Lamb Bolognese with Tagliatelle
This Bolognese uses the fat of the pork to balance the leanness of the lamb while keeping the lamb’s distinct flavor. I love the sound of this sauce cooking: the light pop a single bubble of steam makes as it escapes every 15 seconds or so. It’s the sound of a low simmer; the sound of an incredibly delicious slow-cooked sauce sitting on the stove. Be sure to use a large pot, as this recipe makes more than you’ll likely need, but it freezes exceptionally well stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Ingrediënten
- Serves 6 to 8
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- Salt
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 8 ounces ground lamb
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes (I use San Marzano)
- 1 whole nutmeg optional
- 2 pounds tagliatelle
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Instructies
- It helps to know: Give yourself some extra time with this one.
- It’s simple to make, but it sits on the stove (with minimal stirring involved) for 3 to 3½ hours.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the carrot, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes more.
- Add the lamb and pork and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces.
- Continue to stir and break up the meat until it no longer looks raw, about 15 minutes.
- Add the milk to deglaze (see this page) and turn the heat to high.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk evaporates, about 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and pepper and continue stirring occasionally until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the cans of tomatoes into a large bowl.
- Squeeze the tomato chunks with your hands to break them apart.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices to the pot and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat to low and cover your pot with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.
- Gently simmer until the sauce thickens considerably, 3 to 3½ hours, lifting the lid occasionally to stir.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper levels to your liking.
- Grate in the nutmeg using a spice grater or Microplane until you’ve used about one-quarter of the nutmeg.
- Stir to combine.
- I love this addition, but ground nutmeg (or sawdust, as I like to call it) is not an acceptable substitute.
- If you don’t have a whole nutmeg to freshly grate, just leave it out.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
- Once boiling, add salt to taste.
- Add the tagliatelle and follow the instructions on the package to cook to al dente.
- Divide the pasta among bowls or plates.
- Top with the Bolognese and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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