Bolognese Sauce

By á-51418

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 5-6 strips bacon or pancetta, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme- minced (ok use 1/2 t. dried thyme instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced (ok to use 1/4 t. dried oregano)
• Pinch fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground veal (optional)
• 1/2 pound ground pork sausage (I use Italian sausage and take it out of the casing)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine (optional)
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes including the juice, crushed
• 1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) tomato sauce
• 3 cups beef broth (you can also use vegetable or chicken)
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 3 bay leaves
• Pinch. sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 T. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved

Preparation

Step 1

Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat. Over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until browned. Add the carrots and onions. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and nutmeg. Add the beef and the sausage. Cook until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
2Add 1 cup of the red wine (or use stock if you are not cooking with the wine) and use that to deglaze the pan, scraping all of the flavor off the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Let the wine reduce completely, stirring occasionally. Add the other cup of wine and cook, reducing the liquid until it is almost completely gone. Once the wine has cooked down, add the whole tomatoes (crush them first- I just crush them with my hand) plus the tomato puree and the tomato sauce, and half of the beef broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to keep the sauce from sticking on the bottom of the pot. Add the sugar, chili and the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring frequently. Add more beef broth as the sauce cooks down and becomes thick. You want the sauce to be very thick and paste like but you can add the broth to reconstitute it a bit if you like.
3Before serving, remove the chili and the bay leaf. Stir in the cream. Serve with the Parmesan cheese over any hot pasta you like. Sprinkle the cheese over the hot pasta, then ladle over the sauce. Top with fresh parsley.