Grammy’s Bolognese - the real deal

This is a recipe you will want to make whenever you have company coming over or you want to serve the most flavorful luscious meat sauce on the planet. The heart and soul of Italian cooking is a Bolognese Sauce.

This is a sauce recipe that will take all afternoon to simmer but the result is pure perfection.

Follow the steps without shortcuts which I often will do when in a rush - if you want to experience a true authentic taste of Italy in your own home.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can of Cento Peeled tomatoes - break apart with your fingers first or use a food blender

1 1/2 lb. ground beef - grass-fed works great

1 1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups water

2 TBL Butter

1 TBL Olive Oil

1 cup yellow onion - diced and chopped very fine

1/2 cup celery - diced and chopped very fine

1/2 cup carrots - diced and chopped very fine

pinch of fresh ground nutmeg (makes all the difference in the world)

pinch of cayenne

salt & fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pot melt the butter and olive oil on medium heat. Once the butter has melted add your onions, celery and carrots. Gently stir. Add a good pinch or two of salt then black pepper.

Simmer the vegetables until they become tender and the onions translucent.

Add next your ground beef. Gently stir with a wooden spoon to break up the ground beef and incorporate into the vegetables. The goal is to stir and simmer the meat gently which will allow the meat to crumble. This will take several minutes so be patient.

Once the meat appears cooked and is minced add a healthy pinch more of salt, the cayenne and nutmeg along with fresh cracked black pepper.

Continue to stir for a minute or two more.

Add next the milk. *Trust me - this is the secret to every Italian grandmothers Bolognese recipe!

Stir the sauce and allow the milk to gently simmer all the while stirring until most of the milk cooks out and is absorbed into the meat. *You do not want to allow the milk to boil at all nor do you want the milk to be completely cooked out or the sauce may burn.

When the milk is reduced to about 10% of what you started with add next the white wine.

After adding the white wine increase the heat to medium high and keep stirring the sauce while the wine reduces. Again - patience is your best friend in making this incredible sauce.

When most of the wine has evaporated and your meat sauce begins to have a thickened paste like texture add in the peeled tomatoes.

Add next the 2 cups of water.

Quick Tip - rinse out your tomato can with the water.

Once the sauce begins to boil immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for a full 6 hours. Keep the pot uncovered!

Occasionally you will want to double check your sauce by stirring and ensuring that the temp remains on the lowest setting. The gentle simmer is what allows this rich meat sauce to bloom.

After 5 hours you can skim any fat that has floated to the top. This stip is not necessary but in my household it is a must. My husband loves to skim the fat off the top of any dish that has been made with beef or chicken.

Quick Tip - as the sauce cooks it will reduce greatly. As you wish add a bit more water to the sauce to keep it from drying out. However, the amount of water you add will depend on how you prefer your Bolognese. Some people love a drier meat focused texture and others like a bit more of a tomato sauce feel.

Your choice.

When the sauce is done serve immediatly over your favorite pasta or you can freeze the sauce for a later time. It is traditional in Italy to drain the pasta and add the pasta back into the hot pot along with 1-2 spoonfuls of the Bolognese. Stir well for one minute then plate adding more sauce on top finishing with grated Parmesan.

Typically, I serve my Bolognese over Pappardelle or Fettuccine but any type of pasta that you like will work really well - such as a rigatoni.

ENJOY!