Bulgogi bolognese

Name: Bulgogi bolognese
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp neutral oil; 1 cup onion, finely chopped; 1 cup carrot, finely chopped; 1 cup celery, finely chopped; 7 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 lb ground beef; 1 tbsp red miso; ¾ cup scallions, thinly sliced; ¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce; ¼ cup turbinado or light brown sugar; 12 oz dried egg pasta, tagliatelle or pappardelle; salt and black pepper; grated Parmesan, to finish

The bulgogi marinade was a ragù all along. Nobody tell Bologna.

At a Glance

Time

45 min

Serves

Story

Bulgogi means fire meat, bul for fire and gogi for meat, and it is really a marinade before it is a dish, thin-sliced beef bathed in soy, sugar, garlic and ginger before it hits the grill. That salty-sweet cure turns out to be a ragù's whole backbone, so all we are doing is letting it simmer into a sauce instead. The long low cook does the deepening that a splash of wine does in the Italian version.

Ingredients

2 tbsp neutral oil
1 cup onionfinely chopped
1 cup carrotfinely chopped
1 cup celeryfinely chopped
7 cloves garlicminced
2 tbsp gingerpeeled and minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp red miso
¾ cup scallionsthinly sliced
¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup turbinado or light brown sugar
12 oz dried egg pastatagliatelle or pappardelle
salt and black pepper
grated Parmesanto finish

Method

Korean grilled barbecue and a Sunday bolognese turn out to want the same things: patience, a savoury-sweet base and enough time on low heat to go from loud to deep. You will notice there are no mushrooms, which the original leans on for earthiness. There never are in my pot. A spoon of miso does the same dark, glutamate-rich work and does not weep grey water into the sauce.

Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Soften the onion, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook until they slump, 5 minutes more.
Stir in the garlic, ginger and tomato paste and let them cook down and caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes, lowering the heat if the paste threatens to catch. This little fry is where the tomato paste sheds its tinny edge, so do not skip it.
Add the beef, the miso and half the scallions and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the soy sauce, sugar and ¼ cup water and bring to a simmer.
Cover and simmer gently on low, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and darkens, 30 minutes. This is the whole game, so give it the full half hour. Stir through the remaining scallions and season with pepper, then taste for salt, going gently, the soy and miso have already had their say.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in well salted water to al dente and drain. Use egg pasta if you can, the richness plays off all that salt beautifully.
Pile the pasta into bowls, spoon the sauce over and finish with a proper shower of Parmesan. Twirl, and forgive yourself nothing.