Greek Bolognese

 

Makaronia me Kima (pr. Mah-kha-RHO-niah MEH Kee-MAH), which literally means “Pasta with Ground Meat”, is a pasta dish with Spaghetti and Greek Meat Sauce, similar to Bolognese but with Greek flavors.

This Greek Meat Sauce is one of the easiest Greek recipes, which, apart from being served over long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine, can also be used to make moussaka, pastitsio, papoutsakia, lasagna, crepes, cannelloni, etc.

Nothing goes to waste in my kitchen because I use leftover sauce on pizza, or on a hoggie smothered with cheese that is toasted and served. 

So what’s the difference between a Greek meat sauce (kimas) vs Bolognese? While some say the Greek sauce is similar to Bolognese, Italians use wine and cream in their Bolognese, whereas Greeks don’t use either in their sauce. They also use different spices and herbs in their sauce, such as cinnamon and allspice berries. I’ve used nutmeg or ground cloves at times, and Greek bay leaf. These are the spices used in most Greek cooking and help to bring out the wonderful flavors of the Mediterranean.

Ingredients

The Meat Sauce:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 lbs ground veal

½ cup (1 large) carrot, grated

½ cup celery, finely chopped

4 cups tomato puree

1 cup of beef stock or water

1 tbsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 piece cinnamon stick, about 5 cm long

4 allspice berries

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped (optional)

For Pasta:

4 cups spaghetti pasta No. 10

1 tablespoon salt

5 cups water

Instructions

Prepare the meat sauce: Sauté the onion until translucent

Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

Add the minced meat and sauté until browned

Add carrot, celery, passata, and stock

Add the spices, stir, cover, and simmer on low for about one hour, or until the sauce thickens.

Remove the spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, and allspice berries) and mix in the parsley

Prepare the pasta: Bring plenty of water to a boil and add the salt as well as the pasta, and boil according to the directions on the package. Stir the pasta occasionally so that they will not stick together.

Drain the pasta and serve immediately with some grated aged Feta cheese or Romano cheese and the meat sauce on top.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber Analysis, a Master’s in Criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.

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