SPAGHETTI WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE (GENALO Recipe) AT JAMIE'S 11/8/13 - Brooklyn, New York

Start the water for the Pasta Boiling first, this may take long minutes but so will step 2, If the 

Water boils too much add more Water, there Ya' go.

Here is my Recipe for Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce, Mind You this is the simplest from the ground floor up directions. Many wiser Chef's have told me of Grated Carrots to meander the acidity and Half & Half Cream to produce more Creaminess and of course Basil, the Main Ingredient. 

I forewent all of these due to lack of time and with forethought to getting the Meal done and a bit of rushing around, The Cream, Carrots and Basil all sound delicious though.

Pictured above are skinned Onion and De-bulbed Garlic remnants. 

One Mucho Huge Sweet Onion and your average Garlic Bulb Later.

 Step 2 - We now have Diced Onion & Skinned Garlic Cloves. The De-Skinning of the Garlic Clove's take up the most time and is a job in accuracy and proficiency. Don't rub your eyes.

Step 3 - The Fun Part - Pulverizing The Garlic - If you have a Wide kitchen knife hold it over each Clove and Smash down with your hand, Garlic down, knife hovering. If you do not have a Wide knife then mince Properly. 

DIE GARLIC, DIE !!!!!!

This is a Pre-Instruction But,...!!!! Needs to be covered.

Crushed Tomatoes work best from the Can, Whole Tomatoes you need to Crush when making a quick Sauce, Stay Away from Puree or Paste unless you are making 6 Quarts of Sauce or thickening. 

Rule Of Thumb - Use Crushed Tomatoes if cooking for one or two persons (leftovers considered) Whole Tomatoes are Best (But you have to Crush them via blender or hand blender), Crushed Tomatoes are already Crushed.

Step 4 - This might be the most Important step, Do Not overcook or Burn the Garlic !!!!

OK, So you have skinned the Onion and Garlic, Next step is to add a thin layer of Oil (Butter, Margarine, PAM is acceptable) heat the pan nicely (over medium heat) in preparation for the introduction of the Veggies. 

Add the Onions first (they take time) and toss them lightly until they become glassy and translucent (about 5 minutes). Then add the Minced/Crushed Garlic for maybe a minute or two.

Sniff around but do NOT Burn the Garlic.

Over the Onion & Garlic mix add the Ground Beef (Chop Meat), This will add Oil's quickly into the meandering Brew not allowing the Garlic to Burn. You only need to Cook the Meat until almost done as it shall continue Cooking in the Sauce for another ten or 15 minutes or so (20 in my opinion), Add a dab of Water as well so it can reduce away.

Here we add the Sauce, The Entire Meaning to a Pasta Dish. 

I Never liked Wooden Spoon's but have taken a new liking to them now, WHY!!?

Jamie's Instruction & Spoon has served me well in my Cooking Adventures.

Barilla is my Pasta of choice but in lieu of Dry Pasta at Jamie's I ran to the corner and grabbed a box of Ronzoni number 8 - Spaghetti ($1.99), Well enough, I was raised on Ronzoni.

Not the best pic but I was there to make dinner, not take pics.

Jamie said it was Delicious, I will not speak for myself.

My "Detailed" Recipe to Renee.

BOLOGNESE/MEAT SAUCE RECIPE. (adjusted for Baked Ziti or Lasagna)

I predict this is going to look complicated (due to lots of details) but its not, in brief.

Brown Ground Beef. Sautee Onions and Garlic. Pour Sauce on Onions and Garlic. Add Meat. Add Spices.

In Detail.

You will need

1-1/12 Lb. Ground Beef 1 Green Onion 1/2 Bulb of Garlic 2 29 ounce cans of Crushed Tomatoes Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder.

Also a large pan or pot with a cover.

I find chopping up onions and peeling/mincing Garlic to be time consuming so do that first. Onions chopped but not minced, Garlic crushed and diced teeny, set aside in "separate" bowls.

Brown Ground Beef till just done or almost done (this will be boiling and cooking a bit in the sauce for 20 minutes and upwards. Drain excess fat and set aside.

Sautee chopped Onions in Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Butter or Margarine in pot or pan until they start getting a little clear (there is a term for this but I cannot recall). Add minced Garlic and sautee with Onions for 1 minute maybe minute and a half over medium or low heat, You do not want to burn the Garlic as that flavor permeates the whole Sauce, this is actually the most important step.

Add Both cans of Crushed Tomatoes over the Onions and Garlic and a little bit of water (1-2 cups) which will simmer away as you are cooking the Sauce and stir. Make sure you get Crushed Tomatoes (Tomato Puree, Paste and Whole are all very different animals), Add Ground Beef to the Sauce, Add Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to Sauce, keep tasting until you think its perfect. I also use Onion Powder and Chili Powder, not enough to make it Chili but its just in there, If you have a few Bay Leaves you can throw those in too but make sure you remove them before serving. I tend to shy away from the Green seasonings (Parsley, Oregano) as they can overpower but you can add those to your plate. Bring to a slight Boil, Cover and reduce heat.

Simmer while stirring occasionally (every 5-6 minutes).

WOW, I always wanted to type that.

Remember not to burn the Garlic and keep tasting for your desired spice level. Sauce should be done in 20-30 minutes but they say the longer you cook it the better it is (within reason of course).

Variations - If I was making this Sauce to serve with Spaghetti or any plate of Pasta I would add more meat (I use one pound per 29 ounce can) but with Ziti or Lasagna you need more Sauce to cover the Cheese, also this recipe is for one package (one Pound) of Pasta. If you find its too much sauce you can have some bitchin' Sloppy Joe's with the leftovers.

Adding a few Italian Sausages to the Ground Beef and browning them together Is Awesome, Cut away the tubing on the Sausage and smoosh it up so it is undiscernable from the Ground Beef.

My friend Sean used to make this and stir it all up in a pot till the Ricotta was reddish Pink and the Mozzarella got stringy and melty, we didn't even get to the baking part of the recipe, just got the plates out. We both love Grated Cheese but this does not even need it, but it is maybe even better with it.

I like extra Sauce sometimes so if you do its good to have some saved up in case theres a dry portion of the Ziti/Lasagna. As a matter of fact with all this goodness going on I bet jar sauce would work just fine.