Traditional Italian Bolognese Sauce - Ragu' alla Bolognese

Try this hearty and traditional Italian bolognese sauce over your favorite pasta. 

You will love its deep and rich flavor!

This is a must-know recipe for any Italian cook. The ragu' alla bolognese is a meat based sauce originating from the Italian town of Bologna. It's very versatile: used in lasagna, over gnocchi or over pasta (pappardelle, linguine, spaghetti or any of your favorite!).
It starts with sauteing some vegetables (carrots, onions and celery), adding ground meat and slowly cooking with crushed tomatoes and white wine for about an hour. I like to use both ground beef and ground pork, which I find gives the sauce its deep and rich flavor. If you prefer, you could also only use ground beef and add a bit of pancetta or bacon for added aroma.
When I make bolognese sauce, I generally make a lot of it! Enough for a large lasagna and a couple of pasta dinners. It's probably the only sauce that I store in the freezer. It's easy: place enough for a family dinner in a freezer bag, remove as much air as you can, and seal tightly. It's very quick to defrost and the flavor keeps very well. Enjoy!

Ingredients: to make about 3 quartz (12 cups) of sauce

• 1 medium onion
• 1 carrot (I used 12 baby carrots)
• 1 large celery stalk
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 lb of ground pork
• 2 cans of 28 oz (total 56 oz) crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
• 1.5 cups of white wine
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 2 whole cloves (optional)
• salt

Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, at least 1 hour to cook

Directions:
Step 1: Chop the onion, carrots and celery in small pieces. Saute' the vegetables in a large sauce pan, over medium heat with two tablespoons of olive oil, for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Mix in the ground pork and beef. Stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until all the meat is brown.

Step 3: Add the crushed tomatoes, white wine, rosemary sprig and whole cloves (if you use them). Cover the pan, and simmer the sauce for about 50-60 minutes over medium heat. Check and stir once in a while.

Step 4: If the sauce is too watery, uncover the pan and cook uncovered for the last 5-10 minutes. Remove (if you can or if you like) the rosemary and whole cloves. 

Cook your pasta following the direction on the package. Mix the pasta with some bolognese sauce and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Buon Appetito!!

Veal Ossobuco alla Milanese

Classic Italian Ossobuco alla Milanese: incredibly tender veal shanks braised in white wine. 

Delicious!

This is a classic Italian dish, traditional from Milan, that you probably find in most Italian restaurants, and one of my favorite secondo piatto for a fancy dinner or a special occasion.
"Ossobuco" translates into "bone with a hole", referring to the way the veal shanks are cross-cut into 1 inch thick slices, so that the bone marrow is visible ... and delicious to eat!
If ossobuco is one of your must-have choice at your favorite Italian restaurant, you will now find out with this step-by-step recipe, that you can easily prepare it at home. You braise the meat with some vegetables and white wine, and cook it for about one hour.Very little effort required!!
 Enjoy!!

Ingredients: serving 4 people

• 4 veal ossobuchi (shanks), about 2 lb total
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 large onion (or 1 small)
• 1 carrot
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes
• salt to taste

Preparation time: 10 minutes to prepare, 1 hour to cook

Directions:
Step 1: In a large pan, over medium-high heat cook the ossobuchi in the olive oil, about 2 minutes each side.

Step 2: In the meantime, chop the onion and carrots. Add them to the pan, mix and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or so.

Step 3: Sprinkle the flour over the meat. Add the white wine and the crushed tomatoes. Salt to taste.
Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 50 minutes. Turn the meat over once or twice. Make sure there is always liquid in the pan, not to burn everything. Add a little bit of water if necessary.

Serve with a salad, or other vegetable.

Buon Appetito!