Pork Bolognese Pasta

I couldn't figure out what to make for the after school kids today so I rooted through my freezer for inspiration.  I found some chorizo, some Italian sausage and some ground pork.  This is the recipe I came up with and much to my surprise, it might be better than my classic bolognese.
 I started by sauteing diced onion in olive oil along with about 4 anchovies.

 I added diced celery, carrots, peppers and garlic.  Then I added all of the meat and cooked it until it was browned.

 Then I came up with an idea for something I never did before.  I cooked the tomato paste in a cast iron pan until it became a dark red and had a very rich flavor.

I added oregano, rosemary and thyme to it along with salt and pepper.  Then I whisked in red wine and cooked it until it thickened.  The flavor was sensational.  My husband is sampling some as I type and he described it as bowl licking good.  He asked if he could have more and I told him no, it's for the kids.
 I warmed up frozen sauce from last summer. I added some beef bouillon for extra flavor.

 Here is the paste with the wine and herbs added.

 Here it is when I added it to the vegetables and meat.  What a wonderful color.  I am doing this with my pasta sauces from now on.

 Mixed it in ...
 Then added the warmed tomato sauce and braised it in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours.

 I made a gremolata of diced parsley, lemon rind and parmesan cheese.

 After 2 hours, the sauce is nice and rich. Oh, for the last 30 minutes of cooking, I threw a cinnamon stick in the pot.  Remove it when you take the sauce out of the oven.

 Stir in the gremolata.

 I served it over buttered bowtie pasta.


I can't wait to hear how the kids like it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
wow,,, thats all I can say,,,, oh and YUM!!!
CalamityJr said…
Oh, my. Now I'm hungry, and there's nothing in my house that will begin to satisfy after seeing this!
Anonymous said…
Pasta is never wrong and I would be surprised if they didn't like it :-)

Have a great day!

Christer.
Susan said…
Those marvelous anchovies again! I was wondering how you come up with such a variety of recipe ideas for so many, so often!
Leanne said…
Did they enjoy it? Bet they ate it all
Ian's Girl said…
I'm guessing they ate every bit and then licked their plates! This looks so delicious and rich and I will be making it as soon as possible. Thank you!