Nonna Consuelos Bolognese Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, tomato paste, sugar, bacon, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until flavors combine, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Brown, crumble and drain the meat. Set it aside.
• Peel onion, carrots and celery. Cut them in small pieces and finely chop them in food processor to a puree consistency.
• In a 10 quart non-stick pot pour the olive oil and cook the pureed vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, at medium heat.
• Add the meat, the tomatoes, the bouillon cubes, the garlic, the pepper and the sugar to the cooked vegetables.
• Cook at low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Finely chop the basil and crush the oregano. Add them to the cooking sauce.
• Cook the sauce for an additional 1½ hours. Add the can of tomato paste to thicken sauce, if needed.
• Remove the garlic, put it on a small dish and crush it into a puree consistency using a fork. Put it back in the sauce, stirring thoroughly.
• Cook sauce for 5 more minutes.
• **Note: Generally, the sauce is done when the garlic is soft.

Steps:

• Pulse onion, carrots, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped; set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring often, until brown and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean and add remaining 3 Tbsp. oil; heat over medium heat. Add reserved onion mixture and cook, stirring often and lowering heat if starting to brown, until softened, about 20 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup water. Stir in reserved meat, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and oregano. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce thickens 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove garlic; crush with the back of a spoon and stir back into sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt, pepper, sugar, and more bouillon, if desired. Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/nonna-consuelos-bolognese-sauce#ixzz1s9eVVHNG

Steps:

• For Nonna's bolognese sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, then add the carrots, celery, garlic and shallots. Continue to saute until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat and then add the wine. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a medium simmer and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt. Remove from the heat, transfer to a dish and let cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For Nonna's signature ricotta: Put the ricotta, cream, garlic, shallots, dried basil, oregano, and chile flakes in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine until there are no lumps. Season with salt. Set aside.
• For the lasagna bolognese: Prepare a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish by coating the bottom with 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce, spreading it out evenly. Arrange a layer of the lasagna noodles to completely cover the sauce. Add a third of the ricotta mix and spread evenly. Add a quarter of the cooled bolognese sauce and spread evenly. Repeat this process layering two more layers of lasagna sheets, ricotta mix and bolognese sauce for a total of three layers.
• After finishing the third layer of sauce, arrange a fourth layer of lasagna sheets on top and cover it with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara. Then sprinkle with the Parmesan and lightly cover the entire top with the Italian cheese blend. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and plastic wrap and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Let set 10 minutes before serving.
• To serve: Cut into 6 servings and top each serving with the remaining bolognese sauce, Parmesan, Italian cheese blend and fresh basil.