To me, the simplest food is always the best. Not a ton of ingredients, or super fancy-schmancy techniques or precious presentation. Don’t get me wrong, I like a gorgeously styled dish from time to time. But what I really love – what I crave – is simple, rustic and natural. Like the smokey Italian bolognese that I found in the SPQR cookbook.
Ten Speed Press was gracious enough to send me 2 copies of the book – one for you and one for me! As I mentioned Wednesday, that’s lucky because when testing one of the recipes from the book, I got a giant hunk of sauce all over the page. And let’s be honest, you don’t want my dirty, dog eared copy. But you DO want the book – especially if you like carbs, Italian dishes, slow food from scratch, wine and pretty much anything else that makes life worth living.
If you don’t love carbs, Italian dishes, slow food from scratch, wine and pretty much anything else that makes life worth living, well… Then you probably aren’t reading my blog anyhow. So let’s assume you do.
I’ll be honest, this cookbook may be a little advanced for some. Even as a “seasoned” (get it, salt & pepper?) Italian cook, I found some of the recipes intimidating. That being said, the steps are broken down nicely and if you’re prepared to learn as you go, this could be the right book for you. If you don’t fancy yourself brave enough to take on grinding your own meat or making your own pasta just yet, you can still drool, ogle and thoroughly enjoy this read. And it is a read – the book is loaded with informative recipes, cooking techniques and slow food philosophy. Interestingly, I was totally surprised at how integrated the wine regions were to each chapter. This isn’t a light browse by the seat of your underpants kinda cookbook – be prepared to thoroughly tour Italy, from region to region, glass to fork, and immerse yourself in Italian cuisine.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The same way I enjoy a bowl of really good pasta, incredibly flavorful sauce and a bottle of red table wine. It makes for one happy lady. If I can call myself a lady. If not, it makes for one happy donna. (Donna is the Italian word for woman. Totally had to Google that.)
And this, my friends, was one hell of a good pasta.
Italian Bolognese is pretty much the most famous example of a regional Italian ragu and fairly straightforward to make. Meat, veg and a bit of fat. Easy, right? And as with most sauces, it benefits from a slow, tender simmer and a night in the fridge for the flavours to mingle. Plan ahead, make this. But first, enter to win your own copy of this intensely Italian – and delicious – book. You know you wanna.
I’m not going to lie – I cheated a bit and bought the egg noodles instead of making them. You all know how much I love making pasta from scratch but in all honesty, I just didn’t have the energy to do it with all the unpacking going on around here. It was still phenomenal.
Giveaway after the recipe!
Italian Bolognese with Egg Noodles
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Package of Broad Egg Noodles
- 1 Lb 5 Oz Bonelss Pork Shoulder, cubed.
- 7 Oz Pig Skin (optional)
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled & sliced
- 1/4 C Tomato Paste
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
- Pinch of Dried Pepper Flakes
- 1 1/3 C Dry Red Wine
- 1 1/4 C Water
- Fresh Nutmeg, for grating
- 2 Thyme Sprigs, 1 Rosemary Sprig, 1 Sage Sprig & 10 Cloves, wrapped in cheesecloth & string.
- 1 1/2 C Soffrito*
- 1/3 C Heavy Cream
- Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- Fresh Parmesan-Reggiano, for grating
- Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, season the pork very well with salt. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Fit your stand mixer with the meat grinder attachment (medium plate) and grind the pork and pig skin together.*
- Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Heat a glug or two of olive oil in a heavy bottom pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork mixture when hot and brown well. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pot, pour in another glug of olive oil and when hot, toss in the onion. Season with salt and stir well. Allow to soften (approx 3 minutes). If the bottom of the pan starts to get to dark, deglaze with a splash of water.
- Mix in the garlic and sweat 1 minute more. Stir in tomato paste, chipotle and red pepper flakes and cook until the paste starts to brown (approx 3 minutes).
- Return the pork to the pot and top off with the wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce liquid by 1/3.
- Add the water and return to a simmer. Grate the nutmeg into the pot and submerg the herb sachet. Cover, place in oven and cook gently for 1 1/2 hours.
- As the sauce cooks away in the oven, make the soffritto. Finely chop an onion, large carrot and 2 stalks of celery. A food processor does this in seconds! Pour 1/4 C of olive oil into a non-stick pan over medium-low heat and then add the veggies. Once you hear a bit of sizzle, reduce the heat to low. Season well with salt and allow the vegetables to cook oh so slowly for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Back to the sauce! Remove from the oven after an hour and a half and uncover. Taste - skim away excess fat if there is any. The meat and skin should be tender and the sauce noticeably thicker.
- Over low heat, stir in the soffrito and cream and allow to summer until sauce has a velvety texture (5-7 minutes).
- Taste, season with salt and pepper if needed and add a splash or two of red wine vinegar to brighten the flavours. Remove the herb sachet. Stir well.
- When you have about 15 minutes left in the sauce cooking process, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the egg noodles and cook until el dente (approx 5-7 minutes). Drain and reserve liquid.
- Place noodles back in the pot and when the sauce is ready, place over low heat and spoon the sauce over the noodles a couple spoonfuls at a time, stirring between additions. Add until enough sauce clings to the noodles but doesn't cover them entirely. If necessary, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to keep it from getting too dry. When you've achieved the desired sauce coverage, add a pat of butter. Plate. Top with freshly grated Parmesan, a bit more pepper and serve.
Eat.
Notes
If you can't access a meat grinder, a good quality pastured ground pork blend will work. Try to get the skin and score the fatty underside with a knife. Cut into 6" pieces and include in the cooking process; It'll add flavour. Remove before serving.Soffritto is a mixture of finely chopped onion, carrot and celery.
Adapted from http://www.spqrsf.com/about/
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
* Contest open to Canadian & American mailing addresses only.
MANDATORY: Simply leave a comment below and tell me what your favourite Italian type food is!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Ten Speed Press sent me a review copy at no cost. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions and information is entirely accurate and a reflection of my true experience and was not influenced, in any way, by the above mentioned products. Opinions and views are my own.
Tara @ Rovin' Rambler
July 4, 2014 at 8:56 AMThis cookbook sounds amazing! I recently wrote a freelance article on Italian cuisine and have become obsessed. It makes me want to go back to Italy and eat my way through the whole country.
Phyllis @ Oracibo
August 30, 2014 at 4:29 PMOh Tara…I’m totally in sync with you…I probably would not be able to choose one favourite type of Italian food because I love it all (except anchovies)…from the veggies to wild mushrooms to pasta to the meats and seafood, how can one choose. Every time I arrive in Italy I can hardly wait to begin the search for good things to cook and eat!
Jon
July 4, 2014 at 9:12 AMPizza. I would pretty much eat pizza every day if I could. I’m not naming anyone, but other people in my house don’t feel quite the same, although at least I’m allowed to make it once a week!
Rhonda
July 4, 2014 at 10:48 AMBaked ziti just love it.whole family devours it.the cookbook looks great perfect for me.
Jennifer
July 4, 2014 at 10:57 AMPasta – any way it’s served, it is easily my favourite!
Kathy
July 4, 2014 at 12:18 PMHaven’t had an Italian dish that isn’t a favourite!
Angie @ fridaycakenight
July 4, 2014 at 1:17 PMLasagna. Any kind, any time!
Laureen Fox
July 4, 2014 at 1:31 PMLasagne with fresh herbs and handmade noodles!!
Charmian
July 4, 2014 at 2:00 PMI love fresh, homemade pasta. And tiramisu. Don’t make me pick which I like best. It’s a Sophie’s Choice situation for me.
Emily
July 4, 2014 at 2:56 PMThere is so much to love, but I always head the dessert direction. I love gelato!
rose r
July 4, 2014 at 3:39 PMWould love to try recipes from all different regions of Italy
Marnie
July 4, 2014 at 8:27 PMThis might be my new fave recipe!
Renee G
July 4, 2014 at 8:42 PMOur family loves to get together and make ravioli.
Meredith
July 4, 2014 at 9:23 PMMeatballs!! Meatballs on everything ever. I could eat them every day. Maybe I will!
maya hu
July 4, 2014 at 10:17 PMi like spaghetti and meatballs, im old fashioned i guess! 🙂
Lynne
July 5, 2014 at 12:09 AMI really like tortellini – both with cheese filling and those filled with meat.
melanie borhi
July 5, 2014 at 12:18 AMI like spaghetti Bolognese with bruschetta
Lindsey @HalfDimeHomestead
July 5, 2014 at 1:20 AMI would buy the egg noodles, too. Although if I got really frisky, I could make a mean noodle.
That stuff looks so good!!
Merry
July 5, 2014 at 7:11 AMThis does look delicious! While I do love my pasta (homemade or not!), pizza is my favorite Italian dish.
Tari Lawson
July 5, 2014 at 8:08 AMI love gnocchi in a rose’ sauce.
Melissa
July 5, 2014 at 10:21 AMOh Kristy my husband loves these type of recipes! He is going to LOVE this one! Great photos too! Yum!
Justin
July 5, 2014 at 10:24 AMSpaghetti!
Donnas
July 5, 2014 at 11:29 AMI’ve always been a fan of lasagna. My mother never made it when we were growing up (there were 7 of us kids, my mother always said she cooked for quantity, not quality). Now I know of so many different ways to make lasagna, one is a vegetarian dish that uses zucchini instead of noodles. Absolute divine!!!
Liz
July 5, 2014 at 4:36 PMPenne alla vodka!
Heather R
July 5, 2014 at 5:04 PMI love gnocchi, I’ve had it several ways and I love it no matter how it’s served – I’d like to try a lot more, too!
d. smith
July 5, 2014 at 6:02 PMbolognese with pasta has always been special. however, you mention egg noodles which i love with cream sauces .. but now you have put it in my mind to go red! lol
win or not .. thanks for the idea!:-)
Jessibeth Vicenty
July 5, 2014 at 6:21 PMWe love Penne Pasta with Chicken and Alfredo Sauce MMM! 😀
Claire
July 5, 2014 at 7:09 PMlasagna
Jasmine Henderson
July 5, 2014 at 10:39 PMMy favorite Italian dish by far is pizza! Yum!
Maggie K.
July 6, 2014 at 12:07 AMMy favourite italian dish is lasagna.
lucy
July 6, 2014 at 12:48 AMSpaghetti!
Robin from Around the Island
July 6, 2014 at 1:49 AMPasta with any kind of cream sauce. *swoon*
Maegan Morin
July 6, 2014 at 2:49 AMI gotta say my favorite is still a good heart lasagna!
Nicole Mecham
July 6, 2014 at 3:25 AMMy favorite dish is definitely Chicken Alfredo pasta!
Lindsey McDowell
July 6, 2014 at 3:31 AMThis book looks amazing. Pizza is my favourite Italian guilty pleasure.
sarah sar
July 6, 2014 at 4:42 AMI have to say that I’m a big fan of butternut squash ravioli!
Francine
July 6, 2014 at 8:33 AMspaghettini with Arrabiata sauce!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
July 6, 2014 at 10:27 AMI like carbs, Italian dishes, slow food from scratch, wine and pretty much anything else that makes life worth living.
Pick me, pick me, pick me. Please.
Hannah
July 6, 2014 at 10:56 AMPizza of course! But, I also really like fettuccine Alfredo.
Marlene V. (Enelram)
July 6, 2014 at 11:13 AMLasagne!
Meg G.
July 6, 2014 at 11:22 AMMy favorite Italian food to eat/cook is Penne alla Vodka
Natalie
July 6, 2014 at 11:36 AMI love tiramisu and my Italian mother would love nothing more than to see me master some of these recipes! Everything looks delicious, and I think simple and rustic is the way to go
Jordan
July 6, 2014 at 11:50 AMI really like small bites-things that don’t even have to be cooked, like briny olives, fresh cheese, and a crusty loaf of bread with peppery olive oil. I guess you would call this picnic food or antipasto.
Ashley Costanzo
July 6, 2014 at 12:09 PMI love my grandma’s meatballs! Mmmmmmmmmm. But if going out for Italian I always lean towards white sauce so a chicken alfredo is great too!
laura
July 6, 2014 at 12:15 PMThis looks awesome! I just loooooove all types of pasta. Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Sandi Tymchuk
July 6, 2014 at 1:25 PMI love pizza and meat lasagna.
Brooke T.
July 6, 2014 at 2:51 PMI love making my own pastas and then cooking up a nice peppery, garlicky carbonara!! 🙂
Carly D.
July 6, 2014 at 4:21 PMPenne a la vodka has always been one of my favorites!!
Denise S
July 6, 2014 at 4:39 PMI love lasagna the most.
Jill T
July 6, 2014 at 5:01 PMThis cookbook looks delicious!
Lynn Clayton
July 6, 2014 at 5:19 PMLasagna
Casie K.
July 6, 2014 at 5:41 PMI love a good, from-scratch stromboli!
Marija
July 6, 2014 at 6:12 PMI love homemade pasta with fresh herbs. Mmm!
Teresa, foodonfifth
July 6, 2014 at 6:43 PMWhat a lovely book…amazing food and photos.
gayle gildehaus
July 6, 2014 at 6:43 PMLasagna is my very favorite no matter what the recipe.
Kelly
July 6, 2014 at 7:14 PMI love spaghetti bolognese.
Nicole
July 6, 2014 at 7:28 PMLasagne is my fave!
mary fanara coleman
July 6, 2014 at 8:28 PMpasta fagioli
Mihaela Day
July 6, 2014 at 8:29 PMi like spaghetti and meatballs 🙂
Wanda Bergman
July 6, 2014 at 9:19 PMSpaghetti will always be my favourite Italian dinner!
Sara R
July 6, 2014 at 10:20 PMSpaghetti of course! (:
R.Mueller
July 6, 2014 at 10:37 PMMy fav is vegetarian lasagna, and my hubby loves ANYTHING pasta!
Emily
July 6, 2014 at 11:00 PMI really love carbonara over homemade pasta.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Caitlyn
July 6, 2014 at 11:57 PMSausage and peppers rustico is a frequent dish in our home, but my all-time favorite will be (and always has been) ravioli.. with gnocchi as a close second. I’ve only made homemade ravioli once though since we got a kit at Christmas this year. Our meals are almost always italian at home so I would love to win this cookbook
Candy
July 7, 2014 at 12:43 AMI love penne vodka or basically any pasta 🙂
Brittney House
July 7, 2014 at 1:02 AMI like spaghetti and meatballs.
leah
July 7, 2014 at 4:16 AMI’ve always loved ravioli!!
Wayne Lecoy
July 7, 2014 at 7:37 AMI am entering your giveaway.
It would be great to win a copy of
SPQR:Modern Italian Food and Wine
by Shelley Lindgren
In response to your question of What is your favorite Italian dish?
My favorite is Penne Pasta with Chicken and Alfredo Sauce.
Thank you for having this giveaway!!!!!!!!!!
deana c
July 7, 2014 at 8:41 AMI have many favorite Italian dishes but my favorite is zuppa di pesce.
Alex
July 7, 2014 at 11:03 AMRavioli! Big ones…
Caitlyn
July 7, 2014 at 11:54 AMPretty much any pasta dish…but really all Italian food is delicious!
Jessica Goforth
July 7, 2014 at 12:41 PMThis would be great seeing as I am moving to Italy!
Kat
July 7, 2014 at 1:46 PMItalian? Yes, please! If I HAD to choose just one, nothing beats a perfectly executed lasagne!
Dawn S.
July 7, 2014 at 3:59 PMI have always loved spaghetti!
Roberta
July 7, 2014 at 4:04 PMMy fave italian dish is Eggplant Parmesan
Michelle W
July 7, 2014 at 4:21 PMPasta, any way…love it!
Danielle D
July 7, 2014 at 4:40 PMI love it all honestly from spaghetti to pizza!!
Meredith
July 7, 2014 at 5:01 PMMy favourite type of Italian food is lasagne. When I lived in Berlin a few years ago, my access to the kitchen in the house I was sharing was restricted to certain hours and I often got home too late to cook. Fortunately, there was a little Italian restaurant on the corner that made wonderful lasagne. I still miss it.
Amy Ruth
July 7, 2014 at 5:20 PMOh. My. Sweet. Everlasting. Love. This cookbook sounds like heaven! My favorite italian…. pasta, any kind of pasta, the recipe doesn’t matter, if it’s an italian pasta dish, it has my heart and soul.
aarone m
July 7, 2014 at 5:59 PMSpaghetti and meatballs is my favorite dish!
Helga
July 7, 2014 at 8:04 PMI love home made gnocchi! Also linguine with clams.
Nicole
July 7, 2014 at 8:31 PMA nice rich bolognese can’t be beat!
Jon Miller
July 8, 2014 at 4:01 AMLove the Italian dish called risotto. Beef ribeye steak peas cheese mushroom with a winebutter sauce reduction.
Carolsue
July 8, 2014 at 5:22 AMMy favorite is Lasagna
Amanda Cobb
July 8, 2014 at 10:16 AMItalian food is my top favorite kind of food, so it’s hard to pick a favorite! Any savory, non-seafood pasta dish is pretty much going to be awesome.
katklaw777
July 8, 2014 at 10:46 AMI luv stuffed shells with spinach…yum!
Heather
July 8, 2014 at 12:37 PMI love eggplant Parmesan!
beth
July 8, 2014 at 1:37 PMpasta, simple and clean
Candice Taylor
July 8, 2014 at 4:30 PMGnocchi is definitely a favourite around here in my house!
Becca
July 8, 2014 at 5:37 PMHomemade gnocchi is my absolute favorite but it takes so long! I’d love to try some different recipes!
Daniel M
July 8, 2014 at 6:19 PMalways like lasagna
Stephanie Galbraith
July 8, 2014 at 7:59 PMI love linguini with shrimp and mushrooms with a white cream sauce.
Vivian
July 8, 2014 at 8:17 PMThis cookbook looks amazing!!!
Natalie
July 8, 2014 at 10:35 PMMinest!! I always have trouble spelling that, so just in case I butchered the spelling horribly…Italian wedding soup 🙂 With cavatelli or gnocchi!!
kathy dalton
July 8, 2014 at 11:07 PMi am addicted to chicken parmesan
Dave Wise
July 8, 2014 at 11:14 PMPizza Margherita! Though prosciutto and arugula pizza is pretty fantastic too.
Megan Sweet
July 9, 2014 at 3:09 AMZuppa Tuscana. It’s a sausage and potato soup. It’s amazing!
bethany saxton
July 9, 2014 at 10:24 AMI looovveee Italian food!
Alisha Sienkiel
July 9, 2014 at 10:44 AMMy favorite Italian dish is a pasta recipe made with hot Italian sausage, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
Tara Woods
July 9, 2014 at 12:31 PMMy favorite Italian dish is cheese lasagna with a meat sauce.
Anne
July 9, 2014 at 12:50 PMCan’t wait to start cooking up some delicious Italian dishes this summer!
tripp
July 9, 2014 at 1:39 PMMy fave would have to be osso bucco…
Rachel Williams
July 9, 2014 at 4:29 PMI love gnocchi! :p
Kristen L.
July 9, 2014 at 4:57 PMI love lasagna!!
Jackie
July 9, 2014 at 7:04 PMI would have to choose Ossobucco with a side of creamy mushroom risotto. Especially if the risotto has a hint of truffle. It’s amazing.
Carley G.
July 9, 2014 at 10:11 PMI love beggar’s pouches. I’m a vegetarian and love them filled with spinach. noodles and cream sauce? yes. more. always. please.
Love this recipe, too- would love to tweak it to fit my eating style!
jodi
July 10, 2014 at 9:00 AMa nice vodka sauce
Paul K
July 10, 2014 at 10:49 AMI love lasagna.
Mackenzie
July 10, 2014 at 10:55 AMYUMMMM
Ryan
July 10, 2014 at 11:39 AMItalian food is easily one of my favourite comfort foods. Tortellini, Lasagna, Cannelloni, Pizza, ugh the list goes on and on.
Maryssa
July 10, 2014 at 12:05 PMPenne a la Vodka!
Lauren
July 10, 2014 at 12:40 PMI love Italian food! Cappellini, ravioli, pizza… yum!
Anna (Hidden Ponies)
July 10, 2014 at 1:06 PMGorrrgeous book and pasta…for Italian food, I’m torn between a really good spaghetti and a thick lasagna…food that makes me wish I was Italian 🙂
liz l
July 10, 2014 at 1:42 PMchicken parmesan
Carol M (Lushka S)
July 10, 2014 at 2:20 PMJust one, ok, cannelloni
Megan H
July 10, 2014 at 4:04 PMMy grandmother is from Malta, everything she makes is a dream! Her sauce is heaven.
Angela Ash
July 10, 2014 at 5:54 PMMy favorite Italian dish is manicotti. Anything with ricotta cheese really, but that’s my favorite.
Michelle Plummer
July 10, 2014 at 7:12 PMMy fav Italian dish is Manicotti.
Gina
July 10, 2014 at 8:45 PMI love Italian food!! I love creating my own pasta dishes (curried scallops in a coconut cream sauce over penne), risotto (jalapeño and bacon!) and pizzas (all the veggies, then add bacon :D). Italian food is so FUN and of course… Wine during preparation is encouraged. 😛
Gina
susan smoaks
July 10, 2014 at 9:25 PMlasanga is my favorite italian food
Danielle Goch
July 10, 2014 at 11:39 PMI absolutely love Chicken Parmesan.
Kevin
July 10, 2014 at 11:48 PMOsso buco
Arvin
July 11, 2014 at 1:32 AMChicken alla Cacciatore