How to Make Bolognese like SPQR

I am always trying to find and make more pasta sauces other than what is canned in the store. While they provide an extreme convenience at a great price, after a while I get so bored with them. The taste is never going to really blow you away, and always felt I could do a better job if I actually tired. Need a meal in a pinch, no problem. But if you have some extra time on your hands, go ahead and do yourself a favor and try out some new sauce.

Bolognese has been tough for me in the past. Looking up recipes online only got me so far, and I don’t think I have made a rockstar bolognese from scratch, ever. There is always something missing, so I am happy to report back that this is a rockstar bolognese that will shine with your friends.

Cookbook – SPQR

Ingredients –

Dough –

SPQR Egg Dough

Bolognese –

Pork Shoulder – 1 lb 5oz – (600 grams)
Bacon (optional) – The recipe calls for back fat, but I could not find that or pork belly at my store, so I opted for pork belly.
Yellow onion – 1, finely chopped
Garlic – 6 cloves finely chopped
Tomato paste – 1/4 cup
Calabrian chiles (I used)- 10 grams – (optional) (SPQR uses canned chipotle peppers instead)
Dried pepper flakes – just a pinch
Red wine – 1 1/3 cups
Water – 1 1/4 cups
Nutmeg – a few dashes
Heavy cream – 1/3 cup
Red wine vinegar – to taste

Salt
Pepper
Unsalted butter – 2-4 tbsp
Parmasan for grating

Soffrito –

Carrots – 100 grams
Celery – 100 grams
Yellow onion – 100 grams

Tools –

Food processor
Meat grinder (optional)
Pasta roller for dough
Large pan or dutch oven – I use flatter version of this All-Clad

Step 1 – Make the dough

Follow instructions from the SPQR Egg Dough

Step 2 – Make the Bolognese

Cut the tough pork into smaller pieces, season with salt. Using a meat grinder or food processor, finely ground the pork.

Heat a thin film of olive oil in a dutch oven or a large pan over medium/high heat. Stir in the pork and brown well, about 7 minutes, it kind of looks like ground beef at this point. Transfer the pork to a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Heat another thin film of oil in the same pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and a pinch of salt, continue to sweat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 minutes or so. If the bottom of the pan is starting to get too dark, add a little water to deglaze the pan. Mix in the garlic and sweat for 1 more minute. Stir in the tomato paste, Calabrian or chipotle peppers, red pepper flakes, and cook until the paste begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer to reduce the liquid by about a third. Add the water, add a few dashes of nutmeg, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Step 3 – Make the Soffrito

For the soffrito, add all chopped ingredients to a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a pan and cook over low/medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Step 4 – Finish the Bolognese

Take the pot/pan out of the oven and uncover. The sauce should have thickened quite a bit, the meat should be very tender. Over low heat, add the soffrito and cream, bring to a simmer for about 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed, and a few drops of red wine vinegar to help brighten the flavors.

To finish the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and stir in the pasta. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, drain and reserve some pasta water. In another pan, add the noodles and spoonfuls of bolognese until it clings to all noodles but not entirely covering. Grate fresh parmesan to finish. Enjoy!

And for the ratings –

Difficulty of ingredients to find? – 3/5 stars – Probably a standard trip to the grocery store
Perceived difficulty going into recipe – 3/5 stars – Not easy, but not hard
Difficulty after recipe – 2.5/5 stars – No crazy techniques involved
Time taken – 4/5 stars – Good bolognese is going to take time, and there is nothing wrong with that
Taste – 4/5 stars – A great dish with very few flaws
Make again – 4/5 stars – A great recipe to have in the arsenal and can’t wait to experiment with other bolognese recipes