If I have to choose my all type favourite comfort food, I have to say Italian Pastas. I don't really know what is it, but maybe it has to do with my constant undying love for Asian noodle based dish that I can fully resonate with a western style version of a similar type wheat noodle. In retrospect, it could also be the heavy carb too, who knows.
This is my home recipe approved by myself and my husband on a delicious Farfalle (bow-tie) Pasta with Bolognese sauce that I have been cooking at least once a week for the past year now. I always feel like, if it is good food, I shall share them. :)
I usually make this Bolognese dish with spaghetti but I recently bought this beautifully made multi colored farfalle pasta from my local supermarket and I thought that is what I am going to use this time. Not to mention, the color just make the plate looks so much more inviting.
TIPS TO COOKING PASTA
If this is your first time cooking pastas, here are some tips on what to look for.
Always have enough water that can fully submerge the pasta that you are cooking and make sure that the pot is big enough for the volume as you don't want them to be too over crowded which can make them cook unevenly.
Season the pasta water with salt. Salt helps the pasta cook much faster and not only that, it also seasons your pasta evenly. The amount of salt is roughly about 1 tablespoon of salt for every 500ml of water.
Make sure that the water is boiling before adding in the pastas. This is to prevent the pasta from overcooking and become mushy. The cooking time should be short when cooking pastas.
Cook the pasta to "Al Dante". Al dante in Italian literally means "to the tooth". Pasta should not be overcooked which can make them become mushy. This is especially so if you are using a thin spaghetti. To test if your pasta is ready, simply pick one out from the boiling water and chew on it. The paste should have a soft texture but still have a chew to it.
MIXING BEEF AND PORK MINCE FOR THE MEAT SAUCE
It was years that I have been cooking Bolognese with just beef mince until I had a casual conversation with a foodie friend of mine who swears on mixing the beef with some pork mince for extra juiciness due to the extra fat in the pork meat. I have yet so much to learn but she was absolutely right about this and I can just say that my sauce are no longer dry from just the beef mince. You should really give this a try if you have been only using beef mince like myself.
Another tip as well to making the beautiful Bolognese sauce even better is, prior to serving them with your pasta, mix the sauce with approximately one 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water. The starches from the water that you used to cook your pastas helps thicken the sauce slightly so that you are not serving your dish with watery Bolognese sauce.
RECIPE
Serves : 4
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Beef Mince | 250g |
Pork Mince | 250g |
Brown Onion - Diced | 1/2 medium size onion |
Bird's Eye Chillies | 3 - finely chopped |
Brown Mushroom | 4 medium size - diced |
Celery | 2 stalks - diced |
Bacon Slices | 2 - diced |
Beef Stock | 500ml |
Red Wine | 1/2 cup |
Diced Tomatoes - Canned | 400g |
Tomato Paste | 2 tablespoon |
Garlice cloves | 5 - finely chopped |
Parsley | 1 bunch - chopped |
Mozarella Cheese | Qs - for toppings |
Farfelle Pasta (bow-tie) | 350 - 400 g |
Salt | Qs - taste |
Black Pepper | Qs - to taste |
METHOD
1. Brunoise or finely dice the brown onion, mushrooms, celery and bacon. Finely chop the chillies and garlic.
2. Start the Bolognese meat sauce by sautéing the above with some oil until fragrant, then add in the minced pork and mince beef and stir to break up the mince meat until they are cooked on the outside.
3. Add the beef stock, followed by the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine. Reduce 2/3 of the sauce, skimming off any scum that floats to the top during cooking.
4. When ready, season with salt and black pepper to taste the stir in the chopped parsley.
5. Meanwhile, boil a water in a deep pot that is enough to fully submerge the pastas, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water.
6. Spoon the cooked pasta on to bowls. Before serving the meat sauce, add 1/2 to one cup of the pasta water into the saucer and keep cooking until it starts to thicken slightly. Ladel the sauce on top of the pasta and serve with mozzarella cheese.
