Ragu Bolognese



It was weekend of Hurricane Sandy, and in case we lost power (which we did) I wanted to make sure we had plenty to eat that could be cooked on the gas stovetop. This hearty ragu takes some time to meld, but well worth it. The quantities are perfect for multiple meals, large family dinners,or freezer cooking – so in the end you’ll have a very large amount of meat sauce for your efforts.

Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 2 yellow onions – diced
  • 6 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2 red peppers – diced
  • 2 ½ pounds meatloaf mix (beef/pork/veal)
  • 3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder - cubed
  • 2 – 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 – 28 oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 1 ½ pounds neck bones – wrapped and tied in cheesecloth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flake
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 2 tablespoons parley
  • 1 tablespoon oregano

Directions
In a large stock pot, sweat down the onion and garlic over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While they cook, dice and add the red peppers.

Bring up your heat to medium, add the meatloaf mix and cubed pork shoulder and cook, stirring and breaking up the ground meat with the back of a spoon, until meat is no longer pink, for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, the neck bones in cheesecloth, and remaining ingredients, and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally. Sauce is done when it has reduced by one-third and the meat has fallen apart, having simmered for around 4 – 5 hours. Remove neck bones and bay leaves and serve over your favorite “noodle.”

~ 2 comments: ~

Patty says:
at: December 5, 2012 at 10:54 AM said...

Love the addition of neck bones to this, but I'm curious about the cheesecloth. Did the neck bones have something on them that you didn't want in the sauce? I've never cooked with neck bones so I'm clueless! :D I typically just fish large bones out of soups, etc. But maybe I should be using cheesecloth.

easydairyfree says:
at: December 5, 2012 at 11:06 AM said...

Hi Patty! I have made this dish before without the cheesecloth and then find myself picking bones out of the sauce (they fall apart as they cook) and hoping that I got them all. The neck bones themselves add flavor but very little meat so I don't really lose anything by keeping them contained in the cloth.

It sounds like cheesecloth may not be the right solution for your soup unless you were interested in just making a fish broth. If I come across a solution, I'll certainly let you know.

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