Carbone is one of the hottest restaurants in New York City, and it’s almost impossible to get a table.
But you don’t need a reservation to whip up some of Mario Carbone’s dishes at home.
I asked the chef to share some of his favorite recipes. And with winter in full swing, Carbone thought it’d be the perfect time to whip up his comforting Bolognese.
Here’s how to make it.
Chef Mario Carbone’s Bolognese has three different types of meat to get you through chilly temperatures.
To make Carbone’s Bolognese for six, you’ll need:
Carbone told me he likes to add Italian sausage for his spin on the classic dish to give his Bolognese a “big pop of added flavor.”
The recipe also features plenty of veggies.
Carbone’s recipe was developed with Carbone Fine Food to pair with one of the restaurant’s sauces, which you can buy online and in grocery stores. Carbone’s Bolognese features the marinara, but you can also try the tomato basil, roasted garlic, or arrabbiata.
If you don’t have Carbone’s sauce on hand, you can always opt for a similar marinara or just make your own. His sauce is made with Italian tomatoes (whole peeled tomatoes, tomato purée, sea salt, basil), along with onions, olive oil, sea salt, garlic, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and oregano.
Before I started cooking, I prepped my veggies.
I diced my onion, carrots, and celery and set them aside.
Then, I threw some olive oil into a Dutch oven and added the ground beef.
I seared the ground beef over high heat for about three minutes, then drained it in my colander over a large bowl.
I separately seared the pork, followed by the sausage, for around the same amount of time.
As with the ground beef, I drained the pork and sausage in the colander after they had browned in the Dutch oven.
After I seared and drained all three meats, I made sure to season them.
I added half a tablespoon of salt and gave the meat a quick mix.
I drained the excess fat from my Dutch oven before adding the chopped garlic and thyme.
I constantly stirred my garlic and thyme for around two minutes over medium-low heat.
Then, I added the chopped carrots, celery, and onion.
I seasoned my veggies with half a teaspoon of salt and cooked them over low heat for another 15 minutes, until they turned soft.
I covered the Dutch oven while everything cooked, making sure to stir the vegetables every few minutes.
Once the vegetables were ready, I added the tomato paste and red wine.
First, I added the tomato paste and increased my stove to medium heat. I stirred constantly for two minutes to lightly cook the tomato paste, making sure it had completely mixed with the veggies.
Then, I poured the red wine into the Dutch oven and let it reduce until there wasn’t much liquid left. I continued to stir often to ensure I didn’t burn the wine and vegetables.
Once the wine had reduced, I added the browned meat back into the Dutch oven.
I stirred everything together as delicious scents began to fill up my kitchen.
I threw in my Carbone marinara sauce, along with the chicken stock and bay leaf.
I continued to cook everything for about 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Then, it was time for some milk.
I added the milk and mixed everything together, allowing the sauce to simmer for another 10 minutes.
As the sauce was finishing up, I threw my pasta into a pot of salted boiling water.
Carbone recommends using pappardelle for his bolognese recipe.
Once the sauce was ready, I took the Dutch oven off the heat.
I removed the bay leaf and added another half tablespoon of salt to season everything.
Not letting the Bolognese sauce simmer too long is part of Carbone’s twist on the classic dish.
“Usually, this recipe cooks all day,” he told me. “But my style — which I find to be more Italian-American than true Emilia-Romagna style — leaves the meat with more texture, which reminds me of my childhood.”
Everything was ready! So, I threw my pasta into the Dutch oven and mixed it with the Bolognese sauce.
If you’ve made more sauce than you need for one dinner, Carbone said you can store the Bolognese in the fridge for up to five days.
You can also freeze it for longer, just make sure to use freezer-safe bags.
The golden ribbons of pappardelle looked beautiful sitting in that rich Bolognese.
There’s just something about a heaping bowl of thick pasta noodles in an even thicker sauce on a cold night. I instantly felt soothed as I admired the big bowl of pasta in front of me.
The bolognese took more time than many of the pasta recipes I usually prepare, but it smelled absolutely glorious.
Carbone’s delicious Bolognese sauce made for a perfect winter pasta dish.
Carbone’s recipe has the deep richness you’d expect from a Bolognese but still tastes light despite featuring three different types of meat. The sauce has a lovely, mild sweetness that lifts the entire dish.
“The different flavors don’t compete with each other; they build on each other,” my mom said approvingly as she finished her plate.
“I could really seduce a man with this recipe,” my sister added as she went for seconds.
Carbone’s Bolognese was so comforting and soothing on a gloomy night. It’s the perfect recipe to help us get through winter — plus, who doesn’t love a good bowl of pasta?
The post This Bolognese pasta from Carbone’s chef is one of my favorite winter comfort dishes appeared first on Business Insider.
