Easter snuck up on us and so the family skipped getting together over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t celebrate the holiday in my own way.
On Saturday, a friend and I trekked out to Oakland to purchase an assortment of treats from donut savant and fruit tea from Asha Tea House. While in the East Bay, we also satisfied a craving for ja jang myun at Koryo Jajang.
And on Sunday, I made a big pot of rigatoni with beef Bolognese. The recipe takes a few hours to prepare, but it’s well worth the effort. The sauce is rich, silky and super satisfying (and this is coming from someone who typically avoids eating red meat).
Rigatoni with beef Bolognese is a perfect example of how you can transform humble ingredients into a magnificent meal. Just don’t rush the process – patience is key to achieving the best results.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (20% fat)
- kosher salt, to taste
- 3 ounces pancetta, finely diced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 pound rigatoni
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, carrot and celery until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Squeeze off chunks of ground beef, about the size of a golf ball, and add to pot. Season with salt to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally (but not breaking apart the meat), until browned, 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl and discard grease.
- In the same pot, cook pancetta over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat renders and pancetta crisps, 6-8 minutes.
- Add prepared vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 6-8 minutes.
- Return beef to pot. Add wine and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, crushing beef with a wooden spoon until finely ground, for 12 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, bay leaf and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and milk and season with salt. Reduce heat to low until just barely simmering and cook until the liquid reduces and the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaf and season with additional salt to taste.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than al dente according to package directions. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pasta to pot with sauce.
- Add Parmesan cheese and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid to pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened, about 2 minutes. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
