Bolognese Sauce

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Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery
• 3/4 cup finely diced carrot
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• One 14.5-ounce can diced San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound dry or fresh orecchiette, pappardelle or tagliatelle
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation
1. In a medium pot, heat the butter and canola oil over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cook the meat, breaking up the large chunks with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until the beef is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the wine has evaporated. Pour in the milk, add the nutmeg, and bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Add the tomatoes and their juices and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the sauce is at a very slow simmer, barely bubbling. Add the bay leaf and cook, uncovered, for 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is rich and concentrated, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. If the sauce begins to look too dry, add a bit of water since you don't want the sauce to break or become too dry. The goal is a reduced yet concentrated sauce, so don't overwater it.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the orecchiette and cook until al dente.

7. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the pot containing the Bolognese sauce (if you've made the Bolognese sauce in advance, re-warm it gently over low heat before adding the pasta) and stir to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce cling to the pasta.

8. Transfer to a platter and garnish with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.