Amanda's Bolognese, trust me its the BEST!

After my first time making this Bolognese for my Italian husband Gianni, it is now my duty to always make the Bolognese for the Italians. This could be the biggest compliment ever!!

My one little secrete is to make sure you have the whole day, no rushing on this recipe, you want the flavors to slowly come together. And, trust me everyone will appreciate it. A little PRO tip, I always make way more than I need for that dish so I can freeze the rest and use later.

Ingredients:

3 tbs. EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

6-8 garlic cloves

3/4 cup pancetta coarsely chopped

1 cup soffritto (EVOO, onion, carrot, celery)

1/4 cup double or triple concentrated tomato paste

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (make sure it has got some fat)

1/2 pound ground pork

salt | pepper | nutmeg to taste

half a bottle white wine or white vermouth or whatever you think is best

3 cups stock veg or chicken is perfect

1 cup milk whole milk

First step | Soffritto

If you have one at home the Le Creuset pans are perfect for slow cooking your soffritto in.

A good dose of EVOO a little less than one cup to coat the bottom of the pan. Then add to the oil while cold 1 2 cup finely chopped white onion, 1 cup finely chopped carrots, 1 cup finely chopped celery. Turn on the heat to medium and cook stirring often for about 3 hours. Until the soffritto is a deep brown color and the vegetables are almost melted.

Life after Soffritto

Once you have finished your soffritto place in a bowl and set to the side for later use. With the Creuset already seasoned from the soffritto, take and add the pancetta and chopped garlic to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so you don’t burn the garlic. Then take the soffritto and add it to the pan. Cook for about 1 more minute. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the cleaned part add the tomato paste. Stirr around the paste for about 1 minute so all of it can caramel slightly. Then add your meats, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir around a bit. Cook the meats for about 10 minutes until the juices evaporate a bit. Then add the wine, increase the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until almost dry. After add the stock, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and let cook slowly for another 2 hours. Give it a stir every once in a while (good excuse to taste). When you feel ready after the 2 hours it is time to add some milk. I like to put in one cup, but I go by the color of the sauce. Continuing to cook for another 30 minutes on low heat stirring quite frequently.

From there your Bolognese is ready. You can enjoy it on your favorite pasta or even Tajarin, or you can make pasta al forno (lasagna).