41: Veal "Bolognese" / Spinach Fettuccine / Pecorino

I was wrong when I said the braised short ribs would probably be my last slow cooked meal of the season. We got a rude shot of winter this past week, even a dusting of snow overnight. None of that stopped me from cooking veal bolognese tonight, however.

Veal is a tender meat and low in fat. I didn’t get all five hour on it this time because veal doesn’t need to cook that long. I picked up some fresh pasta from the market. Spinach’s slightly bitter flavor blends well with flour, almost sweetens it, and the nutty pecorino cheese brings it all together.

This dinner pairs well with a sangiovese, so we drank a multipulciano d’abruzzo with it – match made in heaven.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 pound ground veal

1/3 pound pancetta, diced

Will’s Holy Trinity

--1 leek, thinly sliced

--1 medium carrot, diced

--1 small fennel bulb, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry red wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

Tomato paste, 1 good large spoonful

Bouquet garni of rosemary, thyme, parsley, mint, thyme

1 pound spinach fettuccine pasta

Pecorino cheese, grated

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley, minced for garnish

Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven like you would bacon for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove pancetta bits and set aside. Add oil to the pancetta grease and sauté the Holy Trinity about 10 minutes, or until tender. Increase heat to high and add veal and pancetta to cook until browned, somewhere between 5-10 minutes. Stir to break up clumps.  Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, bouquet garni, and wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, but go light on the salt since the pancetta and cheese will lend saltiness. Discard bouquet garni.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 2 minutes; drain. Plate pasta with sauce over it and add cheese with garnish.

Enjoy!