Thursday, December 20, 2007

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese .

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese
Make The Christmas Eve Dinner Easy As Spaghetti
Our oldest daughter Mary lives in Italy with her family of husband and two daughters. We have made several trips to Milan to visit. Much to our learning, the Italian pasta varieties and sauces are almost unnumbered, made with fresh ingredients and in 15 minutes or less, and oh so delicious. This recipe is the most basic of all recipes.
Ingredients:
6 ounces bacon slices, cut in 1/2" pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground beef
6 ounces tomato paste
1 cup milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti, cooked, water reserved
***
Directions:
Cook bacon until crisp reserving 1 Tablespoon fat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stirring occasionally, cook until tender about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add ground beef and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, milk and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat until sauce thickens. Skim fat off sauce. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
***
Cook paste to al dente. Add to sauce and add enough pasta cooking water to loosen sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer to individual bowls. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A little confused! Why would you worry about using kosher salt when you're using bacon slices? Anyone who kept kosher wouldn't use bacon. By the same token, someone who eats bacon isn't going to buy kosher salt when ordinary salt costs less.

(I'd also point out that, if you DO keep kosher, you certainly wouldn't be adding Parmesan cheese to your meat meal!)
Helen

Dine With Donna said...

Helen;
Kosher salt does not have all of the processing that "the cheap" salt has. The salt is added to the boiling water to maximize the flavor of the pasta.

This is an excellent recipe anad hope you will give it a try.