Bolognese- not as hard as you think

Most people think of bolognese as one of those sauces you only order when you are at an Italian restaurant--not something you make at home.

Bolognese originated in the Italian village of Bologna. There are about as many versions of bolognese as there are Italian mothers. I have played around with a lot of different recipes and I have come to the conclusion that a good bolognese needs pork with pork fat, carrots, celery, tomatoes, wine and quality parmesan cheese.

My personal 'secret' is using bacon grease instead of olive oil to saute the veggies in the beginning. Yes, bacon grease is about as fattening as you can get but the taste can not be duplicated and bolognese is not a diet food. Why try and make it one?

For the wine, try to go with a hearty red---something you like to drink with pasta. And remember good wine does not have to be expensive--most of my favorite wines are under $10! Shop around, I promise you'll find some good ones.

Now let's turn the kitchen into one an Italian mama would be proud of!


Ingredients

1 TBSP bacon grease (use from frying bacon--I know y'all eat bacon!)
2 carrots (no need to peel)
2 celery sticks
2 cloves of garlic
3 tsp dried oregano
1/2 C red wine (please not cooking wine!)
1/2 lb Italian pork
1/2 lb ground beef
2 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes
bunch of basil
two handfuls of just grated parmesan (perrrocono OK)
pasta of your choice

First things first. Chop up your carrots and celery to fine, very small pieces. Mince garlic to the size of rice grains. Get out a really big bowl and pour in the tomatoes--grab some bored kids or the spouse and have them mush up the tomatoes with their hands (they'll love it!).
In a medium sauce pan, heat bacon grease over medium heat. Add veggies (not garlic) and oregano along with some salt and pepper. Saute in bacon fat until soft (about 7-8 minutes). Add garlic and quickly give them a stir so they don't brown. Stand back and pour in wine--it will sizzle and you'll need to spoon around pan to pick up anything that got stuck.
Add the meat and break up the pieces into smaller sections (the mix and chop tool from Pampered Chef works great here). Before meat is cooked, add the squished tomatoes and give everything a stir.
Take the stems from the basil and finely chop them--add to the sauce. Partially cover sauce and let cook for 45 minutes--when the sauce begins to boil, turn heat to low.
Add basil leaves (chopped) along with the cheese. Stir and do a quick taste. It may need more salt, pepper or basil. I have even added a bit more wine at this point.
Keep at very low heat while you cook pasta.
When you serve this dish, be sure to include the wedge of parmesan with a grater.


Enjoy and God bless!