THAT Bolognese.

When Kerry and I began planning our “Grand Adventure”  I was particularly excited about the food.  I mean, I’m pretty sure bread and pasta fall straight from Heaven and onto European plates.  There will be many future posts featuring our dining experiences from that incredible trip but for now I want to focus on THAT Spaghetti Bolognese.

After researching many options for our vacation we finally settled on a Mediterranean cruise on the Costa Pacifica (pronounced KOS-TA PA-CHI-FIKA, if you want to sound Italian).  Costa is an Italian cruise line made up of ships with Italian crews...these crews include Italian chefs.  Amen.

Me and Kerry before dinner.

Now, keep in mind that neither Kerry or I had ever traveled on a cruise ship before so we had no point of reference for the dinner experience.  Seven courses.  Every night.  Multiple choices for each course.  It was exhausting...in the best possible way, of course.  While the choices for each course would change every night, the menu included a few items that were always available.  The Spaghetti Bolognese was among these.  Kerry ordered it on the first night in place of the offered pasta course.  (This was before we realized we were free to order multiple choices for each course.  No judgement please!)  As she took her first bite I immediately regretted my (perfectly delicious) pasta choice.  She went on about how fantastic the bolognese tasted and, with the help of some bread, left nary a drop in her bowl.  I was green with envy.  

The next night I was sure to correct my mistake and ordered the bolognese for my first course as quickly as I could.  Then, because dinner service is painfully slow, I waited at least 15 minutes for it to arrive.  I barely allowed our waiter, Jerry, to sprinkle fresh parmesan on top before I began twirling a bite onto my fork.  Mercy.  It was amazing.  The pasta was perfectly al dente and had been lightly tossed in the sauce before being topped with a liberal portion of bolognese.  It really was more of a ragu than a sauce.  There was no pooling of tomato sauce to be seen...it was as if the ground meat and velvety tomatoes had melded into one.  I could taste the meat, tomato, and parmesan equally.  No one thing tried to outshine the other.  They just worked together.

 THAT Bolognese on the final night of our cruise.

I’m sure, after all my going on and on, you've assumed that I ordered the Bolognese a few more times before we disembarked.  But you’re probably giving me more credit that I’m due.  You see, I actually ordered it every night.  And for lunch a couple of times. Yeah.  I can hear you asking,  “But didn't you get tired of it?”  Nope.  I could eat a vat of it this very minute.  It’s just one of those dishes that is eternally comforting and will now forever remind me of sailing around the Mediterranean with a dear friend.

Understandably, it was vital that I recreate this memorable Bolognese.  I researched recipes for weeks after our return before I became a little gun-shy about trying it.  What if it was terrible?  What if it was just okay?  Would it ruin the memory?

You see, this was not my first travel related memory with Bolognese.  In 2004, My mom and I traveled to Great Britain to celebrate my 18th birthday and high school graduation.  While we were in London we found a small tea house a short distance from our hotel.  It was darling and we had our first real English tea there.  We also had Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner.  It was so good that we had it again the next night. (As you can see, when I find something I like, I stop looking for anything else!)  We talked about that Bolognese long after we returned home...it was just that good.

Fast-forward back to 2013.  I eventually gathered my courage and began dicing carrots, onion, and celery into tiny uniform pieces that were soon melting in a pool of sizzling butter.  Once they softened I added the ground beef and began the process of turning a group of simple ingredients into a deep, complex, flavorful sauce.  After the meat was cooked I stirred in the cream and let it soak into the mixture.  Next came the red wine, adding its distinct color and aroma.  As soon as the liquids had reduced away to almost nothing, I added the tomatoes, then salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, (one of my favorite staples) and a little sugar to cut the acidity.  Oh, and a hunk of Parmesan, mustn't forget that.  I then stirred and tasted and anticipated before putting the lid on and letting it just barely simmer for a few hours.  It takes time to develop the flavors I was looking for.   

Forgive the poor photos...I'd rather cook or eat than spend hours editiing!

Finally, I boiled and drained my pasta and tossed it with a small amount of the sauce.  Then I heaped portions into each bowl and ladled plenty of sauce on top before sprinkling them with fresh Parmesan and a little Italian parsley.

As I took my first bite I knew it wasn't THAT Bolognese from the cruise. It couldn't be. But it was MY Bolognese, infused with my tastes, my experiences, and even my quirks.  It wasn't just like I remembered but that’s okay.   Memories don’t just have to remain a fixed point in time.  They can actually grow and change and evolve as we do. Bolognese no longer simply reminds me of a wonderful vacation, it also brings to mind the joy I have in creating food for my family and friends to enjoy.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Source: RegansRamblings.blogspot.com

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

2 Large Carrots

4 Celery Stalks

½ Large Yellow Onion

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 lbs Lean Ground Beef

1 ½ c. Half & Half

1 ½ c. Red Wine

1 (28 oz.) Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) Can of Tomato Sauce

1 to 2 T. Sugar (Depending on Acidity of Tomatoes)

2 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T. Red Wine Vinegar

½ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

2 oz. Piece of Parmesan Cheese

2 T. Chopped Italian Parsley

Italian Parsley for garnish

Parmesan for garnish

1 ½ lbs Spaghetti

Instructions:

Dice carrots, celery, and onion into similar size pieces.  Melt butter over medium heat then add vegetables and saute on medium-high until until they are soft.  Create a well in the middle and add the ground beef.  Brown the meat and break it down as small as possible. Season with salt and pepper.  Mix with the vegetables and continue to cook until most of the grease is gone.  Add half & half and cook until it has evaporated.  Next, add the wine and reduce by two-thirds.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Mix in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan.  Taste and add extra salt and pepper if necessary.  Simmer on low for 1-2 hours to develop flavors.  

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions for al dente.  Drain and return to cooking pot.  Add 1 to 1 ½ c. of the sauce and toss to coat. Serve and top with extra sauce, Parmesan, and parsley.  Enjoy!