I’m not going to lie. I had no clue what bolognese was besides a meat sauce up until I decided I wanted to make a lamb version. To me it was basically a tomato sauce with a whole lot of ground meat, right? Nope. Quite a few recipes I scoured through had very little tomato at all, more than one type of meat, and dairy. Apparently, I had missed the boat on what this was. That being said, my version came out quite delicious; the lamb made the sauce rich and dreamy–perfect for colder weather.
Lamb Bolognese, approx. 4 servings
~ chopped or food processed carrots; approximately a cup
~ chopped or food processed celery; approximately a cup
~ chopped or food processed white onion; approximately a cup
~ 3 large garlic cloves sliced
~ 3 strips of decent bacon or pancetta stripped or chopped
~ 1-1.5 lb of ground lamb
~ 1 drained can of diced tomatoes (I used this for more tomato)
~ 3 oz. of tomato paste
~ 1/2 cup of milk
~ 1 cup of sauvignon blanc
~ 1/2 cup of water
~ enough olive oil to saute the vegetables
~ 1 tsp of thyme
~ sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
~ parmesan for garnish
~ pasta of choice
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan with garlic, carrots, onions, and celery and stir until soft (around 7 minutes). Increase the heat to mid-to-high heat before adding both the bacon and lamb. Lamb is a bit greasy and so is bacon so you’ll see a lot of juices flowing. Continue to break up the lamb as it browns, making sure to cook it evenly (15 minutes). Add tomato paste and drained tomatoes. Be sure to drain the tomatoes because there is plenty of liquid already. Continue to stir for about 20-30 minutes. Add milk and stir for another 20 minutes. Going up to high heat, add wine and boil until all the liquid evaporates. Do the same for the water and add the thyme, making sure to stir. Reduce to low and continue to cook until liquid is reduced (approximately 40 minutes) and it is a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper; serve over pasta of choice and garnish with parmesan shavings.
My significant lover is a HUGE bread fan. I am too, but this guy makes it his own food group and if there is sauce involved, well bread must then be involved too. The issue is that I become a bit dismayed about making garlic bread. It is never how I dream of it tasting in my head. Each time I make it, I feel like I’m trying a new version. Well thanks to Emma over at A Splash of Vanilla, I finally have a garlic bread recipe that I love. Check out the recipe and her lovely blog here.
justalittlepiece 