THIS RECIPE CALLS FOR 4+ HOURS OF SLOW-COOKING, but if you don’t have that much time, stew it for however long is possible.
This is based on a brilliant Gwyneth Paltrow recipe from her book My Father’s Daughter. The slow-cooking allows the mince to soak in the flavor. I have to confess, I normally do this week beef mince and beef sausages, but on the days I want a lighter option, I’ll for turkey. I ALSO sometimes mix and match, eg. beef mince, and chicken sausages. I’ll use whatever I have in my fridge. The method is the same, and if you cook for 3-4 hours, you’ll get the same deep color and taste.
HERE’S MY TAKE:
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6-8.
- 5 -6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- 3⁄4 lb turkey sausage, sliced (I’ve used chicken and spicy vegetarian sausages too)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne (less, if you don’t want it as spicy)
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 heaped teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 heaped teaspoon capers (lightly break them up a little with the back of a spoon)
- 3⁄4-1 lb pasta (any type you like)
- optional: 1 tbsp brown sugar (sometimes needed to cut the tartness)
- grated parmesan cheese to serve
*Don’t forget to scroll down for your Savory Sounds cooking soundtrack.
METHOD:
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and and paprika. Turn occasionally, until brown all over. The paprika gives the dish an aromatic smoky flavor.
- Add another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook until they soften and just begin to brown.
- Add the ground turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Break up the mince as finely as possible.
- Add the tomato purée to the oil heat for a minute or two.
- Add the tomatoes and their juice along with about a can of water.
- Add the cayenne and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Cover almost completely with a lid (letting the steam escape from one side) and gently simmer for about 1 hour. NOW, season with a little salt. You DON’T want to add too much salt because most sausages are salty. You’ll end up over-seasoning the bolognese.
- Add the capers.
- Keep simmering the sauce for 3 more hours. Adding splashes of water, if the sauce starts drying up. Taste and season again, if needed. OPTIONAL: Add the brown sugar if the tomato is too tart. **If you don’t have that much time, cook for as long as you can.
- When it’s almost time to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
- Serve the sauce over the cooked rigatoni with a good grating of Parmesan cheese on top.
This sauce is so yummy that I often eat it on its own, like a bowl of chilli!
SAVORY SOUNDS
A BOLOGNESE THAT TAKES HOURS TO COOK MAY SOUND TEDIOUS. Have no fear, these tracks will keep you going through the process.
Since we have time to kill, I’m taking the opportunity to pay my respects to two musical geniuses (in my opinion): Mark Ronson & Q-Tip. For many, Mark Ronson was the brilliant producer behind the Amy Winehouse Grammy-winning Back to Black album. He is that of course, but also much much more. I’ve been a Mark Ronson fan for DECADES. Ditto for Q-Tip.
Luckily, they decided to collaborate on a song, so here’s a 2-in-1.
Here’s an old-school Q-Tip track.
Here’s a new(ish) take on an old Tribe Called Quest song.
More from Mark Ronson. This is a collaboration with Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. I have this on repeat!
And finally a CLASSIC old-school Mark Ronson single.
