This Charming Kitchen

This weekend I made the Barefoot Contessa's Bolognese sauce and I was not disappointed!

Y'all - this is the recipe I've been looking for.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but my ex, The Love Maker, was Sicilian.  So I developed a kind of paranoia about sauce.  He had me convinced that since I was of Non-Mediterranean descent I would never understand or be able to prepare proper sauce.

Yes.  He was that kind of asshole but we're over it - but then there it is.

Anywho.....

For years I've been looking for a simple, easy, flavorful sauce but all the 'official' Italian recipes were cook all day affairs - and that has it's place but sometimes you just want some sauce already.

This just blew me out of the water.  It comes together in 45 minutes or so and I could not have been happier with the way it turned out.  And, you know, Ina is just as non-Mediterranean as I am so I felt safe with her.

Here's the recipe:

2 TB good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta
1 pound lean ground sirloin
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 TB dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ¼ cups dry red wine, divided
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 TB tomato paste
Kosher salt & black pepper
¾ pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or (small shells)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

Finish the sauce while the pasta cooks. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining ¼ cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and ½ cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

(Recipe from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten)

I made it exactly to the recipe.  I was able to find the San Marzano tomatoes at the Teeter and I used a nice Cabernet Sauvinon in the sauce.   Also, I added the 1/2 cup of Parmesan to the sauce at the same time I added the nutmeg, basil, cream and remaining wine.  I did find it just a *tad* salty so I think the next time I make it I may just go with 1/2 tablespoon of salt in the sauce.  But other than that it was wonderful.