Ragù alla Bolognese

I'm going to say right at the start that this most likely isn't authentic Ragù Alla Bolognese. But you know what? It's good. It's damn good. And my family loves it. So if it isn't authentic, well, I'll still sleep at night. Because I can get my kids to eat it. With vegetables in it. Big plus in my book. And I'm also not telling everyone "I think this is an authentic recipe!" (not that I ever did...)
See the comments on that recipe for the full story, hehe. ;) Sorry, I'm still a bit gun-shy.

If you're interested, you can read a bit more about Ragu all Bolognese here.

This one is from Cooking Light. I really do love their recipes--they're always full of flavor, and very easy. This one takes a bit of time--but most of it's simmering time, so it's not very labor intensive. But the rewards are great! This is so freaking good! I've made it twice already in one week.


I only made a couple of changes. I added a couple of garlic cloves, because garlic makes everything better...except maybe your breath. Also, they use whole milk. I made it the first time with half and half, and the second time, I used 1% milk. Good both times! It's also really good with torn fresh basil thrown in at the end. I know, I know...basil isn't a traditional ingredient in this. But it's there in the garden, so yeah, I'm gonna toss some in if I want to.

So there! You tell 'em, Nick!


Ragù Alla Bolognese

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 pound of a mixture of ground pork, veal and beef
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1 (14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato puree
1 cup half and half or milk (I've used both--regular half and half, and 1 % milk.)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large pan oven over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove onion from pan and set aside.
Add ground meat to the pan and cook over medium heat until browned.
Add wine, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes.
Add the onion mixture back to the pan, then add the broth and tomato puree.
Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Stir in half and half or milk and parsley, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes.
Discard bay leaf.
Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve over your favorite pasta, and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese.





Also, I've been fortunate enough to receive a new award, from two different bloggers! Thank you so much to Meryl, from Inspired Bites, and Kelly from Sass and Veracity. These ladies have two of the most gorgeous blogs around, so be sure to check them out!

I get to pass this along to five other blogs, but I'll have to come back and do that later. My husband is making dinner, but I'm his sous chef and he keeps me busy!

Have a great weekend, and as always, thanks so much for reading!