Hey Muso,
--Long post. Sorry.--
From the sound of it, it sounds like you were going for a Bolognese type
of a sauce. The following is my girlfriend's recipe.
First off, the better the raw ingredients the better the final product. So try
to use good olive oil (first cold pressed extra virgin). The same with
pastas, canned goods and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
1 large onion
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot (for sweetness, but not necessary)
1 ˝ or 2 lbs ground beef (can include some pork and/or veal)
1 cup, or cup and a half of Half-n-half, or milk and/or cream (I prefer
half-n-half)
28oz can good quality peeled whole Italian tomatoes
5 or 6 tablespoons tomato paste
Can of beef broth (stock)
Can of chicken broth (stock)
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Seasonings; salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried leaf oregano
(sparingly, 1 teaspoon)
Small dice the onion, bell pepper and carrot and sauté in a large heavy
pot (like stainless steel or cast iron enamel is great, but NOT aluminum)
over medium heat, in olive oil, till wilted and the onions turn golden. I
usually salt the onions a bit to draw out moisture which helps in the
carmelization. Add the meat and brown while breaking it up into fine bits.
I usually salt the meat a little also for the same reason as the onion. Once
browned, add a cup of half-n-half and turn and fold so the meat soaks it
up. If it sucks it up in a second you can add a little more but not so much
that it’s sitting in it. Add tomatoes and their juice. I like to pinch out the
stem part of the tomatoes but it’s not necessary. Break them up with your
hands; just put it in the palm of your hand and squeeze, than in it goes.
Don't forget to add the juice also. Add both broths and tomato paste and
stir to mix. Season with freshly ground black pepper, a pinch or so of
oregano. Be careful with the salt because it will reduce a lot. The hardest
thing about this sauce is not to panic at this time because it will look awful,
sort of a gray nothing. Not much sense in tasting it either. Once it comes
up to a bubble lower the heat to a slow, low simmer. Just barely some
percolation on the top and you let it cook, uncovered, for about 5 or 6
hours. Stir often, every half an hour or so otherwise it will burn on the
bottom. It will come together, you just have to nurse it a bit. About an
hour or so before it is done you want to taste and reseason. You know
when it is about done when some fat pools to the top. Keep stirring it
together. For even better results let it cool after the 5 or 6 hours, stir well
and fridge it overnight. Next day bring it back up to a good simmer and
serve over pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese maybe even a
drizzle of good olive oil.
Best with some chunky type of pasta like rigatoni, fusilli, shells etc.,
something that can pick up the sauce. Doesn't do well with thin slick
pastas like linguini.
A few words on pasta. Use a large pot, an 8 quart is a good size because
you want a lot of water circulating around the pasta and you don't want it
to lower the temperature when you add it to the water. Salt after the
water has come to a boil otherwise you'll get pock marks on the bottom of
your pot. How salty? You should be able to taste it as salty. Italians would
say "…as salty as the Mediterranean." Cook it, uncovered, till there is still
a slight resistance, a bit of a snap, when you bite into it as it will continue
to cook once out of the water. "Al dente" or "to the tooth" in Italian. Once
done lift it out of the pot if it's the type with a colander insert or take the
pot to the sink and drain the pasta into a large colander. Either way shake
the colander to drain as much water out of it as possible. Do NOT rinse.
Return pasta to the pot with a small splash of olive oil or a pat of butter
and mix. Also add a few spoons of whatever sauce you are serving to
keep the pasta moist and from sticking together. It also looks better when
you serve it with the sauce spooned on top as opposed to just the naked
pasta with the sauce on top. Serve immediately. Your sauce should be
done before you cook your pasta. The pasta shouldn't be made to wait for
anything or anyone.
I think that's it. Hope this helps and it's what you had in mind. It's not a
quick dish but it's simple with few ingredients. What other kind of dishes
are you looking to prepare?
Good luck.
