I’ve always loved Bolognese and wondered, how could it be different? I first swapped ground beef for ground hot Italian sausage meat, but it still felt familiar, until a trip to Milan. My cousin’s boyfriend made orecchiette with ground sausage meat and grape tomatoes, no sauce. It was brilliantly simple. The ground sausage meat was the star of the show and came into light in a brighter way without being overshadowed by the marinara. That’s when I remixed my sausage Bolognese. I thought “what if I ditched the marinara, kept the ground hot Italian sausage meat, mirepoix, added shaved Parmesan, and substituted orange carrots for rainbow carrots?” Who needs a marinara when you’ve got emulsified hot Italian sausage oil and Parmesan? The plate also looks like Willy Wonka went Italian and made a savory dish with rainbow carrots and celery, as if he’d sprinkled Skittles over the pasta. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, sometimes Bolognese doesn’t need marinara.
Ingredient
Quantity
Hot Italian Sausages
3, skinned
Celery Stalks
3, diced
Rainbow Carrots
4, diced (4 different colors)
White Onion
1, diced
Garlic Cloves
2, minced
Cavatelli
230g
Parmesan
3 Cups, shaved
Pasta Water
1/3 Cup
Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons
Parsley
1 Tablespoon, minced
Salt for Vegetables
2 Teaspoons
Salt for Pasta Water
2 Tablespoons
Pepper
1 Teaspoon
Directions
Dice the 3 celery stalks, 4 rainbow carrots, and 1 white onion, then mince the 2 garlic cloves. Shave 3 cups of Parmesan cheese into a small bowl. Mince the parsley and place it in a small cup.
Fill a large pot with water, cover it with a lid, and begin heating it on high to a boil while you cook the hot Italian sausage meat and vegetables.
Warm a large saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and remove the casings from the hot Italian sausages. Place the sausage meat in the pan and, using a spatula, chop it into a coarse mince. Cook the chopped sausage meat for about 5–7 minutes until it becomes slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the cooked sausage meat onto a plate, reserving the meat’s oil in the pan.
Once the water starts boiling, add and mix in the 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the cavatelli pasta and boil on high for about 9–12 minutes until al dente. The cavatelli will be boiling as you cook the vegetables in the next step.
In the same saucepan used for the sausage, add the diced celery, carrots, and onion. Mix in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables sweat, then add the minced garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 2–3 more minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Add the cooked sausage meat to the saucepan, mix with the vegetables, and cook for 1 minute until the meat is warmed through.
Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water in a measuring cup. Strain the cavatelli and add it to the saucepan with the vegetables and hot Italian sausage meat. Cook for 1 minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat and place it on a cool section of the stove or a mat on the counter. Add half of the 3 cups of Parmesan and half of the 1/3 cup of pasta water, mix, and then repeat with the remaining amounts. Mix until the Parmesan has slightly emulsified. Add more Parmesan and pasta water as needed.
Plate a couple of serving spoon scoops of the Bolognese and garnish with the minced parsley. Shave a dusting of Parmesan on top of the Bolognese, if desired.
Leave a Reply