We’re creeping towards the darkest time of the year. And if you’re a bit of a sun-worshipper like me, you’re already feeling it. There was also that extremely rude time change last weekend, which was, um, unappreciated. But anyway… When things get dark, I like to lean into cozy. This isn’t particularly novel, but I say it because I think it is essential. I save my movie marathons, comfort watches, and scented candles for this particular moment. And you know what? It does make this time of year seem special. Some seasons are harder to love than others, but with the help of a cozy couch, an impossibly fluffy throw, and an endless run of comfort food, I can *almost* enjoy it. And right now, the comfort food I’m leaning on the most are these Bolognese Sloppy Joes.
These admittedly messy sandwiches feature lightly toasted focaccia topped with a rich bolognese. The sandwich also features a generous dollop of creamy whipped ricotta and a mountain of massaged kale. While this sandwich is undoubtedly a pleasure to eat, its therapeutic powers start working their magic long before it hits the plate. There is nothing cozier than having something simmering on the stove. Nothing. And today’s bolognese gives you that from the jump.
Now and then, I come across blind spots in my cooking. Classic dishes that I’ve heard of, eaten, and loved but somehow have never made myself. Bolognese is one of them. Growing up, my mom made her version of bolognese, which still has my heart. She makes it with lamb and beef, and it is beyond amazing. And, I guess, because I could have that whenever I made it home, I just didn’t feel the need to develop my own. But because I am nosy and just generally into collecting random tidbits and facts, I got curious about bolognese and, well, here we are.
My deep dive into the wonderful world of bolognese led me to conclude that the bolognese I grew up on was closer to Ragú alla Napoletana or Neapolitan ragu, which hails from Naples. Naples is the regional capital of Campania, a region of Italy renowned for its tomatoes and, in particular, its famous San Marzano tomatoes. It stands to reason that a sauce from Naples would feature tomatoes prominently.
Bologna, on the other hand, is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. Emilia-Romagna is referred to as the “food valley” and is the birthplace of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella, and traditional balsamic vinegar. In other words, the region is far more celebrated for its cheese and meat than its tomatoes, and Ragú alla Bolognese reflects that. There is tomato in traditional bolognese, but it’s far less than I originally thought. Traditional bolognese is, in fact, more closely related to the French dish ragoût, a stew that gained prominence in the 18th century.
So without further ado, let’s make a (relatively) authentic Ragú alla Bolognese. I leaned pretty heavily on the 1982 recipe from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina for this one. The first thing you’re going to do is select your meat. The original recipe called for pancetta; you could also use bacon. I chose instead to use uncured, uncooked pork belly, which I coarsely ground in my meat grinder. What can I say? I like to set life to hard now and then… It’s not actually hard, but it does require special equipment. So feel free to coarsely chop some bacon or pancetta. It will be fine.
As far as the beef goes, hanger or flank are traditional, but any cut of beef that is rich in collagen will do. I ground up some chuck, for instance. But again, if you don’t have a meat grinder, picking up medium ground beef will work perfectly. You could even use lean, but for the love of all that is holy, please don’t use extra-lean.
The sauce starts by simply browning the meat, and it’s then removed with a slotted spoon. In goes a classic mirepoix of diced onions, carrots, and celery. The vegetables are left to sweat, not brown, and once the onions are translucent, a splash of wine is added to deglaze the pot. I used dry vermouth, which is an aromatized wine, but you can use any white or red wine that you have on hand.
The meat is then reintroduced to the pot along with a little tomato paste, beef stock, bay leaves, and a bundle of thyme. At this point, you just simmer the crap out of it until, roughly 2/3 of the way through, you add some milk and a shaving of fresh nutmeg. Continue to cook until the sauce is rich, glossy, and roughly terracotta in colour. The entire process should take approximately 3 hours, but it only requires your participation for about 20 minutes.
Now, the rest of these Bolognese Sloppy Joes are easy to make. Especially if you cheat, like I did, and buy the focaccia. This beauty is from Blackbird Baking Co., and I highly recommend it. The other components are whipped ricotta, which is as simple as placing all the ingredients in a food processor and blitzing, and massaged kale, which is exactly what it sounds like. This was another culinary blind spot for me; I had never massaged kale. And now that I have, I am so into it. It really does make green kale so much more tender, without divorcing it from its kale-ness. Does that make sense? Probably not, but let’s press on.
You can make both the whipped ricotta and massaged kale in advance; another advantage massaged kale has over dressed kale. But in all honesty, you don’t have to make either in advance because you’ll have acres of time while the bolognese simmers. I do think the whipped ricotta should chill for an hour before serving, though, so a little planning is required.
Finally, all that remains is to build your Bolognese Sloppy Joes. I won’t insult your intelligence by describing how to make a sandwich, but I will tell you my order: focaccia, bolognese, whipped ricotta, kale, and focaccia. I think it worked, but I think any other order would be fabulous too, so listen to your heart. No order will reinforce the structural integrity of this sandwich, which is nonexistent. This is a knife, fork, and stack of napkins kind of sandwich, so go in prepared. We are talking sloppy joes after all.
And that’s everything you need to know about these Bolognese Sloppy Joes. The very definition of a Sunday slow cook. From start to finish, these sandwiches deliver peak coziness.
Enjoy!
Bolognese Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- If using cuts of beef and pork, cut them into large cubes and feed them through a meat grinder using the coarse plate. Set the meat aside. If you’re using ground meat, you can ignore me and this step.600g (1.4 lbs) chuck roast or medium ground beef, 400g ( 14oz) pork belly or ground pork
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the meat and a generous sprinkling of salt. Sauté until the meat is browned. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set it aside.3 tbsp olive oil
- Reduce the heat to low and add the onions, carrots, and celery along with a generous pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and sauté for a minute more.1 sweet onion, 3 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Reintroduce the meat and pour in the dry vermouth. Stir until the alcohol is reduced by half. Add in the tomato paste and toss to coat. Pour in the beef stock and add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Bring the mixture up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. **½ cup dry vermouth *, ¼ cup tomato paste, 2 cups beef stock, 6-7 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves
- When the 2 hours are up, pour in the milk and add the nutmeg. Simmer for an additional hour or until the sauce is nice and thick. ***½ cup whole milk, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Place the ricotta, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a smoothie cup or food processor and blitz until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill for 1 hour or overnight.1 (280g) tub full-fat ricotta, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt
- Pile the kale into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Toss the kale with your hands in a scrunching motion. The kale should start to soften and turn a darker shade of green. This should take about 5 minutes.1 head green kale, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp Maldon salt
- Transfer the kale to the fridge and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
- Cut the focaccia into eight large pieces. Split each piece in half and toast until golden. Top the focaccia with the Bolognese, whipped ricotta, and massaged kale. Serve immediately with a knife, fork, and plenty of napkins.1 batch olive oil focaccia, 1 batch Ragú alla Bolognese, 1 batch Whipped Ricotta, 1 batch Massaged Kale
