This hearty Lamb Bolognese from the Franklin Farmers Market is thick, robust, and definitely not your momma’s spaghetti. We slow-simmered tender ground lamb from Hatcher Family Dairy with a minced mirepoix and fresh marinara from Alfresco Pasta to make a hearty ragú that sticks to your ribs during the freezing winter temperatures. Swirl this lamb Bolognese with wide Alfresco Pasta papparadelle noodles and top with Kenny’s Asiago Reserva from MoonShadow Farm booth, and you have a hearty classic Italian dish made with all local ingredients from the Franklin Farmers Market.

We began this lamb Bolognese by adding a finely minced mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onions with dried bay leaves to two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. We sauted the mirepoix for 5 to 10 minutes or until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Next, we added 1 lb of Hatcher Family Dairy ground lamb and finely broke up the meat in the pan with a large wooden spoon. We cooked the lamb until no pink was left, and then added our garlic and 1 cup of red wine. Lamb Bolognese really benefits from the flavor of wine, but if a red is not on hand at your home, feel free to use a nice dry white. Simmer the wine until almost all the liquid has evaporated (about 10 minutes) before adding the tomato paste. Work the tomato paste into the meat until smooth and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.

For this sauce we used the fresh marinara sauce from Alfresco Pasta found at our farmers’ market. We love this marinara because it is made in small batches with fresh tomatoes and herbs, and we find it to have the fresh, bright tomato flavor that we like in a sauce. We added 3 defrosted tubs of the Alfresco Pasta marinara to our pan, including a 3-inch section of the rind of our Kenny’s Farmhouse Asiago Reserva cheese that we grabbed at the MoonShadow Farm booth, and simmered the sauce with the lid on for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce reduced beautifully, and what was left was a thick, hearty ragú with a sumptuous lamb flavor and tender texture.

Remove the rind and bay leave, and pour in 1/2 cup of Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream with a sprinkle of freshly ground nutmeg to finish.

For the noodles, we find Alfresco Pasta’s fresh spinach papparadelle that is flecked with bright green spinach to pair well with such a hearty sauce, but the myriad of pasta choices at the Alfresco Pasta booth would all work well. Simply add the frozen fresh pasta to a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water and stir immediately to separate. Cook until desired texture, drain, and combine with lamb Bolognese sauce.

Sprinkle with the perfectly nutty Kenny’s Asiago Reserva, place in chilly hands of your favorite person, and you’ve got a steamy bowl of hearty pasta to cuddle-up with on a blustery winter night.

Hearty Lamb Bolognese with Paparadelle

2 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tablespoons fat from Italian pancetta)

1/2 medium yellow or white onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 dried bay leaves

1 Lb Hatcher Family Dairy ground lamb

1 cup red wine

1/2 can tomato paste

3 12oz tubs Alfresco Pasta marinara sauce

1/2 cup Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream

1 package Kenny’s Asiago Reserva cheese from MoonShadow Farm

1 package Alfresco Pasta spinach papparadelle