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This post is about Mw's favorite of all of the dishes I make:  Spaghetti Bolognese.  Sorry vegetarians, back to the meat.  Last week marked delivery #2 of our meat CSA and with it came another 10 pounds of various cuts of meat, including some beautiful ground beef, perfect for this recipe.  Yes, I did say 10 pounds of meat.  That's per month, in case anyone is curious, and yes, it turns out that it is kind of a lot of meat.  But it's local and grass fed and so I almost feel like I'm doing the world a favor by subscribing.  Or at least some local farmers, whom I wholeheartedly support and whose vegetable CSA I subscribed to last year (and I would again this year except this year I'm growing my own).  But I digress...

I've written about one of the wonderful recipes in this cookbook before.  The Spaghetti Bolognese recipe originates from the same book, and although I lost the list I used to keep of the meals I cooked Mw and how many times I'd cooked them, I think that I've made this for him more often than any other.  I actually didn't even realize until yesterday that this is his favorite recipe in my repertoire, when he actually asked me to make this for dinner.  I say asked because usually he humors (and appreciates) my out-of-left field culinary whims and it is fairly rare that I hear a specific request.  I take such requests very seriously; I want my diners happy.

Speaking of lists, I wanted to point out to all of my readers that I had a fit of organization and created an index of the recipes I've posted and another of the restaurants I've written about.  Both lists are linked to on the sidebar, and I attempt to keep them updated.  The nice things about these indices is that now you don't have to try to remember what weird title I used for a post to try and locate that recipe you've been wanting to make.  Or, if you aren't sure what you are in the mood for, use the index to help you decide what to make tonight.

Spaghetti Bolognese scores high on the comfort food scale.  This dish also scores high on the easy to make scale, but it does take awhile--the sauce needs to simmer for two to four hours.  I try to allow at least three hours (only about 30 minutes of that three hours is actually spent slaving over the stove), but longer is always better and helps the flavors to marry and deepen.  This recipe is a great way to use up those old bottles of wine you have lying around (occasionally it is possible to have leftover wine).  Don't forget to plan ahead with this recipe though--because it takes so long to make it is really a weekend recipe, and you can't buy alcohol in Georgia on Sundays.  This recipe is also incredibly decadent, but you don't have to eat it all at once, right?  We're having leftovers for dinner.



Spaghetti Bolognese
Adapted from 'The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry' by Kathleen Finn

Serves 6-8.  This recipe can easily be halved.

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, choped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (I often use various leftover bottles)
4 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 cup heavy cream (or less if you are feeling guilty)3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained

In a heavy saucepan, cook the onions in olive oil until softened.  Add the garlic and the beef, and cook until meat cooks through (no pink) and separates into crumbly pieces.  Add the wine and increase the heat so that the wine bubbles continuously.  Cook until reduced by about half, skimming off any gray foam.  Add the tomato paste.  Cover and turn the heat down to very low.  Cook for at least two and up for four hours, stirring occasionally.  Before serving, add the herbs and cream and cook for another 10 minutes.  Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.  Serve over pasta.