Pasta Bolognese - Jen's Savory Summary

Hello Sunday Supper People!  This week was very exciting as it was our first recipe to follow along.  This is personally one of my favorite things to make especially because of its sentimental value.  Jason was very happy to see it again since I haven't made it since that New Year's Eve many years ago.  

I am no longer privileged to have the amazing Italian market in Philadelphia at my doorstep and unfortunately I haven't found a great butcher in my area.  I am still on the lookout for a good one in Boston so any Bostonians out there please let me know!   Instead, I went to Whole Foods to get most of my ingredients.  I ran into a little bit of a problem at the meat counter as I learned they did not have any ground veal.  Instead, I substituted 85% lean ground beef.  Their pancetta looked delicious so I purchased that from there, saving me a trip to Fromaggio kitchen, my usual go-to place for pancetta. Next stop was DePasquelles Pasta Shop.  I was hoping to pick up some delicious papperdelle but they were sold out so I opted for the fettuccine, another broad noodle strong enough to stand up to the thick bolognese. 

Ethel, expert chef

Once I got home it was time to start chopping.
My sous chef for the day was Miss Ethel, my adorable Bernese Mountain Dog.  She always takes up residence at my feet whenever I cook.  Just as a warning to all you dog owners, please be extremely careful when chopping onions or garlic around your beloved pooch.  They are extremely toxic to dogs.  

Evenly sized onions, carrots, and celery

I tried in vain to get the celery, onion, and carrots the same size.  However, I always struggle with the onions.  Next, I arranged all my ingredients out so they were ready to go when I needed to start cooking. 

Just as an aside, please do not premix the milk, wine, and water in a large measuring cup.  The milk curdles (I learned the hard way).  

About 45 minutes into simmering

Everything progressed pretty smoothly after the intense chopping.  After 45 mins of simmering, I took the lid off and noticed quite a bit of fat on top probably due to the fatty pork, so I skimmed it off.  I'm not a fan of an oily after taste.  I probably had about two ladles full of fat.  

In the end, I had some very happy customers with my bolognese!  It got the husband's stamp of approval again and brought back great memories of our first New Year's Eve together.  Also, we will be enjoying plenty of leftovers for a few days.  In fact, I had some for lunch today!

I hope you enjoyed your first Sunday Supper with us!  Let us know what changes or struggles you had with the recipe!

Dinner time on the couch with my Sunday night comfy moose pants

Happy Eating!
Jen