Mafaldine Pasta Bolognese

Surprisingly, I haven't posted any bolognese recipes in this blog. I mean it's such a classic but after all these years I only wrote about similar dishes like marinara or meatball pasta. But isn't the common red sauce the same as bolognese? No no no, they might appear similar, but the main difference lies on the ingredients used. Milk that is. Milk provides that creamy and rich characters to the bolognese sauce. 

Some also argue that a true bolognese should involve white wine instead of the red. To me, it's like every Italian family has their own way of making the ideal bolognese. And for me, I'd like to go with the red for both the darker color and denser flavor it provides.

Mafaldine pasta bolognese - 

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 1 pack/500 grams mafaldine pasta (or other wide and long pasta)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 2 medium carrot
• 2 medium celery
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 450 grams lean ground beef
• 340 grams passata/tomato sauce
• 160 grams thick-cut bacon
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Some salt
• 1 teaspoon mixed Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some grated aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• Some pasta water (just in case)

How? 

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and dice the carrots. Dice the celery. Destem and chop the tomatoes. Cube the bacon.

Use a big pan or enameled cast iron Dutch oven per my case, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to medium heat. Add in cubed bacon and sear till slightly browned. Scoop out the bacon pieces first.

Add in diced onion along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir and cook till the onion softens, but slightly browned on the edges is fine too. It takes about few minutes.

Add in carrot, celery, and garlic. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes or so, but make sure not to burn the garlic.

Add in ground beef and cook till browned. Make sure to use lean meat here. Transfer the bacon back.

Pour in 1 cup of red wine and bring up the heat to keep it at a slightly bubbling stage, continue to cook for about 8 minutes.

Pour in 1 cup of milk and still keep it at a slightly bubbling stage. This time, cook for about 6 more minutes.

Add in chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of mixed Italian seasoning, and 1 more teaspoon of salt. Bring the entire mixture to a boil then put the lid on. Perhaps lower the heat to keep it at a simmer inside. This time, it'll take about 30 minutes.

Towards the end, prepare a big pot of water with some salt in it. Bring it to a boil and cook the pasta till almost al dente. Scoop out some pasta water first just in case we need to dilute the pasta sauce later on. Not absolutely, but it's always safer to keep some water prior.

Drain out the pasta and add to the sauce mixture. Mix and taste, see if more seasonings are needed, or need to dilute a bit with pasta water we saved earlier. I didn't use any pasta water here by the way.

Plate and grate some aged Parmigiano Reggiano right before serving.  

One thing I like about this pasta bolognese recipe is that it used a lot of veggies, different color vegetables too. I can simply serve this pasta without sacrificing balanced, nutritious diet. 

You know what? If there're any leftovers, you can transfer the pasta to a baking dish and top with mixed cheese. Bake till the cheese melts and garnish with some freshly chopped parsley. There you go, another dinner preparation easily tackled. 

Other pasta recipes:

• Spaghettini con la bottarga (to be exact, Asian karasumi)
• Black truffle pasta with aged Parmigiano Reggiano 
• Garlic shrimp pasta bake (with mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone)
• Chicken and shrimp tagliatelle in creamy saffron sauce

Cold Dish Recipe - Pickled Skinny Cucumber and Kimchi

When I'm making something heavy or simple, sounds like two contradicting ideas, but I'd like to prepare a refreshing or some kind of pickles on the side so that flavor-wise the entire meal can be more balanced. 

Think of spicy curry with pickled daikon, or plain porridge with kimchi, that's what I'm talking about. So here it is, another simple pickled recipe that works as a great side boost for the main dish. It's also good on its own as otsumami, or like Asian tapas, accompanying a few drinks on the side (just remember the golden rule don't drink and drive).

Pickled skinny cucumber and kimchi - 

Ingredients?

• 3 skinny cucumber
• 1 pack/200 grams Korean cabbage kimchi
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chili sauce
• Some toasted white sesame seeds (optional)

How?

Simply use store-bought kimchi, slice the pickled cabbage to smaller pieces if needed. Transfer the whole thing, including the kimchi juice to a Ziploc bag. 

Peel and grate one small garlic clove, add that to the bag. Also add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of chili sauce to the bag.

As for the cucumbers, trim off the ends first. It might be easier at first if you can arrange two chopsticks along both sides of the cucumber on the cutting board.

Slice the entire cucumber diagonally but don't cut all the way down. Remove the chopsticks and only slice down all the way to get about 1.5-inch long sections.

Add the cucumber sections to the Ziploc and massage the marinade into all the cucumbers. Use some force to really press the seasonings into the sliced cracks. It's fine if you even break the cucumbers. We put flavors first, look second. 

Transfer the Ziploc bag to the fridge and let it marinate for at least couple hours, overnight is fine but remember to finish the pickles as soon as possible since the seasonings might grow stronger as time passes by.

If preferred, once plating the pickles, sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds on top. It's optional though, I was going to add it but then was too occupied taking pictures. Only a day after I finally noticed that I forgot to add the sesame seeds.   

Other recipes using kimchi:

• Kimchi and tender lamb strips stir-fry 泡菜炒羊肉條
• Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich