We love a long-simmered bolognese. This sauce is definitely worth the time it takes to make it. A bolognese starts with fairly humble ingredients: ground meat, a few vegetables and canned tomatoes. It's the long cooking process that helps bring out the rich, meaty goodness. Our Creole Italian Blend is a nice compliment to this sauce bringing sweet basil and bit of heat into play.
Adapted from The Sharper the Knife the Less You Cry
Ingredients:
2 large onions, finely diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 small carrot, finely diced (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons Shallot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 cups red wine
1 cup water
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 Tbl Creole Italian Blend
1 cup heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chiffonade basil for garnish
Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the onions and carrot in Shallot Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat until softened. Stir in the garlic, add the beef and pork, and stir until the meat cooks through and separates into crumbly pieces.
Add the wine and water and turn the heat up so that the wine bubbles continuously. Reduce by about half. Skim off any grey foam. Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes and Creole Italian Blend. Stir, cover and reduce heat to very low. Simmer for two hours and up to four hours. Stir from time to time, scraping the bottom to ensure that nothing sticks to it or burns.
Shortly before serving, stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Let simmer uncovered another five minutes. Taste again, adjusting seasonings again if necessary. Garnish with the fresh herbs. Serve with pasta or polenta and a wedge of parmesan cheese for grating.
