Fettuccine Bolognese

Recipe Date: October 14, 2021
Difficulty: Easy
Measurements: Imperial (US)

This recipe by our resident Italian, Domenico Iandolo, is to be paired with Topa Mountain Winery 2018 Uno Cinquanta red blend so keep a bottle nearby for when you are ready to enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic (depending on size), minced
  • 16 oz. can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
  • 16 oz. can San Marzano tomato purée (You can use fresh tomatoes if they are available You would need about 12 tomatoes. You can purée about 4 and chop the rest to get the consistency that is needed for the sauce.)
  • 3 basil leaves
  • 1 lb. ground beef, Domenico uses 80/20 meat/fat ratio
  • 1 lb fettuccine pasta
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Put your saucepan on medium low heat & let the pan get hot.
  2. Add oil to pan & wait about two minutes for the oil to get hot.
  3. Add onion & stir for a few minutes until translucent.
  4. Add garlic, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
  5. Turn the heat up slightly & add the ground beef in small portions so that it is evenly spread across the pan.
  6. While your ground beef cooks you want to stir it so that all of it slowly starts to brown.
  7. If you would like, you can add in a splash of Topa Mountain Winery 2018 Uno Cinquanta! (My favorite!)
    1. If using, allow the wine cook down just a little so that some of it
      evaporates. The aroma is the best part of this step
  8. Add all the tomatoes.
  9. Now is when you want to add salt and pepper to the sauce according to taste.
  10. In a separate pot you will bring about 4-5 quarts of water to a boil to eventually cook the pasta.
  11. Add a pinch of salt to your pasta water for taste.
  12. In the saucepot, you want to keep the heat up for a few minutes while stirring your sauce occasionally until it starts to boil.
  13. Now that your sauce is boiling you want to bring it down to a simmer and constantly stir for about 30-40 minutes to let some of the excess water in the tomatoes to evaporate.
  14. During this time you can add in your basil leaves.
  15. Once the pasta water comes to a boil add your pasta and turn every minute or so and cook to al dente. This usually takes about 7-9 minutes depending on the type of fettuccine that you use.
  16. Strain the pasta & let it rest for 1 minute. You can add a spoonful of sauce to the pasta so that it doesn’t stick.
  17. Now that your sauce is done shut off the flame and cover it.
  18. To plate: Portion a nice spoonful of the pasta into a bowl & add your sauce.
  19. Enjoy with a glass of Topa Mountain Winery 2018 Uno Cinquanta! Saluté & Buon Appetito!
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