Bolognese Sauce
My rendition of this classic meat ragu that originated in Bologna, Italy
Equipment
- Cast enamel dutch oven, food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
- 2 stalks celery chopped into 1" pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped pancetta
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- 1/2 lb. ground pork
- 1/2 lb. ground veal
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/8 tsp. fresh nutmeg grated
- 1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes with their juice crushed by hand
- 1 cup water
- Sprig of fresh basil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs. pasta (tagliatelle or fettucine)
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- 1. In a food processor, pulse the roughly chopped carrots, celery and pancetta for about 10 seconds. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, add vegetable oil and butter over medium heat.
- When butter is melted, add finely chopped onions and cook until translucent.
- Add pulsed carrot, celery and pancetta mixture to onions and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and sauce the soffritto (vegetable mixture) for about 10 minutes.
- Next, add the ground chuck, pork and veal to the soffritto. Combine the meat with the vegetables, add a large pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to the mixture.
- Cook the meat (breaking it up with a wooden spoon) until the meat has lost its pink color (about 10-15 minutes).
- Add the milk to the meat and let it simmer gently until the milk evaporates (10-15 minutes over medium heat).
- Add the small grating of nutmeg.
- When all the milk has evaporated, add the white wine and cook until all the wine evaporates (about 15 minutes).
- Add the hand-crushed tomatoes to the pot, stir to combine, and turn the heat down to a low simmer.
- Add 1 cup of water and a small sprig of basil. Stir to combine.
- Partially cover the Dutch oven and let the sauce simmer for 4 hours (or longer). Periodically check on the sauce and give it a stir. If it looks too dry, add a little bit of water from time to time.
- Serve over cooked tagliatelle, fettuccine or papardelle pasta, add a grating of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.
Notes
If you can't find ground veal, the recipe can be made with 1 1/2 lbs. of ground chuck and 1/2 lb. of ground pork.
This recipe is easily doubled (using a larger Dutch oven), and freezes well for up to 3 months.