Recipe: Rigatoni

 

Rigatoni Bolognese 

A viral food trend began on January 2020 demanding for everyone to eat a bowl of rigatoni pasta on May 24th, 2021. No one understood the origins or the purpose of this demand but it seems that the shared love for pasta was a strong enough binding factor. Despite the movement losing its momentum, the community persevered and held their promises. Grocery store shelves began to run out of rigatoni as teens raced to gather the ingredients for the big day.

*Here are the rigatoni creations from other friends who decided to hop on the challenge. 

    Ingredients:

• Spice Mix:

• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2  tsp salt, or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1 cup finely diced onions

• 1/2 cup finely diced celery

• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2 cups white wine  (I used way less) 

• 1 can whole or diced tomatoes blended

• 2 cups water, or as needed
• 1/2 cup basil leaves chopped 
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (to melt on top)

    Instructions:

1. In a large pan heat up your olive oil and butter. Start off your sauce by adding the diced onions to the pan and cook until tender. Then add in your minced garlic but make sure not to burn it. At this point, you can add in your celery and carrots. Cook for a few minutes until tender. 
2. Incorporate your beef with the aromatics and cut it into even fine pieces. 
3. Add in your spices to your desired quantity. Don't be shy to experiment and step out of your comfort zone! 
4. To tie in the flavours together, add a dash of milk and cook on medium stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once most of it has evaporated, add in your white wine and continue to simmer until the paste-like consistency is reached again. 
5. Now you're ready to add in your crushed tomatoes. Afterwards, you can fill the can with extra water and add it to the mixture. This is a good time to add in your chopped basil leaves. 
6. Allow your sauce to simmer for an hour or two for the flavours to come together. 
7. Meanwhile, boil your rigatoni and reserve some of the pasta water. As you stir in the pasta be gentle to avoid rips in the pasta. Then add your pasta water and mix until all of the pasta is well coated. 
8. This step is optional but if you want to elevate your pasta game, serve it in your desired dish and top it with some grated mozzarella cheese. Pop it in the oven and broil until the cheese melts and gets a crispy golden colour. 
9. Garnish your pasta with extra basil leaves and voila your dish is complete!
10. Enjoy :)