#pasta #bolognese #fettuccine
I am Asian but I've always had some fascination with Italian food. It amazes me sometimes that with so little variety of ingredients used in a dish, it could produce such a simple, flavourful and homely dish that anyone can enjoy! By no means am I trying to say my dish is authentic but I can say that this is MY take of this classic Italian dish from Bologna.
Ingredients for 5 to 8 people
1. 600gm Minced Beef
2. 1 Red Onion (chopped)
3. 1/2 Yellow Onion (chopped)
4. 3 Cloves Minced Garlic (optional)
5. 3 stick of Celery (diced)
6. 3 small Carrots (diced)
7. 400g Tomato Puree
8. 400g Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
9. 170g Tomato Paste
10. 500g Fettuccine Pasta
11. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
12. 1 L of water
13. Grated Cheese (optional)
14. Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking instructions
1. You want to start off by making the Soffritto first. What's Soffritto? This is the flavour base for any good Bolognese sauce. HEAT olive oil in a large pot and add the garlic and onions, sautéing for about 5 minutes. Then add celery and carrots - sauté these on medium heat until vegetables become transparent, about 15 minutes.
2. Then throw in the minced beef, mixing it in and breaking up while it starts to change colour as it cooks. Stir often for about 15 minutes until beef turns brown
3. Now add in the tomato puree and the tomato paste. Clean off the cans with equal parts of water and add it into the pot as well. Mix well and bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes
4. Now add in the whole peeled tomatoes and mix well - crush the tomatoes as you mix them in & again, clean the can with equal parts water
5. Bring to a boil then lower the fire to a gentle simmer and let it simmer closed for 2 hours. Occasionally check for water level - add accordingly if it becomes too dry
6. While waiting for the sauce to be done, you can always start preparing the pasta. Just follow the instructions on the packaging to cook the pasta. IMPORTANT - do not throw out the pasta water, leave aside about a cup. The pasta water is good for emulsifying (thickening) your sauce
7. Once the sauce is done simmering, you should see a reduced, darker, richer colour of sauce. This is where you can start adjusting the flavour of your sauce with salt and pepper
8. In a separate pan, put in a few ladle full of sauces then throw in the cooked pasta and about half a cup of the pasta water. Start mixing it well to incorporate. If you had underdone the pasta, then you can switch on the heat & cook off the pasta for a minute or two
9. Now its time to serve! Plate it, add some more sauce on top & grated pasta - its ready!
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About Us: Your food life is just as important as mine. My goal is to try and make yours better by sharing my favourite recipes and showing you that making them isn't that hard - whether you are cooking for yourself, for your family or to impress someone - I want to be there to help ya!