start a new post so I could hopefully get suggestions for a real newbie 

I will post in the pasta forum about the spagetti but this seems to be the place to learn about sauces.

Could you please help me out?

Thank you in advance
Jay


----------



## kadesma (Feb 8, 2007)

_Jcv,_
_ I've sent you a private message containing a recipe I have used. Hope it is what you're looking for._

_kadesma _


----------



## jkath (Feb 8, 2007)

Welcome, jcv!

It's great to have you here, and the fact that you want to start cooking more- wow! that's awesome!


----------



## GB (Feb 8, 2007)

My wife will tell you that this is the best recipe I make and she loves almost everything I make. I usually triple the recipe so I have some to freeze.

Bolognese Sauce

2 tablespoons evoo
1 small onion minced
1 carrot minced
1 celery stalk
¼ cup minced bacon
½ lb sausage
½ lb beef
¾ cup dry white wine
6 large tomatoes
1 cup stock
1 cup cream


Saute onion, celery, carrots and bacon with evoo till tender over med heat.

Add beef and sausage. Cook till no longer red. Add wine and raise heat a little bit. Cook off most of the liquid.

Add tomatoes and stock. Turn heat to low. After about an hour season with salt and pepper. Cook another hour till much of the liquid is gone.

Add cream and cook another 15 - 30 minutes.


----------



## urmaniac13 (Feb 8, 2007)

My version is not too unlike the one GB listed, a few modifications

I add some minced garlic at step1 (sautèeing vegs and bacon/pancetta)

Some splash of herbs, oregano, majoram, thyme, and 1 bayleaf before liquid goes in

I prefer red wine instead of white, though white works also

Instead of stock, I use tomato puree (reinforcement for chopped tomatoes)

Personally I do not use cream, but I have seen many recipe variations that call for some cream or milk towards the end of cooking.

Like chili, every household in Italy, especially in Emilia Romana region where this sauce originates from, has its own family recipe for "ragu alla bolognese", and none of them are the same!! This recipe has so much room for playing around, so enjoy experimenting with your own taste and whim! One thing I noticed, most of the recipes that comes from Emilia region have very little tomato element, maybe a couple of spoonful of tomato paste for over 1kg of meat!! Personally I prefer ragu alla bolognese with more tomatoes in it, like the above recipe, though.


----------



## jesse_cool5 (Feb 9, 2007)

Welcome, Cooking great spagetti I love making the pasta fresh it is worth the extra effort if you use the search function im sure you will find some great tips on making it fresh. As for sauce my Nonna cooks the sauce for hours with left over chicken bones a tonne of fresh herbs, I still haven't gotten the recipe for this one but it would seem that she just uses what is left around the place, so be creative chuck things in and hopefully you remeber what you've thrown in there after you've found that winning combination.


----------



## lulu (Feb 9, 2007)

My bolognese is a little differeent each time too although in the main I think GB's recipe, and I am with Urmaniac's variations on it, looks good.  I have still never tried cream or milk in my bolognese...

to be honest, I have never made spagetti either, I make other pasta shaps now, bu spagetti is so much easier to buy, and, imo dried is nicer than fresh, lol.  If you are determined to make your own pasta for this one, and if you have kids they will love helping, then I would suggest making falt ribbons, like taglietelle or papperdelle, not so normal with bolognese sauce, but mush easier!


----------



## jesse_cool5 (Feb 9, 2007)

I prefer it fresh but i guess its just a matter of opinion. Dried is a lot eaiser thats why we use it more but for a special occasion or if I have more spare time i would whip it up fresh.


----------

