Balter Bolognese

This is our favorite recipe at home. The one that makes us feel like home. The one we associate with the weekend. The one we must have every week. And I'm sharing it with you!

I cannot believe I’m writing this post. This is historic. Our bolognese is a classic in our household. We try to have it at least once a week. It’s the meal that warms our hearts, relaxes us, makes us feel at home. At the end of a long week, on a Friday night, we avoid making plans with others because we like to eat the Bolognese.

In fact, Dan likes it so much, that he doesn’t like having people over when we have it so that he can eat any leftovers the next day.

This dish has gone through several versions, and each time it comes out a little bit differently, but it is always (always) delicious.

How do you make bolognese without tomatoes or onions, you ask?? Well, I try to recreate the sweet and slightly twangy flavor of the tomatoes with the different spices, and make it red and saucey with the veggie selection.

Dan and I eat this dish every single Friday night for dinner. It has become a tradition and if we go to other people for Friday night, we'll make it on Saturday. It's just a staple!

I’m sure it doesn’t taste like the classic bolognese – but it makes for a mean spaghetti meat sauce and it’s pack-filled with veggies, so it’s worth a try even for those non-allergics. I don’t remember what bolognese tastes like anymore, but Dan isn’t allergic and he prefers ours to what they serve in restaurants. So that’s proof for me.

Then again, he loves me and would say anything. So who knows…try the recipe and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg ground beef

1 medium sized eggplant – chopped into thin cubes

2 red bell peppers – chopped small

2 carrots – chopped small

1 hot pepper – sliced thin

5 cloves chopped garlic

15-20 chopped green olives (from a can)

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp date syrup (or maple syrup – if that’s what you have on hand)

1-2 cups water (enough to cover the mixture)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp oregano

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt (+ more to taste)

A pinch of hot pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Take a large, deep pan with a top and put in 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil (until the bottom of the pan is covered in a thin layer).

2. Cook the ground beef. While the ground beef is cooking, throw in the spices.

3. Once the beef has browned, add the garlic and hot pepper. Saute for 1 minute.

4. Add the chopped eggplant. Mix in. Stir and cover. Let cook for 1 minute.

5. Add in the rest of the veggies. Stir and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.

6. Add in the soy sauce and date syrup. Mix and let cook, without the top, for about 1 minute.

7. Cover in water, mix, and put the pan top on to let simmer for about 10 min. (Here, you can also add in 1/2 cup of wine. We do that sometimes, if we have wine on hand. It turns out delicious).

8. After 10 min, add the chopped olives in. Mix, and cover again. Cook for another 30 min on medium heat, checking occasionally and mixing to make sure the bottom doesn’t stick to the pan.

9. Serve hot, on a bowl of spaghetti (gluten free pasta for me! Barilla is my favorite). We recommend putting some crumbled feta cheese (or Bulgarit for those Israelis among you) and a handful of parmesan on top!

Fun fact: our bolognese sauce has also been used as the meat sauce in an incredible, gluten free lasagna!!!!  (pictured above!)