How do you Bolognese?

When I was a brand-new mom and my sweet little girl was in the “I just want to nurse at all times” stage, Food Network was closest friend. We spent countless hours together at all times of the day or night, taking thrilling culinary adventures with world class chefs! All from the comfort of my glider.

I would dare to say that I learned a significant number of things from Food Network during that time. Even more than learning, I was inspired to try cooking food that I had never even tasted before (this is a gift in a way; if it doesn’t taste exactly like it should, you don’t even know it!). One particular dish that I desperately wanted to try to make was Bolognese. Bolognese is something that I have tried at restaurants because it most often comes on a pile of pasta and it is delicious! When you have all of that heavenly rich, savory, meaty sauce served to you at a restaurant, you just assume that it contains some ingredient that you will never find in the store or requires some technique or specialized kitchen equipment that you will just not be able to obtain at home. It’s just so good!

Food Network was kind enough to enlighten me on this matter. There is nothing complex or even surprising about what goes into Bolognese. It just takes time. I can vividly remember watching two different Food Network chefs prepare Bolognese during my culinary television escapades. The actual ingredients varied slightly but they both prepared it on the stove top and over many hours. The chefs did the initial preparations, cooking of the meat and combining the ingredients and then the luscious sauce just simmered away, performing magic. Both chefs discussed monitoring the sauce and adding more liquid when necessary and then allowing it to reduce back down to create and almost indescribable depth.

Almost 3 years after I learned about the art of Bolognese, I finally tried to make it at home last weekend. One big factor that had been holding me back was the idea of doing this stove top. I was afraid that I would not be able to get the temperature low enough or that I would leave it alone too long and forget about it. I decided that the best fit for me was a slow cooker recipe.

The recipe called for simple ingredients and the process was also simple. The preparation does take a little bit of time on the stove top before heading the slow cooker for 6-8 hours but I took the author’s suggestion of doing those steps the night before. The Bolognese came out beautifully! My husband, son and I all went back for more. My daughter, on the other hand, did not seem to enjoy the texture. She didn’t have any objection to eating the pasta that had soaked up the sauce, unless it had a chunk of a vegetable or meat on it… Oh well, 3 out of 4 of us approved!

As I was putting the leftovers in the fridge, I had to laugh a little bit at the quantity. There was a ton of Bolognese left! Normally, I would have scooped enough of the leftovers for another meal and popped that in the freezer for another week. Instead, I decided to see what other ways I could come up with to use this sauce.

First, the ideas I had that I did not actually make (maybe next time):

Sandwiches – I was picturing sautéed onions, mushrooms and red bell peppers, topped with provolone cheese, on a toasted sub roll and smothered with Bolognese to bring it all together. Almost along the lines of a meatball sub with some added veggies.

Lasagna – I read somewhere along the line that lasagna is a very common place to find Bolognese. I completely understand why. That deep, meaty flavor would really stand up to the creamy cheesiness of lasagna.

Polenta – This suggestion is right from the blog post in which I found the recipe I used. Polenta is offered as a gluten-free option.

Now, the dishes I did make:

Pizza – Plain and simple. I just threw together a pizza dough and spread all of the Bolognese goodness on it and covered the whole deal with mozzarella. I had thought this was going to been a sure-fire way to get my daughter to like Bolognese. It was not, she still didn’t eat it. My son, he loved it!

Bolognese Bombs – I made these on the same night as the pizza so I could use some of the same pizza dough to wrap up some deliciousness. I cut roughly 3-inch squares out of my dough, added about 1 tsp of Italian cheese blend and 1 Tbs Bolognese to each square and sealed them up. I put them seal-side down on a baking sheet and gave the tops a little egg wash and baked at 425°F until golden brown. These would make awesome appetizers! The only thing, they need more cheese!

Lasagna Soup – I just added some tomato puree, basil, a touch of salt and pepper and pasta. A dollop of ricotta at the end may have sent this on over the top but it was still yummy with topped with just and Italian cheese blend.

On a Spoon – This may be a significant factor in my love of pasta; it’s not just the pasta that I love! Bolognese is hard to resist, with or without pasta!