Recipes

Bolognese

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, minced
  • 2 garlic gloves, minced
  • 1 1/4 pound mixed ground meat (80% lean beef, pork, veal, sausage)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup sweet white wine (or dry red wine)
  • (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped fine (“crushed” texture), with juice strained and reserved
  • 1 porcini boullion cube

Makes 3 cups for 1lb pasta

Don’t drain the pasta of its cooking water too meticulously when using this sauce; a little water left clinging to the noodles will help distribute the very thick sauce evenly into the noodles, as will adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter along with the sauce. Top each serving with a little grated Parmesan and pass extra grated cheese at the table. If doubling this recipe, increase the simmering times for the milk and the wine to 30 minutes each, and the simmering time once the tomatoes are added to 4 hours.

  1. Add wine to non-reactive saucepan and simmer over low until reduced to 1/4 cup for sweet white wine or 1/2 cup for red wine.
  2. Use food processor to pulse vegetables into 1/8 inch pieces.
  3. Pulse strained tomatoes until chopped fine.
  4. Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat; add onion, carrot, and celery and sautè until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Sautè garlic and sugar until fragrant.
  5. Add ground meats, breaking meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, about 1 minute.
  6. Add milk and stir to break meat into 1/2-inch bits; bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium, and continue to simmer, stirring to break up meat into small pieces, until most liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 18 to 20 minutes.
  7. Stir in tomato paste and cook until combined, about 1 minute.
  8. Add tomatoes, porcini cube, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced and sauce is thickened but still moist, 12 to 15 minutes.
  9. Stir in reduced wine and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
  10. Adjust seasonings with extra salt to taste and serve. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days or frozen for several months. Warm over low heat before serving.)
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