Peace and Love in the Kitchen

When you think of meat sauce, you usually think of the thick tomato sauce with bits of ground beef typical of Southern Italy. Bologna is in Northern Italy where they do things a bit differently.  Bolognese sauce is all about the meat.Tomatoes only play a supporting role.  To transform ground meat into a sauce with tender meat and complex flavors, you simmer it a long time; the longer the better.  To develop the flavors, three different liquids are added one at a time: first milk, then wine, and then tomato juice.  As each one boils down, the meat absorbs its flavor and is tenderized by its moisture.  In the end, the sauce is thick and rich with amazing flavor and soft texture. My son, the picky one, dubbed this sauce “The Meat Sauce for Meat Lovers”.  He ate three helpings.

Note:  This sauce is easy to prepare.  It is not much work.  Hands-on time in about 20 minutes.  The rest is just watching and waiting.


Note:  With 3 hours to simmer, this is obviously not something you can make in a hurry.  It is the perfect thing to make on the weekend and then serve for dinner Monday or Tuesday night.  The recipe is easily doubled and freezes nicely.




5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp carrots, finely chopped
12 oz ground beef chuck
2 oz pancetta or proscuitto, chopped (do not use bacon)

salt to taste
1 cup whole milk
1 cup dry red wine
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice




1.  SAUTE VEGETABLES AND MEAT:  In a large skillet, melt 3 Tbsp butter over MEDIUM heat.  Add vegetables and pancetta and saute just until tender, not browned, about 6 minutes.  Add ground meat and 1/2 tsp salt.  Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into the smallest crumbs possible.  Cook just until the red is gone but the meat is not browning, about 3 minutes.

2.  ADD MILK AND REDUCE; ADD WINE AND REDUCE:  Add milk and simmer until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, about 15 minutes (30 if doubling recipe).  Add wine and simmer until evaporated, 15 minutes (30 if doubling recipe).

3.  ADD TOMATOES AND JUICE:  Add tomatoes with juice and simmer.  Reduce heat to LOW so that the sauce is barely bubbling.  If your stove does not have a “LOW LOW” setting, pull the pan to the side so it does not get the full flame.  You want this part to go very slow…..only a few bubbles.  Simmer until liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours.  Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter.  Season with salt to taste.

4.  SERVE OVER PASTA:  Serve sauce mixed with 2-3 Tbsp of the pasta water to help it cling to the noodles.  This sauce goes well with long noodles like linguine and fettuccine as well as cheese ravioli.

Variation:  with beef, pork, and veal: Instead of ground beef and pancetta, use 4oz ground beef + 4 oz ground pork + 4 oz ground veal.  Instead of red wine, use dry white wine.


Peace and love from my kitchen to yours,


Waverly

Tags:

• BEEF
• cookbooks
• PASTA

3 comments

http://www.peaceandloveinthekitchen.com/2010/01/pasta-bolognese-the-real-deal

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