I'm curious as to what kind of onion is usually used in Italian cooking. When making the tomato sauce or the ragu I have used yellow onions, while others have used white onions.

Just wondering which way you lean.

White, yellow and red are often used. It depends on how much of a sweet or potent flavor you want. Here is a good link which talks all about onions. Really, whichever you have on hand will be fine, although consider the color when using red. Hope this helps!

how much meat,one lb etc

All of the quantities are listed in step 2 of the text recipe. Hope this helps.

i have been reading a lot of different recipes for bolognese. what is the difference between adding tomato paste and canned/strained tomatoes? what is the difference betweeen adding white or red wine? thanks

First of all, tomato paste is generally much thicker so will make the sauce thicker. You can also thicken a tomato sauce if using runnier tomato product (e.g. canned/strained) by simply simmering it and evaporating (reducing) some of the liquid.

Most importantly though, you should be thinking about ensuring that you have good canned tomato products. I searched "tomato" on Rouxbe here to find answers to these kinds of questions:

http://world.rouxbe.com/search?q=tomato&x=0&y=0
(click on the 'tip and technique' tab)

Re: white and red wine, I turn the question back to you. What do you think? Part of teaching is to help our students trust their own instincts.

Joe

i imagine the red wine will give the sauce a much more dark, overall tone. the white wine will make it lighter.

Indeed you are correct Sushruth. To add to that, not only will the color be a bit different the flavors of course will also be affected by the different flavors and strengths of the wine. Cheers!

I have used a larger pot, so the liquid evaporated sooner. Is it okay to add more liquid or would that change the overall flavor?

I've also substituted the pork with fresh sausage. It tastes good, but the texture is different. It seems a bit pasty. I'm guessing it is because of the fat in the sausage.

cheers.

By mixing the ragu and tomato sauce, is it enough for a good spaghetti sauce?? Is there other ingredients we might add?
Thanks

I'm sure this combination alone would be delicious. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out for you. Cheers!

Is there a reason why salt is not added throughout the cooking process ( sweating the mirepoix and when adding the meat), and to only season the sauce at the very end?

The reason the salt is not added throughout for this particular recipe is merely because this recipe is by Mario Batali, so we kept it as he did it. Cheers!

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe.
I've been buying tomato paste in a tube, instead of canned. Would I still use 6 oz. or reduce the amount if it's labeled 'concentrated'?

Generally, you can still use substitute 1:1 canned tomato paste for tubes tomato concentrate (technically they are both concentrated tomatoes). With that said, every brand will be different, so you may need to use more or less. I have always just used the same amount and I can't say that I have noticed a real difference. Hope that helps. Cheers!

I'm assuming I'd be able to substitute chicken stock for milk in the recipe, but I was wondering if any sort of non-dairy milk can work as well. I was hoping this could make it a little richer than stock, but I have never really cooked with non-dairy milk and don't know how it will taste or react. What kinds of non-dairy milk do you prefer for cooking and baking?

For me the major contribution of the paste is with the following: it intensifies the flavor as well as creates desired thickness of the sauce, second is color, vibrant, which if added with red wine can be more beautiful and shiny if finished with a little bit of olive oil. Finishing with the flavor of olive oil brings it more closer to Italy both as to aroma and flavor.

For me the best way is to sweat only vegetables with a little bit of seasoning, this is because I use unsalted stock instead of milk, which helps reinforce the flavor and little bit of romano or grana padana. The cheese adds seasoning to the right taste, plus aroma and flavor.

Use of pancetta is not mandatory for me, its only for flavor, so can use bacon, prosciutto, or guanciale but this only depends on how prominent I want the flavor to be. Herbs, not strict with thyme as bay leaf and other herbs may be use as well. Even if no herbs at all. One can use tomato puree too or crushed tomato, depends on how one like it to be, anyway this is a sauce focused on meat not mainly on tomato.

Hi Alex- In this recipe, I might recommend that you try rice or almond milk (unsweetened) if you are going for richness. The only issue for some is that these would impart some nutty flavor, which may or may not make any difference considering that there other strong flavors in this dish already.

The main risk is that certain certain types of nut milk might split with the persistent heat and acidity, and it's hard to predict. Baking with nut milks is more forgiving, as the variables are more contained and the acidity is less likely to be all over the map. I like coconut milk, almond milk, and hazelnut milk for baking. Enjoy!

Hi Joseph. Keep up the great work! I enjoyed reading your notes and commentary. It seems that you are quite deliberate in your cooking and you have drive and motivation to learn more. I'm sure your Rouxbe classmates will enjoy learning a bit from you! Thank you for contributing to our discussions. Enjoy!

Thanks a lot for the appreciation, I am so happy too that you join Rouxbe's A-team I am looking forward to learn more from you and the rest of the team. Specially with the professional course that is comming up I am so looking forward to it. My humble and many thanks to you and everyone else.