PSA: the correct amount of broth is *3 cups* as noted in the newsletter recipe and in the on-screen ingredient bubble! (I started with 2 and added another cup off-camera!)
Its on the stove with a 2.5 hour simmer going and I hopped on here and saw that 3 cups instead of 2 that was in the email.. wow.. quick save. we'll see how it goes. smells good so far!
Wow, we used 3 cups plus Better than Bullion and it took 4 hours. We had pesto and pasta instead of Bolognese and pasta because it was so late. About to taste it finished and it's dinner tomorrow! Delicious.
As a person of Italian heritage, Alison, I 100% support your stand on fennel bulb in the Bolognese! It just adds so much more than celery does, and the seed gives the sauce a really distinctive "Italian flavour'. I use fennel bulb in my Bolognese, and gazpacho, as well as so many other dishes. It's a much under-appreciated veg in north America and deserves to get out more.😊
Every single recipe I’ve made of yours just blows me away with how simplistic and gorgeous it turns out. Have all the books and thanks for making food as fun as throwing a ham party.
I audibly exclaimed and was fully impressed when you tossed that big pot of red sauce next to your white kitchen towel and kept everything inside. Also I’m really loving the matching friendship sweater and beanie moment happening at the end there. Love you forever Alison!!!!!!!
And she's back! In a beautiful sweater, no less. To answer your question about bolognese: the meat sauce is why men like to make it. The special ragù makes the dish feel more substantial. With meat, vegetables, dairy, and carbs all conveniently included in one dish, it's a self-contained meal. Plus, saying you cooked something that takes hours to make without too much heavy lifting is ideal for those looking to humblebrag.
The styling of this video is perfect. The orange of the bolognese to match that of the Dutch oven, against the blue of the pasta pot and jeans and jumper… and David’s beanie!! Hashtag: Complimentary colours.
Did you guys planned the colors of this episode? Your nails match de bolognese, the pasta matches david's shirt, your sweater matches david's beanie. Its giving wes anderson vibes and i love it, really satisfying to watch.
I am fairly new to this channel. One thing I have noticed about Alison's recipes is that they are very well thought out. In this recipe, for example, she uses fennel instead of carrots and celery and uses fives times the amount of milk (and less water )that is traditionally called for in this recipe. I imagine this is done to tenderize the meat and also because water has no flavor and the extra milk is replacing what would normally be water.
Watching from Italy - it is perfect! I never thought of using fennel and tomorrow I am off to buy all I need in the morning and there will be Bolognese for supper, can't wait to try the fennel. Here we are lucky and the butchers all sell what they call ragu meat, and it is the beef and port already mixed.
Alison, I hope you always use a regular-ass stove for your recipes. My own apartment stove progression has weirdly mirrored yours in the videos, and I find that particularly reassuring and helpful!
Made this today for my mother's birthday dinner! My daughter in-law said BEST she's ever had (even compared it to an Italian shop!)!! From the mix of sausage/ground beef to the fennel and, most importantly, the slowwww lowwww simmer! WINNER!
I’m officially telepathically-synced with Alison’s YT team. I just had the thought- Oh, “I want to watch a Savory recipe from Alison Roman” (without notification!) logged on to YT and this was posted 2 minutes ago.
My Bolognese recipe...comes down to buying Rao's Bolognese...but after watching Alison..i'm definitely going to give it a try...wish me luck!!...i'm not the greatest cook...lol
You can do it! Ages ago, probably when Roman was 12, I made my first Bolognese from a Martha Stewart recipe. It was swoon! and gave me a boost of confidence as a cook. Absolutely try Roman's version.
Agreed on the fennel adding a lot - so I use pork and fennel sausage meat for the pork in mine, on top of the carrot, celery and onion :) Yes, I make an *awesome* bolognese. Ha ha.
a few thoughts i had while watching, in no particular order (in addition to this bolognese looks perfect): 1. why have i never seen this amazing pasta shape before!? 2. those flowers in the background are beautiful 3. fennel > carrots any day 4. heavy bottomed pans make the rockin' world go round.
I have made good Bolognese but always willing to try something new; fennel, love it but would never have thought to use in this sauce. I will definitely try very soon, thanks.
This seems to have a lot of milk (compared to other recipes) but once again I have doubts, will still make it and will be blown away by the results as usual. Can’t wait!
Omg thank you for mentioning that this recipe can be made with Impossible Meat. As a non-meat eater, I still watch your meat-recipe videos for funsies, but now I’m stoked to know that I can make this too!
Yesssss!!! I made this recipe a couple years ago, during a live cooking show with you! It was SO good, and I keep thinking I need to make it again…it’s a sign! 🍝
Hot tip, double up your stove grates (make sure they balance) to get the pot a little further away from the flame to get a really low simmer on a regular-ass stove!
The way I have been waiting for years to hear the brand of the wooden spoon Alison uses and then she finally links recommendations and wooden spoons are not even on there. You won this round.
Excellent work. My birthday is coming up and I like to buy myself Le Creuset pots. Fennel looks amazing and I very much appreciate your style and panache. Thanks
@@tobybrooks8728 I think Chef John has a video sharing her recipe. If that’s the one you mean, then it’s the one I currently use and absolutely love it!! But, I’m intrigued by the fennel. Cheers.
Re: bottom of your pot. I’m with you whole-heartedly on this! I had to give away some of my favorite and most frequently used pots because we moved and now have an induction cooktop. The pots were spotless inside but the bottoms were well used. The first thrift store I brought them to wouldn’t take them! (The next thrift store was happy to get them). So ridiculous! My pots are not decor - they’re tools. Those pots were great cooking tools.
I've made this twice and this Bolognese is amazingly delicious. Swapping a fennel bulb for carrots (too sweet!) and celery (blah) is genius. However, I DO get layer of grease by the end of a very, very slow simmer. I chalk it up to the ground pork which is labeled at 30% fat. It does have great flavor, though. I skim off some but not all of the oil slick. Make this if you have an afternoon and like Bolognese-type sauce.
I know you said at the end don’t do instant pot, but I did it and it was f*ing perfect and delicious. It just saves time on the simmer stage. BUT, you don’t get the same evaporation so I omitted the water (but still used Better than Bouillon). Chef’s kiss! Cut two hours off prep time!
The scurfy pot bottom is all right Allison. It is life, the unswept corners define the limits not the ability. I agree with the fennel, and will try the extra kick of the seeds on the next interation 🎉🎉🎉👊👍🖖🖖🤙
Yo, didn't cook for "2.5 - 3 hours", the clock on the mid to low range cooktop blew your cover! Hahahaha. No sweat, looks divine. I do the holy trinity, always, and yes, I'm one of those men that brags about my bolognese.
I'm a man and I think I make a good bolognese. a tip I have is to add some Worcestershire sauce. Maybe a couple of dashes to the beef once its cooked. It will make the beef taste meatier.
We make a pasta dish with ground beef, Italian fennel sausage (take it out of the casings unless we can get it in bulk), add fennel seed, cook with onion, black pepper, couple pinches of hot red pepper, garlic, skip the traditional carrot, celery, and no milk, nor the 2-3 hr cook. It’s done in about 35-45 min. It’s not bolognese but we love those flavors and serve it with that spiral bucatini pasta! Isn’t that pasta GREAT? Love it! We will add fennel bulb next time. We use it in a lot of other dishes, why not this? Thanks for the fennel bulb idea! We call it “pasta with meat sauce.” We also use that curly pasta for Ramen soups- it’s wonderful.
Good Friday morning Alison. That Bolognese pasta looks absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for sharing another of your great recipes. Myself, I'm thinking of preparing some pasta with Bolognese Limon. 😊👍
At 12:12 you discuss the difficulty of getting that simmer, especially for such a long cook. I have a very similar stove which, as you say, serves all my needs. I solved this by getting a simple "simmer plate", aka "heat diffuser" or "simmer mat". It is a metal plated that sits atop the burner. There are different designs so check reviews as well before settling on one. After getting used to it you can achieve a perfect simmer over a very long time without checking and rechecking.
I’m on your 3 and it’s looking gorgeous and perfect! Every time I taste I say “the fennel is genius!”. I noticed in the video you skipped the butter step that’s in the recipe… but I’m gonna go ahead and add it in because who says no to butter!
We have to know where that sweater is from please - dang does it just make your eyes magical! Can’t wait to make this over the weekend. Thank you for coming to Chicago as well. I enjoyed listening to your interview.
ermahgaaah, this sounds delicious, love the idea of the fennel addition. I'm going to make this tonight -- it's going to snow in Denver and we need a cozy evening. LOVE YOUR RECIPES and LOVE YOU MORE!
@@alisoneroman I am cooking this right this instant (2 hours to go on that low simmer) -- but the little tastes I've had as I've gone along have convinced me that this is THE BEST Bolognese I have ever made. Hands down. Brava.
This is a good version of bolognese sauce. I'll try substituting fennel for celery and carrot next time I make it. I'll also try using fennel seeds instead of nutmeg. I make my bolognese sauce with a mixture of butter and olive oil, and I think that I will stick to that.
My love language is food. If I wanted to freeze and gift this Bolognese, like you suggested, do you have any recommendations for that? Bolognese is one of my favorites, and I cannot imagine a better gift than that when someone’s feeling blue.