Bolognese Bianco

Bowl made by Heath Ceramics.

Sometimes, I don’t have 3 hours to cook my Sunday Bolognese sauce, but I usually will have an hour to whip up a Bolognese Bianco. This “white” version doesn’t have tomatoes, but the umami comes from porcini mushrooms. It’s hearty, comforting, and one of those dishes where you’ll want to take a nap afterwards since you didn’t realize you had a couple bowls.

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chopped onion (white or yellow)

• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 2  celery stalks, diced

• 10 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 pound Italian sausage meat (if you don’t have sausage, double up on ground beef)

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (pinot grigio preferably)

• 1 cube beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1 1/2 cups hot water

• 1 ounces dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 2 cups hot water

• 1 /3 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

• 1/4 cup of chopped parsley (reserving some for garnish)

• 1 pound pasta (something hearty like fettuccine, rigatoni, or penne)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt and pepper

Steps:

1. In a dutch oven or a sauté pan, add a 1/4 cup of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes until the veggies are tender. Season with S&P. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Add the sausage and ground beef, and break the meat into smaller pieces.

2. Turn the heat up to high, and pour in the wine. Keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in the beef bouillon water and lower the heat to medium. Simmer until the bouillon is almost gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, but save the liquid.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1 1/2 cup of the mushroom liquid to the sauce along with the chopped porcini. Simmer until the sauce is thick like a ragu. Season with S&P to your liking. Add the cream and nutmeg and simmer on medium-low.

4. When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the pasta and cook it 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain, and toss the pasta with the ragu, parmesan, and parsley. If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining 1/2 cup of mushroom water to thin out the sauce.

5. To plate, serve a big portion in a bowl and garnish with more parsley and parm. Repeat again after you finish your first bowl. Take a nap.