Big Batch Bolognese Recipes

BIG-BATCH, ALL-DAY PASTA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Start by making the Basic Tomato Sauce: Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and their juice, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you drop them in. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Puree sauce with an immersion blender, or let cool and puree in a blender in batches. Season to taste. Set aside. (This simple homemade tomato sauce is the base for many pasta dishes--including Bolognese!--at The Rieger. It's tasty on its own as well, or on a pizza.)
• For Bolognese: In a giant (12- to 16-quart) stock pot, heat bacon drippings or oil over medium-high heat. Brown 1 pound of meat at a time, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and spreading it evenly in the pot. Cook meat until it is very brown and crisp. (Most home cooks rush browning. Don't! Deep browning develops the flavor and texture that will be the backbone of the dish.) The meat will stick to the bottom of the pot--that's actually what you want. Just keep scraping it up vigorously with the spoon so that it gets browned all over. Remove meat from pot with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all 8 pounds are browned. Return all meat to the pot.
• If you have one, use a food processor to chop all the vegetables. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the meat in the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes. Pour in the wine. Cook and stir until wine is reduced by half. Add crushed red pepper, all of the tomato sauce you made, the stock and the umami bomb of your choice. Simmer over low heat for 5 to 6 hours, reducing the Bolognese until thick and saucy. Stir every half hour or so, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking. Season as you go.
• When the sauce is thickened and reduced, add sage, rosemary and oregano. Cook for 10 minutes to distribute the flavor. Cool sauce and divide into 3-cup portions to store. Chill for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
• To serve 4, cook pasta in heavily salted water until just under al dente. Meanwhile, heat sauce in a very large skillet. If sauce is thin, reduce it slightly; if it's too thick, add a small amount of pasta cooking water. Add butter, Parmesan, parsley and a pinch of red pepper, if desired. Add drained pasta; toss to coat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Serve piping hot with additional parsley and cheese, if desired. (Note: This last skillet step may seem fussy, but it's critical: The noodles absorb some sauce, and the Pasta Bolognese becomes a unified dish.)

BIG-BATCH BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a very large saucepan. Gently cook the bacon, onions, carrots and celery for 20 mins until golden. Add the garlic, herbs, bay and mushrooms, then cook for 2 mins more.
• Heat a large frying pan until really hot. Crumble in just enough mince to cover the pan, cook until brown, then tip in with the veg. Continue to fry the mince in batches until used up. Tip the tomatoes and purée in with the mince and veg. Rinse the cans out with the red wine, if you have some, or with a little water, then add to the pan with the vinegar and sugar. Season generously and bring to a simmer. Simmer slowly for 1 hr until thick and saucy and the mince is tender. Serve with pasta and parmesan.
• If you want to make this in a slow cooker, visit our slow cooker bolognese recipe.

BIG-BATCH BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over med-high heat.
• Add onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
• Stir tomatoes in slow cooker.
• Mash bread and heavy cream into paste in large bowl using fork.
• Mix in meatloaf mix, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper using hands.
• Stir meatloaf mixture into slow cooker, breaking up any large pieces.
• Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9-11 hours on LOW or 5-7 hours on HIGH.
• Let sauce settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
• Break up any remaining large pieces of meat with spoon.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Makes enough sauce for 3 lb. pasta.

DOUBLE-BATCH CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• You know you love it and you know you make it your own special way if you've ever made it before. Here is my take on the classic, if only to be used as a helpful reminder to make-ahead a batch especially in the winter months.;
• Warm 2 cups milk in small pot over lowest heat.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly brown. Then add the chicken livers, and cook almost through. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves, and cook until tender, 10 minutes.
• Add the ground meat and cook through breaking into pieces, but do not brown. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and stir in the wine and allow it to cook into the meat, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the warm milk to the meat and allow it to absorb into the meat for 1 minute. Stir in the beef stock, vegetable stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Divide the sauce in 1/2, cool, and freeze one batch. Cool and store the remainder for a make-ahead meal within the week. Alternately, cook pasta to al dente, thin the sauce a bit with a bit of starchy pasta water and toss with pasta dressed with butter to combine. Top with grated cheese and chopped celery leaves. Serve with green salad.

BEST-EVER BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In large stock pot, cook beef, onions, carrots & green pepper on medium heat until meat is browned.
• Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook 3 - 5 minutes longer.
• Drain.
• Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT whipping cream.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat; simmer 20 - 30 minutes stirring frequently and breaking up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon on the side of the pot.
• Stir in cream; heat through.
• Serve over pasta.
• Freezes well.

BIG-BATCH MARINATED LENTILS

Steps:

• Combine lentils and 2 tsp. salt in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by at least 1". Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until lentils are tender but still have some bite (like al dente pasta), about 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, paprika, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl or measuring glass.
• Pour vinaigrette over hot lentils and toss to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving to give lentils time to absorb flavors from vinaigrette.
• Do ahead: Lentils can be prepared 5 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.