Project Foodie - Campanile: Sautéed Trenne with Veal Bolognese

Campanile: Sautéed Trenne with Veal Bolognese

Save Recipe: Sautéed Trenne with Veal Bolognese

Campanile (Los Angeles, CA) provides the quintessential Southern California dinning experience. Chef-owner Mark Peel's outstanding cuisine combines his extensive experience, ranging from classic training to peeling vegetable for Chef Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison to working with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, with the flavors and style of the Mediterranean. "Trenne Pasta with Bolognese and Cedar Smoked Salmon", one of Campanile's signature dishes, perfectly illustrates Chef Peel's style. Try it yourself to see why Campanile has received numerous culinary awards including the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant Award.

Sautéed Trenne with Veal Bolognese

From The Food of Campanile

Serves 8 (yields about 10 cups)

American-style spaghetti sauce (canned tomatoes and ground beef) is a poor, simplified version of Bolognese sauce. Good Bolognese is complex, very rich and flavorful, and has a chewy texture. The sauce must simmer long and slow, just barely bubbling, each ingredient releasing the essence of its flavor to the whole.

This recipe produces more sauce than is needed for eight portions, but it freezes well and can be used for lasagna or perhaps, if you cook it down a little, as a stuffing for ravioli. We serve it with pappardelle, because such a robust sauce requires substantial pasta to complement it. If you wish to use equal amounts of Brown Veal Stock and Chicken Stock, instead of only Chicken Stock, the sauce will be even richer. It is more luxurious, but certainly not necessary.

6 or 7 large ripe tomatoes (5 pounds) cut in half
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for sautéing pasta
3 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, and minced (3 tablespoons)
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (6 teaspoons)
Kosher salt
1-½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1-½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 pounds shoulder of veal (lamb or beef may be substituted)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large carrots (1/2 pound) peeled, and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 medium onion (1/2 pound) peeled, and cut into ¼-inch dice
4 or 5 large ribs celery (1/2 pound) peeled, and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 small fennel bulb (1/2 pound) peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (2 tablespoons)
3 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)
1 cup port
1 cup dry red wine
6 cups Chicken Stock
Bouquet garni (1 sprig rosemary, 1 sprig thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs parsley, 4 whole cloves, zest of 1 medium lemon)
Ground dried red chile pepper flakes
1 pound dry trenne pasta (can substitute penne if trenne unavailable)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Have ready: Chicken Stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the tomatoes, olive oil, shallots, garlic, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, the rosemary, thyme and 1 teaspoon of the black pepper in a large mixing bowl, and toss to combine. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, on 1 or 2 baking pans, and then scrape the ingredients from the bowl over the tomatoes. Toast the tomatoes until tender, 50 to 60 minutes (depending on size).

Remove the baking pans from the oven and allow the tomatoes to cool slightly. Put the tomatoes and pan juices through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds. Discard the skins and seeds, and reserve the tomato purée until needed.

Using a large, sharp knife, trim the veal shoulder of excess fat. Discard the fat, and cut the meat into 1 ½-inch cubes. Season the veal lightly with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a large stockpot, over high heat, preheat the vegetable oil. Sauté the veal pieces until browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the carrots, onion, celery, fennel, garlic, and, if desired, pancetta. Sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the port, add the red wine, and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, the roasted tomato purée, and the bouquet garni. Season with kosher salt, black pepper and a pinch of dried red chile flakes.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to very low heat and simmer gently, about 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning, until the veal becomes fork tender. Skim as necessary, using a ladle to remove any foam or excess fat that rises to the surface.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the veal pieces from the sauce and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Continue to simmer the sauce over very low heat. Using two forks, coarsely shred the veal pieces, and return the shredded meat and juices to the sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce over very low heat for about 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pot. Correct the seasoning to taste with kosher salt, black pepper, and red chile pepper. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Use the sauce as needed, or freeze in sealed plastic containers.

In a large stockpot, over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add kosher salt to taste.

Cook the pasta all the way thru, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
Heat olive oil in a large pan (enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, you may need to add more once you add the pasta). Sauté the trenne until browned.

To serve, divide the pasta equally among 8 large, warm soup plates and add about ½ cup of the Bolognese sauce to each portion. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan. This is even more delicious with a little basil pesto drizzled over the top.

About Campanile

From the moment it opened in 1989, Campanile has enjoyed a position as one of Los Angeles' top-rated restaurants year after year. It's location in a beautiful sunlit, Italian-style building built for Charlie Chaplin in 1929 makes Campanile a Hollywood landmark, but it's the food that has made it one of the city's culinary greats. Chef-Owner Mark Peel's cuisine is graced with the warmth of Southern California and infused with the flavors and style of the Mediterranean. Campanile is the recipient of numerous culinary awards and honors, including the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant Award.