Batches of Bolognese

The world has changed so much over the last couple of weeks with the coronavirus pandemic, mandated quarantines, and social distancing. Restaurants and bars are closed, public parks and trails are off limits, nonessential businesses have shutdown, employees are either out of work or instructed to work from home, schools are closed, and grocery stores are low on stock or sold out of basic items. It feels like life has drastically changed overnight. While all of this has definitely been challenging in so many ways, it has forced me to take a moment to be still, slow down, self-reflect, learn something new, check off things from my to-do list, and connect with people virtually. It has also given me time to appreciate the simple pleasures in life like taking walks outside to enjoy nature and fresh air or cooking my favorite meals at home.

One of my favorite things to make is spaghetti bolognese because I love pasta! Plus, you can make batches of it and freeze it to eat later when you’re feeling too lazy to cook or when you’re craving a midnight snack. This weekend, I was finally able to find all of the ingredients I needed to make my old Dairy-Free Bolognese recipe. What made my evening even better is that I got to open a new bottle of wine that I ordered from Vivino, an online marketplace and community for wine lovers like myself. You can search by wine type, grape, region, food pairings, and price ranges. You can read detailed reviews and descriptions, look at ratings, and then have your favorite wines delivered directly to your door. Vivino sponsored my lovely evening cooking at home by providing me with a nice wine to pair with my meal. Now my belly and my freezer are both full. And my heart is happy!

My Favorite Bolognese!

I love bolognese. It’s my go-to Italian dish in LA. I used to like it super chunky but after having so many different variations here, I discovered that bolognese is actually really good when it’s a little creamy. Not too creamy though. I’ve made many versions of bolognese, never keeping track of measurements until now. I have always just tasted as I cooked and added whatever was needed in the moment. Earlier this year, I dated someone who believed he had Celiac and was also allergic to dairy. I wanted to make him a diary-free bolognese and I experimented with coconut milk. Surprisingly, it was delicious! While the relationship did not work out, my creamy bolognese did and I am grateful for that! It’s now one of my favorite things to make! And this time, I have it all written out so that I can recreate it whenever I want. I always have some in my freezer to eat later! Here is my slightly creamy but still chunky bolognese recipe. Keep in mind, I tend to go heavier on veggies because I love vegetables. Feel free to cut down on the vegetables. I hope you like it!

Davy’s Bolognese (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1½ cups of carrots, diced (You can cut down to only 1 cup. I generally prefer lots of veggies.)

1½ cups of celery, diced (You can cut down to only 1 cup. I generally prefer lots of veggies.)

¾ lb or 12 oz of cremini or white button mushrooms, chopped up/diced (optional —mushrooms aren’t typically included in bolognese recipes but I love them and had to have!)

1 small sweet onion, diced

1.75 lb (large) can of unsalted crushed tomatoes

1 cup of tomato sauce

½ - ¾ cup canned coconut milk

½ cup white or red wine (white preferred)

½ - 1 cup of water (or pasta water or chicken broth)

6 garlic cloves, diced

6 sprigs of thyme

3 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp black pepper

½ tbsp red chili flakes (optional-I like it a little spicy!)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of shredded parmesan (optional)

1½ cup of chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium to high heat. Add onions and cook until they have lightly browned. Add garlic, carrots, and celery. Add a tbsp water. When carrots have softened, add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. When mushrooms are mostly cooked, turn heat down to medium. Add meat and season with 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp sugar. Break up the ground meat into smaller pieces, lightly browning it. Add wine and stir, cooking for a few minutes longer until some of the wine has evaporated. Then pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and add chili flakes, remaining 1 tsp salt, and sprigs of thyme. Turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 2 hours, with lid slightly ajar. Stir periodically. Add water (or pasta water or chicken broth) halfway through after the sauce has thickened.

After 2 hours, taste the sauce. Add additional salt or pepper, if needed. Pour in coconut milk. Simmer for another hour on low heat. Don’t worry if there is a lot of juice. Sauce will thicken as it cooks and once it sets. If it is too thick at the end, add some more water.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with fresh parsley and parmesan.