Giblet Bolognese
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
8 people
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Calories
276 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Giblet Bolognese
Description
Giblet Bolognese combines an ounce of dried mushrooms soaked in hot water with a sofrito of finely minced onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. The giblets and ground meat are browned in olive oil to develop a fond, which is then deglazed and softened by cooking the vegetables in the same pot. Hand-crushed tomatoes and aromatic spices like nutmeg, cloves, and bay leaves enrich the sauce as it simmers slowly. The addition of sweet sherry and heavy cream balances the savory intensity while grated cheese on serving adds a final touch.
Cooking this sauce slowly allows the complex flavors of the giblets and spices to meld into a rich, textured sauce with a balanced savory depth and subtle creamy finish. The dish’s hearty components make it ideal for pairing with robust pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle, or a firm polenta base, enhancing both texture and flavor harmony.
The method stresses careful browning to develop flavor without burning, and using the moisture from the vegetables to lift the browned bits ensures a rich sauce foundation. The recipe notes advise choosing substantial pasta shapes to hold the dense sauce well, emphasizing serving choices that complement the hearty character of the Bolognese.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce mushrooms dried
- 1 onion peeled and roughly chopped, small
- 1 celery chopped, rib
- 1 carrot chopped, large
- 1 garlic chopped, large clove
- 1 pound giblet hearts, livers, gizzards, minced or ground, various
- 4 ounces ground meat venison, beef, duck, pork, etc
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt
- nutmeg about 1/2 teaspoon, a few gratings
- 3 to 5 clove or 1/4 teaspoon, whole
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 quart tomato crushed by hand, whole
- 1 cup sherry sweet, or Marsala wine
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- black pepper to taste
- cheese grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Break up the mushrooms and submerge them in 1 to 2 cups of hot water. Let them sit while you proceed.
- Pulse the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a food processor until you get somewhere between a fine mince and a paste. Don't puree it. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl for now.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the giblets and the ground meat. Brown them well, sprinkling some salt over them as they cook. When they are close to being done, stop stirring them so a crust, what the French call a "fond," forms on the bottom of the pan. Brown is good, black not so much. So watch your heat. When it forms, remove the meats and set aside.
- Add the vegetables to the pot. Let the moisture from the vegetables soften the meat crust in the pot. Salt them as they cook. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften well, and then let another crust form.
- While the vegetables are cooking, mince the mushrooms. Keep the mushroom soaking water, and strain it if there's debris in it. When the crust has reformed in the pot, add the mushrooms and the cup of sherry. Use the wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits again. Let all the sherry cook away until yet another crust forms.
- Add the nutmeg, bay leaves, cloves, and 1 cup of the mushroom soaking water. Scrape up the crust one last time. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the juice/sauce from the jar of whole tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot. Return the meats to the pot, stir well, add salt to taste and simmer, partially covered, for at least 90 minutes. You want the gizzard bits to be fairly tender.
- To finish, get your water boiling for the pasta. Turn the heat to low on the sauce and add the cream. Bring the sauce back to a bare simmer and when the pasta is ready, grind black pepper over the sauce. I like to put the pasta in a large bowl, add one ladle of the sauce over it and toss to coat. I then give everyone some pasta and add a bit more of the sauce on each person's plate. Grate some cheese over everything and you're good to go.
Notes
- Choose substantial pasta shapes like tagliatelle, pappardelle, or short pasta to suit the sauce’s texture.
- Take care to brown the meats well to develop flavor but avoid burning to keep the sauce balanced.
- Using polenta works as a suitable alternative base to pasta for serving the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 276 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 276kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 15g | 30% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 158mg | 53% |
| Sodium | 73mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 573mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 7854IU | 157% |
| Vitamin C | 25mg | 28% |
| Calcium | 35mg | 4% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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