Tomatoes aren’t for everyone. They are certainly for me, but that is neither here nor there. A dislike of a certain food is no reason for a rift or any resentment within a household of chefs or foodies. Instead, it's a prompt to make delicious foods that everyone can enjoy without anyone feeling deprived. This Bolognese, for example, uses not a single tomato. No tomato sauce, nor paste, nor canned, nor jarred, nor fresh. Blasphemous? Well, try it first, and then decide.
If you’re keen, you could add half of the Parmesan just before serving, and give the whole mix another good stir, but letting each individual dish out their own amount of Parmesan is just another way to extend the olive branch of tolerance in a household of different pallets. Please enjoy respectfully.
White spaghetti Bolognese
4
20 minutes
40 minutes
1 hour
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 cup button mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pound pork sausage, without the casings
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons crushed red peppers
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 ½ cups dry white wine
2 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 3 cups of warm water
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic, and sauté until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook an additional minute.
Add the meats, and break down with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until well-browned.
Add the crushed red peppers, bay leaf, thyme and wine. Stir until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
Add the stock, and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until much of the liquid has evaporated. Add the porcini stock, and continue to simmer.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, draining just before they reach al dente. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water.
Return the pasta to the pot and over a medium-low heat, add the sauce and the cream. Stir well. Once everything has warmed through, serve with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top.
