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5 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,N ovem ber 18,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca It's down a rabbit-hole when you're looking for au- thentic dishes and the rules that guard them, from Prosciutto di Parma with its "Protected Desig- nation of Origin" (DOP) to a sauce from Bologna in food Mecca Emilia-Romagna, installed by Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Ragù alla Bolognese is a meat-based sauce rather than a tomato-based sauce, but pasta pedants pro- scribe against anything other than tagliatelle, or another flat noodle; they will proclaim that it has to have pork and some wine and even a touch of milk; it must be a plate belly-cut of beef; it must feature un- smoked pancetta and be cooked in the oven. When he and his family opened Ennio's Pasta House on Lorraine Avenue in Kitchener in 1994, Ennio Renon had his own rules for the meat sauce, rules in effect today. Ennio's moved to its Fairway Road loca- tion in 2008 (there's a Wa- terloo restaurant too), and head chef Danny MacDon- ald has followed those rules since 2013. "Ennio was in the kitch- en every single day until he died," MacDonald says. "He'd start up the sauces and make the soups at both locations." Demanding consistency for his Bolognese, through sweating down ingredi- ents, sautéing, deglazing and braising, Renon estab- lished his own DOP. "He cooked with all his senses," his son Maurice Renon says. "You had to be with him, beside him, be- cause it was about timing. You couldn't leave the pot. Once you started a sauce, you were on it until was done and off the heat." Hearing the method and technique wasn't enough. "You and had to look into the pot and see the onions," Maurice says. "See how they look? Now you can add the carrots." The vegetables are there in a Bolognese -- the soffritto -- but Ennio want- ed them invisible so that you notice only layers of flavour. "He grated the car- rots. That was really im- portant to him," Maurice adds. Only after years of prac- tice with Ennio would he let you make the sauce. "That was his dish. What I remember most was the timing and the mar- riage and blend of the in- gredients," Maurice says. "He'd make you pay atten- tion to the cooking sounds." Proper onion carameli- zation is crucial, and not adding the celery too early or the moisture would pre- vent proper browning. The garlic is cooked separately, the oil flavoured. MacDonald starts En- nio's meat sauce with the onion, carrot and celery soffritto; specially cut pork and beef is seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sautéed and very lightly browned garlic joins the soffritto while the meat gets browned in the oven, to which water is added, as well as beef stock. "The fla- vours develop over a slow cooking process," MacDon- ald says. The ingredients are combined, seasoned and simmered for 10 minutes before concentrated toma- toes and plum tomatoes are added. Basil goes in, and red pepper flakes, and the sauce is brought to a boil before returning to a sim- mer for at least 30 minutes. Made for a pasta that is one of the top five most pop- ular at Ennio's, the Bolo- gnese sauce gets simmered in batches of 32 litres and goes into the lasagna too. It's a much different colour from the quick, fresh cook- until-only-hot tomato sauce that goes on other dishes. The Bolognese is an art that can't be duplicated at home: there's too much nu- ance; there's too much of Ennio's history, says Mac- Donald who was at Ennio's side and learned the tricks. "You were cooking 13 ta- bles and Ennio would be beside you. You'd be watch- ing the little things he did, constantly adding ingredi- ents, but it was his method. It's the way we do it today." Ennio's is open daily. Andrew Coppolino is a Kitchener-based food writ- er and broadcaster. Visit him at www.andrewcoppo- lino.com. BOLOGNESE AT LOCAL RESTO CAN'T BE DUPLICATED AT HOME Above, Maurice Renon, left, with Ennio's head chef, Danny MacDonald. Right, rich, dark Bolognese. Andrew Coppolino photos OPINION WHEN ENNIO'S PASTA HOUSE OPENED IN 1994, ENNIO RENON HAD HIS OWN RULES FOR THE MEAT SAUCE, RULES IN EFFECT TODAY, WRITES ANDREW COPPOLINO ANDREW COPPOLINO Column ENNIO'S PASTA HOUSE Address: 655 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener Phone: 519-576-9552 Website: https://www.enniospasta.ca/