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Friday, April 26, 2013

Quick Bolognese Sauce

 
Well, it's finally here again - FRIDAY!!!  It feels as if it took two weeks to get here, but whatever, it's here!  And like a lot of Friday's as of late, I'm going to tempt you with a delicious comfort food dish.  I contemplated making Friday's "Comfort Food Friday's" (thanks to a great suggestion from Judy, by the way) here at Jenn's Food Journey, but summer is knocking at the door...   excuse me.. what I meant to say was - summer has KNOCKED down the door, so I figured there might not be as many comfort food dishes making it to our tables over the next few months.  For now, it's just a normal Friday.....   with a deliciously comforting dish :)

I love bolognese sauce but have only made it once.. and I was in my twenties and it was just okay.  Don't ask me why it took me so long to make another one, but key is, I made it again and this one was a masterpiece.  What caught my eye was the word "quick".  Most bolognese sauces take a lot of patience and time and I have very little of both a lot of nights!  I will definitely be making this again.... and again... and again!!

Quick Bolognese Sauce
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 lbs ground chuck
1 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and carrots; seasoning with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.  Add the jalapeno and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook for one more minute.  Add the ground chuck, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.  Season, again, with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let this boil down by half and then stir in the tomatoes.  Bring sauce just to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.  Stir in the milk and taste for seasoning.  Allow to cook another 2 minutes.  Add a little water if the sauce begins to dry out.  Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Red Pepper Jelly Pork Chops
Two Years Ago:  Thai Style Honey Peanut Chicken
Three Years Ago:  Murphy's Hot Hamburger

6 comments:

Yenta Mary said...

I love Bolognese sauce, with its deep flavors. But you're right - it's a labor of love, like risotto, where you add a bit at a time and stir and cook and simmer ... who has time for this anymore? What a great solution!

Cranberry Morning said...

I cannot tell you how much of my life I've eaten that dish. It is comfort and nostalgia food for the NW Wisconsinite. Sigh.

Pam said...

It looks like my kind of comfort food. It looks awesome Jenn! Happy Friday.

Big Dude said...

Bev is a big fan of meat sauce, as we always called it, and the only time we actually made Bolognese was an Anne Burrell recipe that took several hours to make. I like your quicker version.

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

I agree, it did seem like two weeks before Friday got here. I've never made a true bolognese sauce. I'll give this one a try.

Pam said...

I haven't made Bolognese sauce in ages but will be trying it after seeing this. It's a perfect comfort food dish. I hope you're enjoying your weekend, Jenn!