Bolognese Sauce

The carnetarians pasta sauce

So let's hear it for pasta sauce with meat in it!  This recipe is a subtle modification of one from Chef John over at foodwishes.com, and his is modified from Marcella Hazan.  The link is here.  By the way, Chef John has been a real eye opener.  His recipes are not only good, but his videos show the making of the dish without a bunch of talking to the camera.  Plus his voiceover and video editing skills make these watchable.  If I was you I'd subscribe to his youtube channel and drop a bookmark at the foodwishes site. 

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1/2 cup each diced carrot and celery
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp pepper
• a couple shakes of crushed red pepper
• 8-12 gratings of fresh nutmeg (trust me)
• 1# ground beef
• 1# ground italian sausage (I use the hot stuff)
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup milk
• 2 (28oz) cans of San Marzano tomatoes (crushed -- or crush manually)
• water as needed

 Prepare MEP (Mise En Place)

Sweat mirepoix in butter with salt (about 5min).
Add ground beef and sausage and brown. Browning only starts when the moisture is gone so this might take a bit.

Add your seasonings.

Add milk and simmer to reduce. (About 10 min)

Add wine and simmer to reduce. (About 10 min)
If your tomatoes aren't crushed in the can (the ones available at my local grocer are whole) the you will have to empty them into an oversize bowl and crush them by hand.  Let me recommend that you submerge your hand in the sauce when you crush them or you will redecorate the kitchen!

Wrong Way!

Right Way!

Add tomatoes.

Establish low simmer and cook 4-5 hours. If it gets too thick you can cut with a little water.

If you want to, skim the fat off after an hour or so.

15 minutes in...

2 hrs in to the simmer...

Almost there ....

Perfect!

Notice that this doesn't have any garlic in it.  I know some people who will add it anyway.  Don't.  Try it once without.  Go crazy with the garlic and oregano next time.  By the way, I use red wine because tomatoes and white wine doesn't work for me.  Just typing that made my shoulders scrunch up to try and cover my ears.  Save the white for white sauces (with lots of garlic).

This freezes ok, but the fat from the meat separates when reheated.  If you know that you are going to be freezing this sauce, try skimming out as much of the fat as you can during the long simmer.

In case anyone wonders why I am typing these recipes, here is what I usually work from... a chicken scratch on realtor paper taped/magneted to the range hood.