Bolognese Sauce
The key to a rich Bolognese Sauce is a long simmer. 3 hours works well so plan accordingly. In group cooking it is easy to see first hand the wonderful difference a cast iron pot can make. Enamelled cast iron pots or a pot with a heavy duty bottom composed of layers of steel alloy work best as they retain heat for a gentle simmer. In a standard steel pot it will take extra time simmering and you will have to stir more often to reduce the sauce to a thick ragu. This sauce travels well and is a crowd pleaser for chalets and cottages alike.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots finely chopped
- 2 large celery stalks finely chopped
- 3 ounces pancetta one thick slice (85 grams)
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground veal
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup homogenized milk (3.25%)
- 500 ml jar of strained tomatoes
- 375 ml vegetable broth Knorr if you can find it
- each kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- pasta - tagliatelle or fettuccini
For Serving
- finely chopped fresh parsley
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in a dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Add onion, carrots, celery and pancetta. Cook over medium heat for approximately 7 minutes stirring frequently until onions look translucent.
- Add beef, veal, pork, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. The salt will help extract the juices from the meat. Now add the oregano and parsley. Cook stirring constantly, scraping bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula until meat is cooked but should not get too dry or too browned.
- Raise heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup milk and cook scraping bottom of the pan until almost absorbed.
- Add nutmeg and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir in wine and simmer until approximately 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups broth. At this point you can transport home and simmer for 3 hours at home.
- Simmer partially covered stirring every 15 minutes so that liquid can reduce. Turn heat to low and continue simmering for 3 hours. Add more stock if it is needed to keep moist. Using a large spoon you can skim off some of the fat that will rise to the surface of your sauce as it cooks.
- Cook pasta according to instructions until al dente.
- Stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk 5 minutes before serving and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss with pasta and serve with grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.
