Bolognese Sauce
October 3rd, 2018 
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Last year I had the privilege of taking classes at CIBO in Bologna, Italy. Bologna is a must for all those food lovers out there. This is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, home to balsamic, Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the famous Bolognese sauce. Growing up Bolognese sauce was simply ground beef in tomato sauce. Then I went to cooking school and I was taught it had onion, celery, carrot, beef, veal, pork, tomato sauce and finished with a touch of cream. So it was a rude awakening when I learned the real sauce was not made with tomato. Yes that’s right…it is NOT a tomato sauce. Quality broth/stock is what turns ground meat into sauce. And in Italy where do you get this fine stock? You might ask. Well you make it of course. Stock is really easy to make, it just takes time
If you decided to buy it, I suggest you try to find a fresh beef and chicken broth. Start by asking your local butcher if they make any. Homemade stock taste a lot better than concentrate, bouillon cubes or broth found in cartons. And considering this is base of the sauce, please do yourself a favor use some good broth. If you do not make your own broth then the time to make this is cut in half.
You will also notice I do not add any salt at the beginning or during the cooking. Why? The sauce gets a lot of salt from the cheese rind and a prosciutto butt (prosciutto scrap) I add to the sauce while I simmer it. When the sauce is finished I will taste it and check to see if I need to add any salt. Still I am a little light handed if it does need any salt because when I end up tossing the sauce with pasta I always will toss in about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.
Yes, yes, yes I know. This sauce takes time, but believe me its worth it! Make extra and freeze it. You will be happy you did. This sauce is tasty over pasta, gnocchi and layered in lasagna with a béchamel sauce. It is also a great addition to a baked potato. So happy cooking!
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Bolognese Sauce
- STOCK/BROTH
- 1 pound beef shank
- 1 small chicken
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- OR BUY
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 5 cups beef broth
- SAUCE
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice about 1 cup
- 2 medium carrots, small dice about 1 cup
- 1 ½ stalks celery, small dice about ¼ cup
- 4 ounces pancetta, ground or grind yourself in a food processor
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 small piece prosciutto end, about 4-6 ounces
- 2x4-inch Parmigiano Reggiano rind, wax removed (see DK Tips)
- ½-1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (optional)
- fine sea salt (to taste)
- If making your own stock start at step 2. In a large stockpot add the beef shank, whole chicken, and a gallon of water. Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Skim the top of the water as the “scum” starts to rise, this is they grey foamy substance. Continue to remove all the scum as it comes up. When it comes to a boil reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, to medium-low heat. Simmer for 2 hours, and then add the 2 peeled carrot, and 1 large onion. Simmer for another two hours and strain. You should have at least 10 cups of broth.
- In a large pot add the olive oil, diced onion, celery and carrot. Turn the pot on medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes until the onions start to become translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the ground pancetta and cook for another 5-8 minutes until the pancetta starts to brown. Keep and eye on the heat as not to burn the pancetta. Add the ground beef and ground pork, stirring to break up the meat completely. Once all the meat is cooked through, reduce heat to medium/ medium-low, add the tomato paste and let cook for another 15 minutes, being sure to stir occasionally. You want to caramelize the meat, meaning you want to make sure it turns a rich red/brown color.
- Add 8 cups of broth, the prosciutto end, and Parmesan rind. Bring the sauce to a boil on high heat, and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer (low heat). Simmer for another two hours, stirring frequently. The liquid will reduce, so make sure you are being vigilant. The sauce is finished once it has reduced to about half, after 2 hours. If the sauce is reducing to quickly add another cup or two of stock and make sure the heat is low. You should be left with approximately 4 cups of sauce. Remove and discard the prosciutto scrap and cheese rind. Add the grated cheese and taste for seasoning. Add salt if needed. Toss the sauce with pasta or gnocchi and enjoy. See notes for other suggestions.
- Try simmering the sauce with a pecorino rind instead for a slightly different flavor.
- Lasagna Bolognese: make a real one the way the Italians do it. It requires Bolognese sauce, lasagna sheets, béchamel sauce and Parmesan cheese.
- Have extra sauce and don’t want to eat it over pasta? Pour it over a baked potato.
- This sauce freezes well for up to a month in the freezer.
- Where do you find prosciutto scraps/butt? Ask your local butcher for any prosciutto scraps they are looking to get rid of.
- Parmigiano Reggiano rinds. Whenever you buy this cheese, after grating all the cheese don’t discard the rind, keep it in an airtight container or plastic bag for sauces like this. Be sure to remove the very thing layer of wax on the outside. When they make the cheese they always coat the outside, side with the writing on it, with a thing layer of wax. It can be removed by taking the back of a knife and scraping it off.
