Recipe
The Ultimate Bolognese: A Legendary Chef's Lifetime Meat Pasta Recipe!
Ingredients
- 250gground beef and pork blend
- 1onion
- 1/2celery stalk
- 1carrot
- 2tsp salt (divided)
- Sugar,to taste (for dehydrating the meat)
- Vegetableoil, to taste
- 150mlred wine
- 1bay leaf (dried is fine)
- 1can whole peeled tomatoes
- Blackpepper, to taste
- Parmigiano-Reggiano(or grated cheese), to taste
- 2servings spaghetti
About "Bolognese (Meat Pasta)"
In this dream collaboration, Italian culinary legend Chef Tsutomu Ochiai and meat expert Hayato Morita share an authentic, home-friendly Bolognese recipe. The key technique is 'sugar dehydration'—coating minced meat with sugar and wrapping it in paper towels to remove excess moisture, reducing scum and odor. By searing both the vegetables and meat on high heat without touching them, you lock in deep umami and create a chunky, rich texture. When reducing the red wine, listen for the sound to change from bubbling to crackling before moving to the next step. Finish with plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano for a luxurious taste.
Introduction to 予約7年待ち「肉の鬼才」森田隼人の料理研究所 →
Tips for Making "Bolognese (Meat Pasta)"
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Prep (Veggies)
- Do not peel the celery. Lightly crush it with your hand first, then finely chop it across the grain to make the tough fibers unnoticeable.
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Prep (Meat)
- Lightly dust both sides of the ground meat with sugar, wrap in paper towels, and weigh down for 5 minutes. Osmotic pressure draws out excess moisture, reducing scum and odor.
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Sautéing Veggies
- Start with oil in a cold pan, then sauté the vegetables on high heat. Avoid over-stirring, which lowers the temperature and steams them; let the moisture evaporate naturally.
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Searing Meat
- Sear the ground meat on high heat like a steak, leaving it untouched to form chunky pieces. This deep browning (Maillard reaction) creates the foundation of the sauce's rich flavor.
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Heat & Sound Cues
- When reducing the red wine, listen for the sound to change from a wet bubbling to a sharp crackling. This indicates the water and alcohol have evaporated, signaling it's time to add the soffritto.
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Finishing
- Drain the pasta slightly before it reaches al dente (e.g., boil for 5 minutes instead of 7). Simmer it in the Bolognese sauce with a splash of pasta water for 1.5 minutes. Finish with plenty of Parmigiano and black pepper.
Ingredients for "Bolognese (Meat Pasta)"
13 items* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon
How to Make "Bolognese (Meat Pasta)"
- 1
Peel and finely chop the onion. Lightly crush the celery with your hand without peeling it, then finely chop it across the grain. Peel and finely chop the carrot.
- 2
Lightly sprinkle sugar on both sides of the ground meat, wrap it in paper towels, place a weight on top, and let it sit for about 5 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- 3
Pour vegetable oil into a cold pan and sauté the chopped vegetables from step 1 over high heat. Avoid touching them as much as possible to let the moisture evaporate, creating a soffritto concentrated with sweetness and umami. Once cooked, transfer to a bowl.
- 4
Once the meat is dehydrated, remove the paper towels, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, and lightly knead by hand.
- 5
Pour vegetable oil into the pan and cook the ground meat over high heat. Let it form chunks like a steak, and sear it thoroughly without touching to get a nice brown crust.
- 6
Transfer the seared meat to a separate pot and heat it, adjusting the amount of rendered fat as needed.
- 7
Add 150ml of red wine and reduce over high heat to completely evaporate the liquid and alcohol. Tear the bay leaf finely along its veins and add it to the pot.
- 8
When the sound in the pot changes from bubbling to a crackling oil sound, add the soffritto and mix.
- 9
Add the entire can of whole tomatoes and stir well from the bottom of the pot. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tsp of salt.
- 10
Once everything is well combined, turn off the heat and season with black pepper.
- 11
Boil the pasta, draining it about 2 minutes earlier than the package instructions. Toss the pasta into the Bolognese sauce with a splash of pasta water and simmer for about 1.5 minutes to coat.
- 12
Plate the pasta and top generously with Parmigiano-Reggiano (or grated cheese) and black pepper to finish.
Detailed Commentary on "Bolognese (Meat Pasta)"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Legendary Chef Ochiai's Dream Collaboration
Chef Tsutomu Ochiai, the legendary owner-chef of 'LA BETTOLA da Ochiai' and a titan of Italian cuisine in Japan, joins Hayato Morita's channel. While Morita is visibly nervous before his culinary idol, Chef Ochiai breaks the ice with a cheerful 'Yay!', setting a warm and friendly tone. In this episode, they introduce a legendary, lifetime-favorite Bolognese recipe that anyone can easily recreate at home. The highlight of this dream collaboration is the exciting chemistry as meat expert Morita shares his cutting-edge meat preparation techniques with the 60-year culinary veteran.
No Peeling Celery? Chef Ochiai's Prep Style
The cooking begins with vegetable prep. Chef Ochiai showcases his brilliant knife skills by finely chopping the onion. When it comes to the celery, he starts chopping it without peeling. To a surprised Morita, Chef Ochiai explains his professional shortcut: 'If you chop it finely across the grain, the tough fibers won't affect the texture, saving you prep time.' He even jokes while chopping the carrot, saying, 'Actually, I don't really like carrots, so you can skip them if you want,' bringing laughter to the kitchen. These finely minced and sautéed vegetables form the 'soffritto,' the essential Italian flavor base that adds deep sweetness and complexity to meat stews.
The Magic of Sugar-Dehydrating Ground Meat
Next, Morita proposes a game-changing technique to maximize the meat's flavor. Commercial ground meat often contains about 10% excess water because it is ground with ice to control temperature and preserve freshness. This excess moisture causes scum and gamey odors during cooking. To combat this, Morita introduces a dehydration method: lightly dusting the meat with sugar, wrapping it in paper towels, and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Thanks to osmotic pressure, the sugar draws out only the excess water without sweetening the meat. Chef Ochiai, with over 60 years of culinary experience, is deeply impressed, calling it a fantastic technique and promising to adopt it.
Don't Touch! Searing Veggies on High Heat
Now, the cooking begins with the soffritto. Chef Ochiai pours oil into a cold pan, adds the vegetables, and cranks up the heat. His golden rule here is 'do not touch the ingredients.' At home, people tend to toss and stir constantly, but over-stirring drops the pan's temperature, causing the vegetables to release water and steam rather than sauté. By patiently letting the moisture evaporate on high heat, you get a perfect soffritto concentrated with natural sweetness and umami. The finished soffritto glistens beautifully, releasing a rich, sweet aroma without a single grain of seasoning added yet.
Searing Ground Meat Like a Steak
Next is cooking the prepped ground meat. Chef Ochiai heats a generous amount of oil in a pan over high heat and adds the meat. Once again, the rule is 'do not touch.' Home cooks often rush to break the meat into fine crumbles, but Chef Ochiai advises, 'Treat it like a steak. Leave it alone to get a deep, dark sear.' This browning (the Maillard reaction) is what gives the sauce its profound depth and rich, chunky texture. As the savory aroma fills the kitchen, the ground meat takes on the robust character of a perfectly seared steak.
Cooking by Sound: Red Wine and Bay Leaf
Chef Ochiai pours 150ml of red wine over the seared meat and reduces it on high heat. 'Cooking is all about listening,' he says, urging us to pay attention to the sound. It starts as a wet, bubbling sound, but as the water and alcohol evaporate, leaving only the fat, it transitions to a sharp, crackling sound. This auditory shift is the perfect cue to move to the next step. He then adds the soffritto and canned tomatoes, bringing it to a boil before lowering to medium heat. Finally, he tears a fresh bay leaf—plucked from his own balcony—along its veins to release its sweet, herbal aroma.
Generous Cheese and Butter for the Finish
Once the sauce is ready, slightly undercooked spaghetti is tossed into the pan. 'Don't hold back on cheese and butter; that's the secret to deliciousness,' Chef Ochiai says as he generously adds freshly grated cheese and butter. After a quick toss and a final shower of black pepper, the ultimate Bolognese is complete. Tasting it, Morita exclaims, 'This is incredible! It tastes exactly like a high-end restaurant.' Chef Ochiai smiles in agreement, pleased with the chunky texture and deep meat flavor. To close out this spectacular collaboration, Chef Ochiai shares ideas for using leftover sauce, such as making risotto or arancini (rice croquettes).
About 予約7年待ち「肉の鬼才」森田隼人の料理研究所
予約7年待ち「肉の鬼才」森田隼人の料理研究所
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