Sunday, Friends and Pasta.

A strong dish, heavy, an injection of cholesterol, but amazingly tasty...

For the ones that have sometime tasted this dish, this recipe's going to be a warning sign. You're going to find out exactly how heavy and how bad is it for you when eaten in big quantities (nearly impossible not to do so). Next time I make it, I'm sure you're going to eat it wisely.

The Fat Guy's Bolognese

Ingredients:
3 large spanish onions, chopped.
2 garlic cloves, chopped.
3 laurel leaf.
250 gr. smoked bacon, cubed.
2 long italian style pork sausages, in 5 cm pieces.
1-1/2 red bell peppers, chopped.
1 red hot chili peppers, unseeded, chopped.
4 tablespoons tomato extract.
500 ml. tomato pulp.
1-1/2 liters beef broth.
1 kg. minced beef.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 tablespoon sugar.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Ricotta cheese and chopped lemon verbena, to serve (optional).
Grated Parmesan cheese to serve.
500 gr. dried noodles; I recommend the big ones used in stews.

Method:
1. In a heavy bottom big pot at medium-high heat, heat the butter and the oil until melted. Add the onions and laurel and fry until the onions are translucent and tender, around 5 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until golden but not dry, 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook for another 1 minute, lower the heat to medium, add the bell peppers and cook stirring occasionally until cooked, 5 more minutes.
2. Add the tomato extract and sausages and cook until the sausages are opaque, around 5 minutes. Add the stock and the tomato pulp, boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer to thicken the sauce for around 20 minutes.
3. Add while stirring, the minced beef to prevent it from sticking and forming meatballs, continue to cook for 10 more minutes. Add the sugar, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Let cool completely and refrigerate for at least 12 hs.
To serve: reheat at low heat and serve together with a spoon of ricotta cheese, sprinkle some lemon verbena on top and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy it on a cold winter Sunday.
Greets, The Fat Guy!