Pappardelle Bolognese

Trial153

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Early Dinner before work. Found some beautiful imported pappardelle at Pellegrino in Albany. So I made Pappardelle Bolognese with venison sausage and fennel.
548ff2f58f619d3c0e6f6e12699d1018.jpg
 

robby denning

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Early Dinner before work. Found some beautiful imported pappardelle at Pellegrino in Albany. So I made Pappardelle Bolognese with venison sausage and fennel.
548ff2f58f619d3c0e6f6e12699d1018.jpg

I take it the pappardelle is pasta?


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Italian grandmothers all over the world just got chest pains.
It looks great.
But I had never heard of it ether I thought I was gonna be a mushroom.
Lol legit Bolognese must be the res sauce?

We just call that spaghetti sauce in west.

Dang I've been to like 32 countries too.
 
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It looks great.
But I had never heard of it ether I thought I was gonna be a mushroom.
Lol legit Bolognese must be the res sauce?

We just call that spaghetti sauce in west.

Dang I've been to like 32 countries too.
OK, ‘sliders. Gonna treat this as a teaching moment.

caveat - I am from a non Italian family and grew up in South Louisiana So this shit isn’t native to me and I am not a pasta snob. Sauce came in a jar and spaghetti was the only noodle in the house that wasn’t mac and cheese or lasagna. However, I spent 15 years in and around NYC and enough NY/Italians to learn a thing or two.

there are dozens of varieties of pasta based mainly on shape alone. Key variance is how the shape interacts with the other ingredients of the dish. Think about Mac and cheese. There is a reason it isn’t spaghetti and cheese and it mainly has to do with those round macaronis picking up just the right amount of cheese sauce on the outside and inside f the noodles to make the dish work. So, Lots of dishes evolved to favor certain pasta varieties. Keep in mind that this occurred long before machine made pasta when the pain in the ass factor for making a macaroni is a lot higher than a flat noodle or a dumpling for that matter, when done by hand. So, there was a lot of thought and effort put into what nooldles go best in soups, lasagnas and pasta entrees of all kinds.

probably the biggest differences are the size and the shape of the pasta And the resulting ratio of sauce to noodle. Light, delicate barely there tomato and wine wine sauce = angel hair. Light, lots of surface area, picks up enough sauce to be flavorful But not heavy. Use angel hair pasta on a hearty, meaty, rich sauce like Bolognese and you end up with too much sauce per bite. You need a big flat noodle to stand up to a rich, thick flaverful sauce = more noodle, less sauce per bite. So you tend to see bigger noodles with rich sauces and in hearty winter dishes.

so, does it matter? Yes...kind of. Most pasta is from a pretty basic eggnoodle recipe, but the size and shape can make a difference in the final preparation and results. Sure, you can survive off spaghetti and use it for everything you cook involving pasta. I also could have killed or kill every critter in North America with a pawn shop 308 and a $35 surplus Alice pack. But...like anything else, if you take a further step down the pasta road, you find a whole lot of options that arguably work better for some situations Than others.

so if you care:

 
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Trial153

Trial153

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While I don't have 27 varieties of pasta on hand in the house....I bet I always have a solid dozen or so.
The above synopsis is spot on.

Pasta is the delivery for sauce and the interaction with it brings a different experience and even taste.

So for example if I was making pasta Fagioli need a pasta that will "catch the soup" and have mouth feel that complements the size and texture of the dish. Ditalini or a small shell for example.

And if I was making Zuppa di Clam for sure only linguine would do....

And for Sunday gravy you need some muscle to hold up to all the meat flavor in the sauce. Think rigatoni or fusilli
 
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Trial153

Trial153

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Also before someone gets me for this not being a true northern Ragu alla Bolognese. It's not. What I made it really Ragu alla Napolenta


Authentic Bolognese is started with soffritto, that is minced onion, carrot and celery. Then add two kind of minced meat, traditionally it beef and fatty pork. After it's cooked and some incorporated your going to add white wine and touch of tomato paste...and finish it with a splash of milk or cream.

The Neapolitans don't add carrots or celery. The start with onion and garlic. Then add meat and more tomatoes. Wine can be red or white and they will leave out the milk or cream.
 
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