Bolognese Sauce

Zach Waller Hoagland Culinary 1 19 November 2012 Bolognese Sauce My father loves to cook, and always is up to try something new. Bolognese sauce is not a new project for him, but he had not made it in at least 6 months. This time, I decided to help him out making it, and it was very informative and interesting. First, I will briefly discuss what Bolognese sauce is, for some of you may not know. It is an Italian meat sauce that is generally served over thicker, heartier pasta to support the overall volume of the sauce. Think of it as grinded up meatballs almost, but significantly more elegant and distinguished. We started by gathering our “mise en place”, getting all of the ingredients in place and ready to roll. I was in charge of making a homogenous mixture all the ingredients in the actual Bolognese sauce. So, my dad did most of the actual mixing and applying of the ingredients, which consists of a multitude of vegetables, some tomatoes, olive oil, etc. And of course, meat. We used very lean pork with nearly every bit of fat either chopped or cooked off. After the application of all the ingredients is finished, you let it simmer on the lowest possible heat for a long time in the pot, around 4 hours, to give it a delectable consistency. Upon it’s finish, Mix in a knob or two of butter if wanted, but personally I did not. Also, about two generous tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano per serving. This gives it an incredibly creamy flavor. It is a fantastic, hearty sauce that should be a favorite of any pasta fans. Zach W