Pork bolognese
A traditional bolognese is usually served with a wide noodle such as tagliatelle, but I only had rigatoni so I went with it. If you want it to be traditional, use a wide noodle, if you don’t, have it a tubular shape preferably with ridges will do the job.
I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart by first halving it, then I added garlic and crushed fennel seeds.
Please don’t skip the step of finishing the pasta in the sauce, it makes a huge difference in flavor and the texture of the sauce is enhanced by the starches of the pasta, rather than serving it with the sauce just sitting on top.
Recipe Resource: Martha Stewart
Adapted by: Tierney Larson
Servings: 4
1 4oz package of diced pancetta
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 half of a celery stalk, finely diced
Kosher salt
olive oil
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle or ground in a spice blender
1 pound of ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of whole milk plus 2 tbl divided
1 cup of low sodium (or homemade) chicken broth
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
freshly ground black pepper
12 oz of dried rigatoni pasta
grated Parmesan for serving
Ok so…place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the pancetta and a splash of olive oil and let it slowly sizzle to render out the fat for about 6 minutes. Then add the onions, carrot and celery and let them sauté until tender and make sure they don’t brown at all by adjusting the heat if necessary or adding a bit more oil if you have to. It should take about 7 minutes.
Add a pinch of kosher salt and add the crushed fennel seeds and let them toast in the pan for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn the heat up to medium high and add the ground pork, spread it out and then don’t touch it so that it browns, then break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon and stir to let it cook through on the other side. Add the garlic and stir to combine, cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and another pinch of kosher salt and stir to combine, let it cook for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the bay leaf and wine and reduce by 3/4 for about 3-4 minutes.
Then add 1/2 cup of milk and reduce by half. Then add the broth, thyme and tomatoes, 1 tsp of kosher salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to break them up a bit.
Turn the heat down to allow it to simmer gently for an hour. Towards the end, start a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Also skim any oil/fat that had accumulated at the top of the sauce using a spoon and discard. Taste and add more kosher salt if it’s tasting flat but it probably won’t need much more.
Add a hefty pinch of kosher salt to the pasta water and taste, it should taste like well seasoned water soup. Add the pasta add cook until just before al dente, if you bite it, it should have a ring of white uncooked paste in the middle of the pasta. Add the extra al dente pasta to the sauce using a spider or tongs and add a few spoonfuls or a ladle full of pasta water along with it. Turn the heat up and stir constantly letting it simmer and cook the pasta fully through, the sauce will also thicken and become glossy to cover the pasta.
Add the 2 tbl of milk and stir and cook for a few seconds more and then serve topped with Parmesan.
Pork Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 4oz package of diced pancetta
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 small carrot, finely diced
- 1 half of a celery stalk, finely diced
- Kosher salt
- olive oil
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle or ground in a spice blender
- 1 pound of ground pork
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbl tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1/2 cup of whole milk plus 2 tbl divided
- 1 cup of low sodium (or homemade) chicken broth
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
- freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz of dried rigatoni pasta
- grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Ok so…place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the pancetta and a splash of olive oil and let it slowly sizzle to render out the fat for about 6 minutes. Then add the onions, carrot and celery and let them sauté until tender and make sure they don’t brown at all by adjusting the heat if necessary or adding a bit more oil if you have to. It should take about 7 minutes.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt and add the crushed fennel seeds and let them toast in the pan for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn the heat up to medium high and add the ground pork, spread it out and then don’t touch it so that it browns, then break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon and stir to let it cook through on the other side. Add the garlic and stir to combine, cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and another pinch of kosher salt and stir to combine, let it cook for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the bay leaf and wine and reduce by 3/4 for about 3-4 minutes.
- Then add 1/2 cup of milk and reduce by half. Then add the broth, thyme and tomatoes, 1 tsp of kosher salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to break them up a bit.
- Turn the heat down to allow it to simmer gently for an hour. Towards the end, start a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Also skim any oil/fat that had accumulated at the top of the sauce using a spoon and discard. Taste and add more kosher salt if it’s tasting flat but it probably won’t need much more.
- Add a hefty pinch of kosher salt to the pasta water and taste, it should taste like well seasoned water soup. Add the pasta add cook until just before al dente, if you bite it, it should have a ring of white uncooked paste in the middle of the pasta. Add the extra al dente pasta to the sauce using a spider or tongs and add a few spoonfuls or a ladle full of pasta water along with it. Turn the heat up and stir constantly letting it simmer and cook the pasta fully through, the sauce will also thicken and become glossy to cover the pasta.
- Add the 2 tbl of milk and stir and cook for a few seconds more and then serve topped with Parmesan.
