Pasta Bolognese

"Come on Irene"(I know it's Eileen) I am dating myself with this song but it is appropriate given the circumstances of the weather this weekend.  In times of bad weather or just times of uncertainty we want to have comfort and know that we can retreat to a familiar place, even when there is utter chaos.  That is where this dish comes in for me.
Bologna is a city of Italy where arguably has the most incredible flavors of Italian cooking in the world.  Pasta bolognese is pasta with meat sauce, the greatness comes from the fact that you are only using six ingredients to make the dish; pasta, chopped meat 85% lean is great because you are going to need the fat, crushed tomatoes, 1/4 onion and 2 cloves of garlic. It also is simple and quick to make.  Total prep time is 5 minuets, and cooking time for the sauce is 25 minuets.

So here are the ingredients:

2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 pound of 85% chopped meat
1/4 onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Pasta ( you can use whatever you like, but in the picture I use Rottini which is a type of pasta)

The next step is to chop the onions and garlic then place them in a sauce pot.  Then add the olive oil and turn on the oven to high heat to start cooking the onions and garlic first.  You are doing this to "soften" the garlic and onions.

After you soften the garlic and onions you are going to incorporate the meat.  You do not want to fully cook the meat at this point because you want the flavors of the tomatoes to meld with the garlic, onion, and meat.

The third step is to add the sauce.  When you add the sauce you are also deglazing your sauce pot at the same time so remember to stir constantly until you get the sauce to a boil.  After it gets to a boil reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 20 to 25 minuets.  Please let the sauce simmer.  Tomatoes do not cook well at high heat the acid from tomatoes make the sauce bitter.

Finally ten minutes before your sauce is done start cooking your pasta make sure that you add salt to your water so that the pasta retains the flavor.  After the pasta is cooked strain and combine enjoy with a simple Chianti and Parmesan cheese and let your worries float away.