Our time in Italy was magical. The history, the scenery, and THE FOOD. Everything just tastes better in Italy. We made homemade pasta with a beautiful Italian woman in her home kitchen. We dined at a Tuscan winery and had the best Fettuccine Bolognese of my life. So good that I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I messaged the chef personally after we returned home to get the recipe. This recipe is a culmination of @rose.s_venezia pasta recipe, the @poggioamorelli winery’s bolognese, and a few surprises from yours truly. The result? MAGICAL!
INGREDIENTS THE BOLOGNESE
4 whole carrots, minced
4 celery stalks, minced
1 sweet onion, minced
4 tbl olive oil
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb lean ground hamburger
1 tube tomato paste
6 tomatoes on the vine
6 heirloom tomatoes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
INGREDIENTS FOR THE PASTA
2 cups Semola flour
3 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
FOR THE BOLOGNESE
In a large dutch oven/pot, add oil with heat on medium high. Once oil is shimmery, add onion, carrots and celery. Fry vegetables in oil until they start to become soft.
Add the sausage and ground beef to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and brown.
While meat is browning, heat a large pot of water, lightly salted, and bring to a boil. Next to your pot of boiling water, prepare another bowl of water with ice to create an ice bath. Score all fresh tomatoes with an “X” on the base and drop in to the boiling/salted water. Once you see the tomatoes start to lift their skin, remove from the boiling water & drop into the ice bath. Allow to sit in ice bath for 1-2 minutes. Remove, peel skin from all tomatoes, and chop or break apart with your hands. Removing the core as you work.
Add fresh tomatoes to the meat and veggie mixture. Stir, add minced garlic, bay leaves, tomato paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, and wine. Allow bolognese to simmer on low for 2-3 hours. Stirring often. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
FOR THE FRESH PASTA
Fill a large pot with water and heavily salt. Bring to a boil. Note: I bought a fettuccine attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It made the process super easy.
Pour flour and salt on to a clean surface. Make a well in the center of your flour and crack in 3 eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs in the center and slowly start pulling the flour into the eggs. Using your hands, mix eggs and flour together, kneading for 8-10 minutes or until your mixture becomes a tight ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove pasta ball from the fridge and roll flat. Cut into 4 sections and continue to roll out about 1/4 inch thin. Cut into strips and feed through your fettuccine attachment. Drop fresh fettuccine in to the boiling water and cook for 90 seconds.
TO SERVE
Add pasta to a bowl and top with bolognese. Sprinkle with grated parmesan, if you wish. Perfezione!
