The Better Bolognese & Bucanti

While the real star of this food show is the bolognese sauce, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about the fact that bucanti is the best and most underrated pasta. It’s like a thick spaghetti straw that holds onto sauce really well. Spongebob pasta, my old favorite has officially been demoted.

BOLOGNESE

from Food52

ingredients

• 4tablespoons butter
• 3ounces cubed pancetta
• 1medium onion
• 2fat cloves garlic
• 1carrot
• 2stalks celery
• 2large, flat mushrooms such as portobello, about 4 ounces
• 2bay leaves
• 1pound ground beef or lamb
• 1cup crushed tomatoes or passata
• 1/4cup red wine
• 3/4cup stock
• 1nutmeg
• 3/4cup half-and-half or cream
• grated Parmesan

directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot — then stir in the pancetta and let it cook for five minutes or so, without coloring much. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic and stir them into the pancetta. Peel and finely chop the carrot and celery and stir them in, too. Lastly, finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pan, then tuck in the bay leaves and leave to cook for ten minutes over moderate heat, stirring frequently.
2. Turn up the heat and tip in the meat, breaking it up well with a fork.
3. Now leave to cook without stirring for a good three or four minutes, then, as the meat on the bottom is starting to brown, stir again, breaking up the meat where necessary, and leave to color.
4. Mix in the tomatoes, red wine, stock, a grating of nutmeg and some salt and black pepper, letting it come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that everything barely bubbles. There should be movement, but one that is gentle, not quite a simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and leave the putter away for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring from time to time and checking the liquid levels. You don’t want it to be dry.
5. Pour in the half-and-half or cream a little bit at a time, stir, and continue cooking for twenty minutes. Check the seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan.