Fresh Pappardelle with Bolognese

This fresh pappardelle with bolognese is comfort food at it’s finest. Slow-cooked bolognese sauce pairs perfectly with the wide fresh pappardelle noodles.

Some tips for a good Bolognese Sauce

•  Use fattier ground beef – the sauce needs the fat for flavor here, and it will yield a much tastier result.
•  Not all canned tomatoes are created equally – I like to use San Marzano, they have fewer seeds, a nice pulp and are superior to many other brands on the market. A little pricier, but worth the extra dollar. I buy them by the case as they are a little more affordable this way. You can find them at any Italian market or well-stocked grocery store.
• Bolognese sauce is all about balance, not too heavy on the tomatoes. Cream, white wine, and tomatoes create a beautiful balance for this sauce.
• Patience will pay off. This sauce needs a minimum of 3 hours to develop flavor.
• A little fresh grated nutmeg goes a long way. Just a little adds a nice back note to the sauce.
• Salt your beef as soon as you add it to the pan.
• Chop your veggies really fine – this lends to a nice finished texture of your sauce.
• Taste and salt at the end – salt makes a huge difference in flavor – be sure to taste before serving and adjust as needed.
• A good heavy-bottomed pot for cooking works well – one that retains the heat well.
• Add a bit of water throughout if the sauce gets too thick as it cooks.
• Although I’ve just used beef here, a mixture of pork and beef is nice, or add a bit of ground bacon or pancetta to the mix (I use my food processor to grind it up for this when I add).

How to make homemade pasta

• Homemade pasta is really simple to make and only takes a few ingredients, which likely many of you have on hand, flour and eggs. You can even use flour and water if you don’t have eggs. The eggs lend to a richer dough, but both work fine in a pinch
• A simple ratio to remember is 2 eggs to 1 cup of flour. Make a well, pour in your beaten eggs and gradually work the flour into the egg mixture. Knead well until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Wrap it tightly with cling wrap and let it REST. Ensure that you let it rest at least 30 minutes (1 hour is better) – in the fridge.
• A pasta machine works well to get the dough thin. Use a little of the dough at a time, keeping the rest of the dough wrapped well while working. Start at level 1 and move up a notch each time until you get it to the desired thinness. Try to get the dough as thin as you can. If you don’t have a pasta machine, a rolling pin will work.
• You don’t need 00 flour here or semolina. All-purpose flour works just fine.
• Dust your noodles well with flour so that they don’t stick
• Fresh pasta only take a couple of minutes to cook in salted boiling water. Then carefully toss it up with your sauce to finish. A little pasta water helps loosen the sauce.

Feeling the way so many of us are right now during this coronavirus outbreak, I think we all deserve a little comfort right now. For me, comfort food means – pasta! Making homemade pasta is a great way to get the kids involved with cooking too! It’s simple, fun, and a great way to introduce them to some new cooking skills. If you don’t want to make your own pasta to go with this dish – no worries. Dried pasta will work in a pinch. I would recommend De Cecco for a good grocery store brand if you go that route.

If you like this recipe you should try: Beautiful Easter Salad

Fresh Pappardelle with Bolognese

Homemade slow cooked bolognese goes perfectly with the wide pappardelle noodles. A comfort food classic your family will love!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Bolognese Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4-1 lb regular ground beef
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes, pureed
• 1 bunch italian parsley, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, chopped fine
• 1-2 whole carrot, chopped fine
• 1 whole celery stalks, chopped fine
• 1 fennel, white part only, chopped fine
• 1/8 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
• pepper to taste
• kosher salt to taste
• water, as needed

Fresh Pasta

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs preferably organic free run

Method

 

1. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter and oil. Put in your onions and cook for a couple of minutes or so until translucent.
2. Add in your fennel, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes until tender.
3. Add in your ground beef, parsley and add about 1-2 tsp of kosher salt and a bit of pepper. Cook until mostly browned.
4. Add in your cream and let reduce a little into the meat and vegetable mixture. At this point, using a microplane, grate in your nutmeg.
5. Add in your white wine. Again let this cook down a little and reduce.
6. Add in your tomatoes. Make sure to puree them a little in your food processor, or break them up with a potato masher or your hands.
7. Put the pot, partially covered on a low heat and allow to just barely simmer for 3 hours. Checking periodically and adding a bit of water (1/2 cup at a time approx), if it gets too thick.
8. When finished the fat will have seperated from the suace. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the Fresh Pasta

1. On a clean surface put your flour and make a little well in the middle.
2. In a seperate bowl, whisk together your eggs.
3. Add your eggs to the well and gradually mix in a bit of flour at a time from the edges. Only mix in enough flour to make a nice dough (not too dry). It will eventually come together just keep working it, and then knead it well until smooth.
4. Wrap the pasta well in cling wrap and put in the fridge and let rest for 1 hour.
5. Using a pasta machine - work with a bit of the dough at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll the dough into a rectagular shape.
6. Feed the dough through the machine on the widest setting (1). Keep feeding the dough through moving up a notch to a thinner setting each time, until you reach desired consistency. Try to get as thin as you can. If you are using a rolling pin - roll until thin in a large rectangular shape.
7. Cut the dough in halve lengthwise and loosely fold over dusting well with flour as you go. Cut the folded over dough into wider strips (think a bit fatter than fettucine noodles.
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily. Cook the noodles for a couple minutes and then finish them in the sauce, loosening the sauce with a bit of pasta water if need be.
9. Serve with grated parmesan, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil if you like. We also garnished ours with a bit of the reserved fennel fronds.