Bolognese

I haven't been cooking much since I've been 'Willie Watching'.  Yesterday I got my husband to keep an eye on the furry babes while My Daughter and I made bolognese. I thought it was time for her to learn and I told her that she and The Chef can come over for dinner to eat it tomorrow.

I started out by crisping some salt pork which I cut into very small cubes.  Then I added some smokey bacon, a large diced onion, 4 diced carrots and several diced stalks of celery. I always soak a cup of dried mushrooms in boiling water and then strain out the juice, dice the mushrooms and add them too.  Save the mushroom juice.

Then I added 1 # of ground veal, 1# of ground pork, 1# of ground beef and 1# of sweet Italian sausage.  Stir it around and brown it.

Add 3 anchovies and about 1/2 cup of chopped chicken livers.  Both of these disappear into the sauce.  The livers enrich it and the anchovies work with the enzymes in the beef to enliven it's flavor.

Stir in 2 cups of a hearty red wine. Add a container of veal demi glaze.  Add the strained mushroom water and 1 large beef bouillon cube.

Add 4 large cans of tomato sauce and 1 large can of tomato paste.  I use whole San Marzano tomatoes and just squeeze them to crush them.  I think this gives the sauce the best texture. Add smoked pork chops and smoked turkey parts.  I added 4 pieces of smoked turkey tails but you can use a leg or necks or whatever you can find.  I usually add a large pork steak which I dip in flour and brown in a separate skillet but I forgot to buy one this time.  These all simmer in the sauce to give it flavor and then are removed later.

Add fresh thyme, rosemary and 2 bay leaves to the sauce. Ad 1 T. of dried oregano.

I also stir in some urfa chili flakes.  These do not add heat but give it added flavor.

Add 1/3 cup of sugar and some S&P and 1 tsp. of nutmeg.  You can adjust the seasoning after it cooks.

Place it in a 275 degree oven for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Remove the turkey and pork chop and any stems from the herbs.  Taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary. This should have a rich deep flavor. I like to make it a day or two before I serve it so the flavors can mingle.  At the end, My Daughter said, you now most people brown a pound of ground beef and dump a jar of spaghetti sauce over it and call it bolognese. Hmmmm...mine has 30 ingredients.

The Blog Tech had a short law school break so he and his wife flew to Portland, Oregon for the weekend for her cousins baby shower.  He was the balloon blower upper.  I told him it might have given him brain damage.

And then I sent him this: