Bolognese Recipe

This one is a favorite with the grown-ups and kids in the family. Easy to make, but give it time to cook low and slow to reach the right texture.

Photo by Chelsie Craig


Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 small carrot, peeled, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef chuck (20% fat), patted dry
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped (you can substitute with bacon if needed)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • ⅓ cup tomato paste
  • 2 tsp Pilacca Hot Sauce (adjust for your heat preference)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Pinch of finely grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of cinnamon 
  • 2 cups (or more) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about ½ cup)
 

Steps to Prep

  1. Make the soffritto - Pulse onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a food processor until very finely chopped. Set aside, you'll need this later.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch / French oven over medium heat. Break beef into small clumps and add to pot; season lightly with salt. Brown the meat, stirring occasionally but not breaking meat apart yet, until beef is lightly browned but not crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl. Wipe pot out, but leave the tasty brown bits on the bottom.
  3. Cook pancetta (or bacon) in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until some fat is rendered and meat is crisp. Add soffritto mixture and 1Tbsp Olive Oil to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and beginning to stick to surface.
  4. Return beef to pot and pour in wine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, smashing down on beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated, surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes. (The meat should be reduced to what looks like little bits.) Add tomato paste, bay leaf, nutmeg, and cinnamon; cook, stirring occasionally and still pressing down on meat, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 5 minutes.
  5. Pour stock and milk into pot; add a pinch of kosher salt. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until meat is very, very tender, 2–2½ hours. There shouldn’t be any rapid bubbles at this stage. Instead, the sauce should release the occasional small bubble or two. When finished, the sauce should have the texture of and look like a sloppy joe mixture. If the liquid reduces before the meat is completely tender, add an extra ½ cup stock and continue cooking. Discard bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt; keep warm.
  6. Your Bolognese is ready!
Now you likely need something to eat this with, pasta I imagine?
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, on the lower end of what the package recommends (this could even be 2 minutes less than recommended cook time on package).
Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and ½ cup Parmesan. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Transfer pasta to a platter and top with more Parmesan.
Enjoy!
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