Bolognese bianco with mushrooms and homemade Pici-pasta

This recipe results in a hearty Bolognese bianco, built on slowly developed flavors from meat, vegetables, and mushrooms. It is paired with homemade Pici pasta. The result is a rich and rustic pasta dish in which the ingredients are allowed to shine and develop deep, full-bodied flavors. It is essential to let the sauce simmer for a long time to achieve its depth of flavor. The batch of Bolognese makes enough sauce for twice the amount of Pici pasta (4 servings) if desired. Otherwise, it freezes beautifully, or you can use half of it to make Open Lasagna with White Bolognese and Cheese Sauce, a separate recipe available on Tastefusion.se.

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You will need

Bolognese:

2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) butter

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 cubes mushroom bouillon

1.1 lb (500 g) ground turkey

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

3 bay leaves

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp dry white wine

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *Tip 1 below)

2 cups + 1 tbsp water

1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk

1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt, if needed

1⅔ cups (or more) (400 ml) reserved pasta cooking water

Pici Pasta:

1 ⅔ cups (400 ml) durum wheat flour + more for rolling

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) warm water

1 tsp (5 ml) sea salt

For serving:

Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Red chili pepper, finely chopped

How to make it

1. Prepare all the ingredients by peeling, chopping, and slicing as needed. Arrange them in separate piles or bowls.

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *note 1 below)

2. Heat a large sauté pan, braiser, or Dutch oven over high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook over high heat until all the liquid has evaporated.

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

3. Add butter and crumbled bouillon cubes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Season lightly with black pepper, remove from the pan, and set aside in a large bowl.

2 tbsp (30 ml) butter

3 cubes mushroom bouillon

Freshly ground black pepper

4. In the same pan, add olive oil. When hot, add shallots, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Season with black pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Remove the vegetables and place them in the same bowl as the mushrooms but leave the bay leaves in the pan.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

3 bay leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

5. Add more olive oil, then the ground turkey. Spread it out in an even layer and let it brown undisturbed for several minutes to develop a deep golden-brown crust. Turn and brown the other side in the same way. Once browned, break the meat up with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Season with black pepper and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the turkey to the bowl with the mushrooms and vegetables.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1.1 lb (500 g) ground turkey

Freshly ground black pepper

6. Add more olive oil, then the turkey bacon. Cook until nicely browned. Remove and add it to the bowl with the other cooked ingredients.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

7. Add more olive oil, then the turkey chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add chili and garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Return all the reserved cooked ingredients to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes while stirring.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

8. Add white wine and simmer until reduced by half.

1 cup + 2 tsp dry white wine

9. Add the fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Pour in the water and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *note 1 below)

2 cups + 1 tbsp water

Make the Pici Dough:

10. While the sauce simmers, prepare the pasta dough. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl or food processor fitted with dough hooks. Gradually add the water and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

1 ⅔ cups (400 ml) durum wheat flour

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) warm water

1 tsp (5 ml) sea salt

11. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into eight equal pieces. Add a pile of flour to the work surface and knead each piece of dough with flour. Roll each piece by hand into long ropes about 1/5 inch (5 mm) thick. Each piece should yield 6 – 10 ropes. Place the Pici-ropes on a tray and let them rest for a while. Just before serving, cook the Pici in a large pot of salted boiling water for 8–10 minutes. See **Tip 2 below.

Durum wheat flour for rolling

Finish the Sauce:

12. Add milk and heavy cream to the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking over low heat for another 1–2 hours.

1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk

1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream

13. Add honey and balsamic vinegar. Stir well and add half of the reserved pasta water. Simmer for another 10 - 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and salt as needed. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

¾ cup + 1 tbsp reserved pasta cooking water

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

14. At this point, remove half of the Bolognese sauce and freeze it for later use, or use it in another dish, such as “Open lasagna with white Bolognese and cheese sauce” (see separate recipe)

15. Add the cooked Pici directly to the remaining Bolognese sauce and toss well. Add more pasta water a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.

¾ cup + 1 tbsp reserved pasta cooking water

16. Serve the pasta in individual bowls or plates and top with grated Parmesan, chopped fresh herbs, and chopped chili. Serve with a crisp green salad on the side.

Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Red chili pepper, finely chopped

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Tip and Tricks

Tip 1: Make use of Parmesan rinds: Parmesan rinds are perfect for cooking and can be used in a couple of different ways. You can either freeze them as they are and add them whole to stews or other dishes that will simmer for a long time. In that case, you should remove the rind before serving. Another method, which I prefer, is to blend the Parmesan rinds in a powerful blender until they become a powder and then freeze it. That way, you can simply add as much as you like to slow-cooked dishes.

Tip 2: Pasta water and salt: Use ½ tablespoon of salt (10 grams) per just over 1 quart (1000 ml) of water. Use 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (30 grams) per 3.2 quarts (3000 ml) of water. Add the salt only once the water is boiling, as adding it earlier can increase the time it takes for the water to boil.