November 15, 2011 / 13 comments »

Weeknight Bolognese with Orachetti

Sorry about that.
I guess I was being a bit deceptive wasn’t I?
 I know the name weeknight implies that this is a quick recipe.
It really is not.
This is actually a slow cooker recipe.
Start it early in the morning and finish it up by boiling your pasta when you get home from work.
This recipe calls for browning the meat before putting it in the slow cooker.
Although it is an extra step, it imparts a deep flavor and color to the dish.
If pressed for time you certainly could skip this step, but the results wont be the same.
Recently I saw a new slow cooker at William Sonoma.
It was quiet expensive.
The insert was metal. You could actually brown the meat in the insert before starting the slow cooker.
How awesome is that.
I will wait for the price to come down. I know someone, somewhere will make one cheaper.
I used orachetti pasta with this recipe, you could use any pasta you want.
As a matter of fact, you could use rice, couscous, mashed potatoes, egg noodles and polenta.
The ideas are endless.
Oh yeah, and this freezes wonderfully,
and makes a ton of leftovers.

Bolognese with Orachetti
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 ounces bacon
2 small onions
2 finely chopped carrots
1 stalk finely chopped carrots
3 lbs ground beef
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 can crushed tomato
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 lb Orachetti pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large frying pan warm the oil and add the bacon. Saute until it begins to render its fat about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until the onions are soft. Add the beef and cook the meat until it is is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and bring the heat up to high. Deglaze the pan and pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomatoes. Stir everything together.

Cover and cook the sauce on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk to combine and continue cooking another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta. Cook stirring occasionally until Al Dente. Drain, add to pot and toss with the sauce. Serve with Parmesan on the side.
Peace be with you,
Veronica
Beef, Italian, Pasta
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