But there are still vestiges of winter in place, the occasional chilly and rainy evenings when a warm and delicious bowl of pasta feels like the natural choice for a meal (along with wine - which I somehow managed to leave out of this photo, perhaps because it was lunchtime when I shot it). At any rate,I had one of those chilly, rainy evenings early in the week and decided to both embrace the end of a season and try something new. I've been meaning to make a white Bolognese for some time now. Finally, I can cross it off my list.
The end result was substantive and absolutely satisying, even though it took about four hours to make. Truthfully, much of that is passive time, waiting for reductions. Which meant that I caught up on some reading while I waited. Not a bad way to spend an evening.
Spring is short in my city, the sweltering heat will be upon us before I know it. But for now, I love that delicate balance, that moment just between seasons when you feel like you have the best of both worlds in the palm of your hand.
Find the recipe for white Bolognese here.
Notes: I don't know where you can buy duck fat outside of places like New York City, but we begged ours from a local Italian restaurant (where we also happened to score some fresh pasta). For leftovers, we used a good brand of dry fettuccine, so I can comment on both. The fresh pasta is undeniably wonderful and if you can get it (or are able to make it), it's entirely worth it. Having said that, the absence of fresh pasta didn't keep us from enjoying and finishing all of the Bolognese!
