Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese - The Real Thing!


It is that time again...time for the Secret Recipe Club reveal!  I was really excited to see that I was assigned to Manuela's site, Manu's Menu!  Manuela was born and raised in Milan, Italy by Sicilian parents but currently resides in Australia with her husband and two daughters.  Manuela loves food and is eager to share the concepts of authentic Italian dishes with others.  Her site is the "real thing"!

I had so many choices of things to make that it was very difficult.  In the end I decided that since I had never made a bolognese sauce I would find a recipe for that.  What could be more authentic than Manuela's grandmother's recipe for Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese?  I could hardly wait to make my way into the kitchen.  

Rather than try to convert the metrics, I used a scale and measuring cups showing the metric measure.  
The only chance I took was with the "1/3 glass of red wine".  I decided that she couldn't mean a wine glass as that would be too small of an amount and it couldn't mean 1/3 cup or it would have been written in ml.  So, I took out a water glass decided that 1/3 of the glass would probably measure 1/2 cup.  "smile" (It was a large glass!)   I figured too much wine couldn't possibly be a problem!

I also withheld some of the water.  It appeared that for the amount of meat and vegetables in the pot, that 800 ml might be too much.  I started with 500 ml and decided to see what it looked like at the end of the hour.  Manuela describes the appearance of the mixture and I knew that would work for me.  I was happy that I only used 500 ml of water.  The sauce cooked down nicely and didn't need any extra.



Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

Yield:  4 servings

350 gms beef mince (3/4 pound)
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 glass red wine (I used 1/2 cup Merlot as that was open!)
300 gms canned tomatoes
Salt 
Pepper
800 ml water

350 gms egg tagliatelle 

Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery and put them in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil.  Saute on slow fire until soft (but do not brown).

Add the mince and stir well with a wooden spoon making sure you  remove all the lumps.  Brown the meat well.  Add the red wine and raise the fire to burn off the alcohol.

Add the slat,  pepper, tomatoes and  water.

Cover and cook on a low fire for about an hour.  Add water (or reduce it on the fire) if needed.  The sauce doesn't have to bee too thick, you have to be able to see 1/2 a glass of watery sauce  at the bottom of the pan when you stir it.

Cook the tagliatelle following the steps on How to cook  pasta "al dente" on the Techniques page of Manu's Menu.  Drain it and serve with the Bolognese sauce and thinly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the top.

PRINTABLE RECIPE


Mr. T and I really enjoyed the meal!  Simple ingredients, simple preparation and wonderful  flavor!  Do stop by Manu's Menu for some great, authentic Italian dishes.  You won't be disappointed.  

In case you are not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, I will give you some background.  Each month club members are assigned a secret blog from which we select recipe to prepare and write about in a blog post.  We keep our assignment secret until  reveal day when  we when everybody's posts appear at the same time.  That just takes a little behind the scene coordination by the leader Amanda at Amanda's Cookin' and Angela at Big Bear's Wife who helps with Group C.  Thank you to both of you. 



Comments

  1. I had Manu's Menu for SRC this winter and made her Almond Florentine Cookies, which were soooo good. Have to try this bolognese!

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  2. This looks like a crazy good pasta dish, I do love my carbs!

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  3. Looks amazingly comforting...could use a bowl now!

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  4. looks delicious! love the basil decoration in the middle :)

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  5. I could eat this entire bowl right now. What a great recipe and fabulous choice for SRC!

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  6. Manuela's grandmother most of been the best cook ever! When I had her I did one of her grandmother's recipes also and it was so wonderful. The recipe I made called for a 1/2 glass of milk...I did exactly what you did and grabbed a regular drinking glass...and it was just right! Too funny.

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  7. This looks fabulous and relatively simple! Adding it to my list!

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  8. I love bolognese, and I can't wait to try this recipe. I am always looking for the perfect one, and this looks so great!

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  9. I'd go for a big bowl of this tonight C:

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  10. I've been searching for a bolognse recipe ! :-)

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  11. Your pics are beautiful and that dish of pasta looks mouthwatering. I would always add extra wine to any recipe too!! As if you could have too much wine in a recipe. :D Great choice for SRC!

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  12. looks like you did a great job with it Kate - I think Bolognese is Bev's favorite.

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  13. You did a fantastic job Kate. My brain feels fried when I work with metrics. I blame it on being blonde, but let's face it, it's not easy.

    Your pictures are mouthwateringly beautiful.
    Sam

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  14. Awwwww wow! Sorry I am so late, but reveal time is at night my time... :-) I LOVE that you made one of my grandmother's recipes as they have a special place in my heart! I am really glad you liked it! And yes... all granny's recipes call for "glasses"!! You did absolutely right! I am so glad you had my blog as I know what great cook you are, especially after making your Rum, Date and Pecan Ice Cream in a past reveal! THANK YOU so much for making this dish look so beautiful and for your wonderful write up! Have a great day Kate!

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  15. Too much wine is never a problem. There is no such thing. Beautiful recipe.

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  16. I bet you eye-balled the wine just right. This was a great recipe to pick for SRC.

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  17. Oh Kate...what a beautiful plate of tagliatelle! You chose a great recipe from a great blog and you nailed it! : )

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  18. Sounds delicious! Good job on the wine conversion. I'm sure it was just perfect. ;)

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  19. That looks amazing, and still very simple. Love the presentation!

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  20. Great SRC choice :-) I love how simple the recipe is but how it sounds like it delivers huge flavor!

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  21. there's no such thing as too much wine. in cooking. or in my glass.

    happy src reveal from a group D member!

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  22. Looks wonderful! And looks like you all are having a lot of fun with this group.

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  23. Great SRC recipe choice, Kathy. A rich meat sauce is my all time favorite topping for pasta. I would be a little more generous with the red wine too. Now you have me hungry for pasta.

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  24. Lucky you getting Manu!!! And you did her proud with this amazing pasta! Excellent SRC pick!

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  25. Way to go with the pasta! It looks and sounds delicious, Kathy! The sauce sounds perfect for the pasta!

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