Recipe: Authentic Bolognese Sauce

Contrary to popular belief, bolognese sauce is not just meat in tomato sauce.  Authentic bolognese sauce has a much creamier, delicate flavour; thanks primarily to the addition of milk.  Yes, you read that correctly - milk.

Italians generally have ragù alla bolognese with thicker pasta such as tagliatelle or parppadelle.  Personally, I like a thick cut spaghetti (Barilla brand no. 5 is great) or a short grooved pasta such as rigatoni or penne rigate.  Regardless of pasta choice if you take the time to make the sauce properly, you will never look at bolognese sauce the same again.  I suggest you double the recipe and freeze half of it.  The sauce will be very thick, and you should add some of the pasta cooking liquid to just loosen the sauce enough to coat the noodles.

Serves 4-6 with 1 lb of dried pasta

Ingredients:

-1 medium onion, finely diced
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-2 celery ribs, finely diced
-1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated
-1 lb lean ground beef
-1/3 cup dry white wine
-1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
-one 24 oz bottle of strained crushed tomatoes (passata)
-4 tbsp tomato paste
-1/3 cup whole milk
-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
-2 tsp salt
-1/2  tsp black pepper
-1/2 tsp chili flakes
-2 tsp dried oregano
-2 dried bay leaves
-2 tbsp olive oil

-unsalted butter, fresh basil, & parmigiano-reggiano cheese to serve

• In a sauce pot over medium heat, add olive oil.
• Add onions, celery and carrot, and salt.  Cook for about 5 min until veggies are softened and fragrant.
• Turn heat up to medium-high heat.  Add beef and break up meat with back of a spoon. Stir and cook meat until it is no longer pink.
• Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
• Add white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. 
• Add chicken stock and tomato paste.  Stir to dissolve tomato paste into liquid.
• Add tomatoes, chili flakes, sugar, black pepper, oregano and bay leaves.
• Once it begins to boil again, reduce heat to low.
• Stir in milk and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
• Remove bay leaves.  
• If freezing, let cool completely before placing in airtight container and storing in freezer.

To serve: 
Cook and drain your pasta very well (do NOT rinse your pasta!), reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.  Return pasta to the pot. Spoon some sauce, just enough to coat the pasta. Add some of the cooking liquid to thin out the sauce.  Add a knob of unsalted butter and stir until it has melted into the pasta.  Serve with a few leaves of basil sprinkled on top and more freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, to taste.