Recipe: Pastured Beef And Crimini Mushroom Bolognese With Juniper And Rosemary
The earthy notes of the beef and mushrooms give way to the piney aromas of the juniper and rosemary.
If you want to make a dish that smells and tastes like a late-October walk in the region, then I recommend this one. The earthy notes of the beef and mushrooms give way to the piney aromas of the juniper and rosemary. It feels like you have just managed to distill the rough outlines of mid-autumn in the northeast into a comforting topping for your favorite shape of pasta or a creamy, deeply cheesy polenta. We are blessed in this area with a good number of farms that raise their own completely pastured beef and this means the meat has a robust and grassy flavor that stands up to the game-like treatment of the juniper and rosemary.
One last pitch for adding this recipe to your cold-weather repertoire: pastured animals are indispensable partners in maintaining a sustainable local ecology — they provide more favorable nutrition than factory raised cattle do and ground beef from these animals is affordable and delicious.
Pastured Beef and Crimini Mushroom Bolognese with Juniper and Rosemary
Serves 4
2 Tablespoons olive oil (I use Greek or Sicilian extra virgin olive oils for cooking)
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 slices bacon or 1 link of pork sausage (both optional if you prefer all beef)
8-10 medium crimini mushrooms, rinsed, dried and thinly sliced
1 pound of pastured (grass-fed) ground beef
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 juniper berries, crushed with the back of a knife to release their oils and fragrance
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or roughly the needles from half of a full stem
½ cup of red wine
2 cups tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
1 cup whole milk from pastured cows
To garnish:
Generous amount of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or 4 nice dollops of fresh ricotta. Or if you are feeling hungry —both!
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed skillet with lid — a Dutch oven is perfect.
2. Add the onions, garlic and bacon or sausage if using and stir until onions are translucent.
3. Add the crimini mushrooms and stir until they are lightly browned and tender, about 4 minutes.
4. “Bank” the sautéed vegetables to one side of the pan and add the ground beef to the opening you created on the pan’s bottom. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
5. Stir the beef until it is evenly browned. Add the remaining ingredients: the bay leaf, crushed juniper berries, rosemary, red wine, tomatoes and whole milk.
6. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, bring to a simmer and cover the dish and cook over low heat for 1-2 hours. Check occasionally and add a splash of water if the sauce is getting too thick.
7. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if desired but remember the cheese will add a certain saltiness.
8. Remove the bay leaf and serve over pasta or polenta and garnish with the cheeses.
