Soul-Full Sisters: Mama’s Bolognese
Written by the Soul-Full Sisters, Quinn Carlton Bostic, Paten Carlton
I was watching a television show the other day where they were talking about how keen humans’ sense of smell is and how it relates so closely to our memories. Of course, you can remember things by sight, you can remember the way things sounded, but does anything really take you back as much as the perfect smell? Being cooks, we have several smells that make us happy: garlic and hot olive oil, a steak on the grill, or chocolate chip cookies. However, there are more distinct smells that make us feel things and take us to a very sweet, heartwarming place that we could stay forever.
To name of few of our favorite smells:
Mama’s pot roast that’s been cooking in the oven while we’ve been at church. We open the back door and the smell carries so luxuriously through the air and leaves you with a grin.
Photo by the Soul-Full Sisters, Quinn Carlton Bostic, Paten Carlton
Grandma Carlton’s fried chicken. We’d come to visit before piano practice and walk into the smell of fresh chicken frying in canola oil. After turning the corner into the kitchen, you’d see that perfectly golden chicken sitting on a paper towel just waiting for you to take a pinch.
Mama and daddy’s house. There’s something about driving home from Raleigh and opening your car door to the smell of fresh cut grass and dirt. Plowed fields, Cousin Stephen just mowed yesterday, and the sun in your eyes while it’s sinking is like a comforting hug that you didn’t know you needed.
Fresh Christmas trees. We know this is not uncommon, everyone loves the smell of balsam, but our Grandma and Grandaddy Carlton always had a “real” Christmas tree. They kept the tree in their sunroom because honestly there would be so many presents that the living room didn’t have enough space. There were French doors that lead into the sunroom and when you opened them at Christmas the smell of fresh balsam would excite you as much as the colorful presents scattered around the room.
Grandma and Grandaddy Pate’s house in the morning. We know how specific this sounds, but when mama and daddy would go away on trips, we would stay with Grandma and Grandaddy Pate. The smell of coffee (one pot decaf and one pot caffeinated – Grandaddy couldn’t have too much caffeine because of his heart), bacon, grits, and toast would wake you up. You’d walk into the living room to Grandaddy reading the paper and sipping on his coffee from a mug that read “Grandpa” and Grandma in her nightgown and slippers getting ready to ask you how you wanted your eggs cooked. Their house had knotty pine wood paneling which gave it a distinct smell and combined with everything else made for a sweet, sweet memory.
Along with all these perfect smells leaves one more: Mama’s Bolognese. This sauce is not to be confused with her classic spaghetti sauce. Bolognese is a hearty, beefy sauce made with carrots, celery, onions, beef broth, and red wine. It can be cooked the day before for an even better outcome or slow cooked in a crock-pot. We literally cannot think of a better dish to eat on a chilly fall day, and the fact that Mama made it, makes it even more comforting. Its glorious smell fills a room and eating it fills your soul.
We’d also like to mention that this was our Grandma Pate’s very favorite dish that our mama makes. She would ask for it by name and requested it for her 80th birthday. It was also the very last dish of mama’s that Grandma ate before she left us. We always bring her up when mama makes it now, and pray that she’s with us in spirit, dipping her garlic bread into her plate. We love you and we miss you.
If you’d like to smell this dish in your home, below is everything you’ll need to get started.
Photo by the Soul-Full Sisters, Quinn Carlton Bostic, Paten Carlton
