Mahnke Family RecipesPeter LaBarbera's Bolognese
My go-to bolognese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 454 g ground/minced beef1 lb / 454 g ground/minced beef
- 1 1⁄2 c onions - chopped1 1⁄2 c onions - chopped
- 1 1⁄2 c carrots - diced small1 1⁄2 c carrots - diced small
- 4 T tomato paste4 T tomato paste
- 3⁄4 c / 170 g red wine3⁄4 c / 170 g red wine
- 3 cans plum tomatoes (14oz/400g cans)3 cans plum tomatoes (14oz/400g cans)
- 2 cloves garlic - whole2 cloves garlic - whole
- 2 whole bay leaves2 whole bay leaves
- 1⁄4 t red pepper flakes1⁄4 t red pepper flakes
- 2 t / 12 g salt2 t / 12 g salt
- 1 t black pepper1 t black pepper
- 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
Peter was our family barber for years. His shop was on Brady Street in Milwaukee for decades. He was such a friend that we had him cut our boy's hair for the first time. We always talked about food and Sicily. His bolognese became mine. You will notice that Peter replaced the more common celery with a large amount of parsley. It might seem crazy, but it works.
Method
- Prepare everything ahead of time.
- Brown the beef in a large Dutch oven.
- Drain the fat.
- Add in the diced carrots and chopped onions and sauté for 15 minutes.
- Clear some space in the bottom of the pan, add the tomato paste, and fry that for 3 minutes.
- Add the wine and de-glaze the pan for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and slice them up a bit with the lid of the can or a knife.
- Add garlic, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours.
- Then chop the parsley finely and add to the sauce; cook for another 30 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. If it is too acidic, it might need a bit of lemon or vinegar for brightness or sugar.
- Serve on pasta with garlic bread.
Servings
10-12
Category
Prep time
20 minutes
Cooking time
3 hours
Cuisine
Author
Peter LaBarbera