Here's the deal: I'm cooking light this week, after the insane food fest that was our visit with Mom, plus we're going to be traveling, so I'm trying not to accumulate leftovers. Therefore, I'm not actually cooking along with you, so no photos. (I'll update with pictures once I actually make it, which I totally will, because, um, YUM.)
My mom got this recipe from a restaurant in the North End of Boston, which is the Italian neighborhood of the city. Mark and I got married at a church in the North End, so it's a really special place for us. My favorite part of the day was as we left the church and walked to the waterfront park where we took pictures; everyone was cheering and clapping for us as we walked down the main street--so fun! Anyway, much like Italy, there are plenty of touristy duds and a LOT of really excellent restaurants and markets. (Word to the wise--Modern Pastry is waaay better than Mike's, so don't be conned into standing in that crazy line at Mike's.) This recipe comes from a really great place that happened to close about a week after Mom fell in love with this sauce. Good timing!
Bolognese Sauce
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/3 lb. ground pork
1/3/ lb. ground veal
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp. EVOO*
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c red wine
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
heavy cream
S&P
1.) In a large pot, heat EVOO and butter until butter is melted and begins to sizzle.
2.) Add in chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Saute for about 8 minutes.
3.) Add in the ground meats.** Cook, stirring constantly to break up the meats, until it is evenly browned.
4.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5.) Add in the red wine and simmer for about 10 minutes.
6.) Stir in the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, and simmer for 1 hour.
7.) Heat some heavy cream in the microwave (adding cold cream to hot sauce will make it grainy--still edible, but less pretty). Add the cream to the sauce a little at a time until the sauce is sufficiently creamy for your taste. I'm thinking it's probably 1/4-1/2 cup for me? Ish?
8.) Taste to check seasoning, and adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
That's it! It's fantastic with gnocchi, but works well with just about any kind of pasta that will hold sauce well, like ziti or penne, rather than spaghetti. Enjoy!
*Say what you will about Rachael Ray, but writing out "extra-virgin olive oil" is a pain in the ass. EVOO it is.
**You need about 1 lb. of ground meat total, but you can use whatever you want. I think pork gets kind of tough, so I usually use 1/2 lb. each of veal and beef. I suppose you could use turkey and chicken, although I think the flavor of beef/veal/pork is much richer and fuller. Up to you though!
