What is Italian pasta?In our usual understanding, this is pasta in any form. But we don’t even suspect the number of varieties of pasta. And how masterfully Italians manage to cook this prosaic product is generally beyond reality (our reality). However, many recipes for cooking pasta are not only widely known almost all over the world, but also incredibly popular. In particular, pasta bolognese. What is bolognese? It is a sauce invented by Italians. But not just a sauce, but a rather rich and satisfying component included in many pasta recipes. We suggest learning more about the sauce itself, as well as getting acquainted with some recipes for pasta cooked with it.
Bolognese sauce
This sauce originates from the Italian city of Bologna.By the way, it was the delegation of chefs from this city that recommended the recipe for this sauce at the Italian Academy of Cuisine. So this dish has an officially registered composition and recipe. In the official version of the sauce, the recipe is limited to such ingredients as beef and pancetta (Italian bacon), carrots, onions and celery, tomato paste and cream (milk), red wine and meat broth. Of course, Bolognese sauce is prepared not only from these ingredients. Its recipe may include other components, as well as exclude products from the official version of the sauce. But what is interesting is that in Italy itself, Bolognese sauce is mainly served with classic tagliatelle pasta or green (colored with spinach juice) lasagna. Bolognese is rarely prepared with other types of pasta, but sometimes it is served with mashed potatoes. In fact, Bolognese sauce is quite democratic, and it can be prepared not only with pasta, but also with rice and buckwheat, which are familiar to our stomachs. Because the meat sauce bolognese is very filling and is perceived by us not so much as a sauce, but more as an independent second course, complemented by a side dish. Nevertheless, it is the recipe for pasta with bolognese sauce that has firmly established itself in our culinary art. And there are as many variations of this recipe as there are housewives who have decided to try it. Will we try it too?
Spaghetti with bolognese sauce
Spaghetti is the most familiar pasta for us.They are so "native" that we even forget about their Italian origin, considering them our national product. And if you want to add Italian chic to prosaic spaghetti, then this recipe is for you. Ingredients:
- Beef mince - 250 g;
- Italian herbs (dry seasoning);
- Canned (in its own juice) tomatoes - 900 g;
- Red wine (dry or semisweet) - 1 glass;
- Onion - 2 heads;
- Olive oil - 1 tablespoon;
- Butter - 1 tablespoon;
- Milk - 1 glass;
- Carrots - 1 thing;
- Tomato paste - 2 tablespoons;
- Celery - 2 stems;
- Pork forcemeat - 250 g;
- Spaghetti;
- Parmesan cheese;
- Garlic - 2 slices.
Preparation: First, let's prepare the vegetables:wash them, peel and chop finely. To prepare the bolognese sauce, melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over high heat. When the butter sizzles, reduce the heat and put the chopped carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the saucepan and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring. After that, put all the minced meat in there, stir and continue frying for another eight to ten minutes. Important! During the frying process, make sure that the minced meat does not stick together into lumps. Then add milk to the minced meat and continue simmering for about fifteen minutes. Next, pour the wine into the saucepan and simmer, stirring, for fifteen minutes. The next stage of preparation is adding the tomatoes and tomato paste. Grind the peeled tomatoes in a blender (or simply mash with a fork), mix with the tomato paste and pour into the saucepan. Add a mixture of Italian herbs, half a teaspoon of salt and a few pinches of black pepper. Put the saucepan on the lowest heat, cover with a lid and leave for a couple of hours. Important! The sauce must be cooked for at least two hours (it can be longer), but it must be stirred every twenty minutes. Then all that remains is to boil the spaghetti and serve it, pouring over the Bolognese sauce and sprinkling with grated Parmesan cheese.
Pasta with a liquid bolognese sauce
Actually, traditional bolognese sauce is thick.However, this sauce is more like a sauce than a goulash. A fairly simple recipe, which makes the sauce very quick to prepare. Ingredients:
- Half a pound of minced meat from a mixture of pork and beef;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- A tablespoon of vegetable oil (preferably olive oil);
- Tablespoon of butter;
- A pod of sweet pepper;
- Bulb;
- Carrot;
- 100 g of bacon or ham;
- A glass of milk;
- A glass of red wine;
- 4 tablespoons of tomato paste;
- 200 g of hard cheese;
- Half a teaspoon oregano;
- Half a teaspoon of basil;
- Pasta (any pasta to your taste).
Preparation:We will prepare this sauce in the same way as the previous recipe recommends. So first, wash, peel and finely chop all the vegetables, and then fry them in a saucepan with vegetable oil. When the onion begins to turn golden, add the bacon cut into small pieces, and after five minutes, put the minced meat in the saucepan. Stirring the sauce constantly, continue to simmer it for about ten minutes. After that, put the tomato paste in the sauce, stir, wait for the sauce to boil, and pour in the milk. After simmering everything together for five minutes, add the wine, spices and continue to cook with the lid open for another five minutes. Then reduce the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and leave for about ten minutes. That's it. The quick bolognese sauce is ready. Now boil the pasta, pour the sauce over it and serve, sprinkled with cheese shavings.
Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna is also a pasta, and also a typeItalian dish. The most famous recipe for this dish is lasagna bolognese, which includes not only the sauce of the same name, but also béchamel sauce. Cooking lasagna at home is quite a feasible undertaking, especially since the recipe for its preparation is not so complicated. Ingredients:
- A pound of any minced meat;
- Bulb;
- 300 g of pulp of tomatoes;
- 3 cups of milk;
- 2 tablespoons of flour;
- 80 g of butter;
- 100 g of hard cheese (Parmesan);
- 300 g of soft cheese (mozzarella);
- 10 sheets of lasagna;
- Salt, black pepper, nutmeg.
Preparation:First, we will prepare the béchamel sauce. To do this, melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour to it and, stirring the butter-flour mixture with a whisk, pour in a thin stream of milk. Continue cooking the sauce until it thickens, then remove from heat and leave to cool. Now it's time for the bolognese sauce. For it, first fry the minced meat in vegetable oil, add chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion becomes transparent. Next, put spices and tomato pulp in the sauce, wait for the sauce to boil, and cook it for about five minutes. While the sauce is cooking, chop the hard cheese and mozzarella in a bowl and prepare the lasagna sheets. They must first be boiled, and how exactly to do this is written on the package. Therefore, strictly follow the recommendations. Next, take a form (preferably rectangular) and pour béchamel sauce on its bottom, then put the first layer of lasagna sheets, spread bolognese sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese and pour béchamel sauce over it. Put lasagna, bolognese, cheese and béchamel again. And in this way, put two more layers (four in total). Cover everything with lasagna sheets on top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and pour generously with béchamel sauce. Send the form with lasagna into a hot oven and bake for half an hour. Choose a recipe for pasta bolognese and join the amazing cuisine of sunny Italy. And let the preparation of Italian pasta be a pleasant process for you. Good luck! We recommend reading:
