BOLOGNESE

Fusilli Bolognese

Pasta cooking with the sauce & pasta water

There's something about pasta that makes me happy! After school yesterday I made a small pot of meat sauce because I knew I wouldn't have much time to cook tonight...Boys had performances at school today and the Lakers game started at 6pm.

I defrosted 2 lbs. of ground beef (I really like 20-30% fat) and 1 lb. of ground pork. Brown the meat in the Le Creuset in a little olive oil. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon...drain off some of the fat and add finely diced onion and carrot (1 sm onion, 2 large carrots). Saute until the onion is translucent...Add meat back into the pot, stir together. Add 1/2 a bottle of wine (white, red, sake or any combination), simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Add in 1 carton/box of Pomi Strained Tomatoes (I've used San Marzanos in the past, but I think I like this better) and 1 can of tomato paste. Cook on low, partially covered, stir occasionally...at least an hour.

I removed half of the meat sauce to freeze and save for another day. Boil a large pot of water, added salt and 1 lb. of DeCecco Fusilli Pasta...Stir and cook about 9 minutes - add to the Le Creuset containing the meat sauce (I use a spider for this so I can reserve the cooking liquid) and continue to cook on medium heat...Add pasta water if the sauce is too tight - the pasta needs to cook and absorb more liquid. Turn off the heat, add in grated Pamigiano Reggiano, stir to combine and sprinkle a little more on top. Serve with a big arugula salad.