Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
Recipe courtesy of Justin Melnick, Executive Chef/Director of Food and Beverage of Pittsburgh Field Club
Ingredients
- Pasta Dough
- 00 flour - 10 cups
- semolina flour - 2 cups
- eggs - 16 ea., whole, large
- olive oil - 1 Tbsp.
- water - as needed
- Tomato Conserva
- San Marzano tomatoes - 6 ea., #10 cans
- extra virgin olive oil - 4 cups
- Pancetta
- pork belly - 7 lb.
- kosher salt - 300 gms.
- granulated sugar - 300 gms.
- black peppercorns - 1/2 cup, course-ground
- bay leaves - 3-4 ea., lightly crushed
- crushed red pepper flakes - 2 Tbsp.
- sage - 1 bunch
- rosemary - 1 bunch
- garlic - 1 bulb, broken down into peeled cloves and slightly crushed
- dry red wine - splash
- Bolognese
- Spanish onions - 2 qt., small-diced
- carrots - 1 qt., small diced
- celery - 1 qt., small diced
- unsalted butter - 2 lb.
- ground pork butt - 10 lb.
- ground veal - 10 lb.
- house-cured pancetta - 7 lb.
- tomato conserva - 1 batch
- pinot grigio - 1 liter
- whole milk - 2 gallons
- salt - as needed
Instructions
Procedure for the pancetta:
- Lay pork belly in a large plastic container.
- Sprinkle with red wine on both top and bottom.
- Combine all remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
- Evenly distribute curing mixture generously on both sides of the pork belly using entire batch.
- Cover and set in cooler for a minimum of 7 days.
- Rinse any remaining curing mixture and grind for use in bolognese.
Procedure for the conserva:
- Puree tomatoes with immersion blender until smooth.
- Line up four full hotel pans and fill each with one cup of olive oil.
- Place in 300°F oven for 5-6 hours until a thick tomato paste is achieved.
- Set aside for use in bolognese.
Procedure for the pasta:
- Pile the flours on work bench and create a well.
- Add eggs, olive oil and water as needed to the center of the flour mixture.
- Using the well method, slowly incorporate the egg mixture and flours, knead for 10-15 minutes to create dough ball.
- Wrap and let rest in cooler overnight.
- Temper dough at room temperature until it is warm enough to work with.
- Using pasta roller, roll to desired thickness using a series of folds to create gluten structure.
- Cut into tagliatelle, portion, and set in freezer for service
Procedure for the Bolognese:
- Using a large rondeau or tilt skillet, sweat the soffrito (carrots, celery, onions) in 1 lb. of butter until tender, season with salt.
- Add ground veal, pork and pancetta, cook fully while stirring occasionally to separate meats, season as needed.
- Deglaze with white wine, reduce by half.
- Add tomato conserva and bring up to a simmer.
- Once the wine is completely reduced, and conserva has had a chance to thicken up, slowly add 2 gallons of milk while stirring
- Reduce heat to a slow simmer, stirring occasionally throughout the day and skimming fat.
- After several hours of cooking, the sauce should be thick and all flavors incorporated.
- Add remaining 1 lb. butter (cubed) and adjust seasoning.
Procedure for the dish:
- Warm bolognese in a sauté pan, taste for seasoning, add 2 cubes of butter.
- Cook portioned pasta in boiling water for 30-45 seconds until al dente.
- Toss pasta and a small amount of pasta water together with the sauce, reduce until thickened.
- Carefully position the pasta into the center of a warmed bowl.
- Add shaved parmigiano-reggiano to the top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with chives or parsley.
- Serve immediately.
