Bolognese

Usually I'm not the biggest fan of meat sauce, but Bolognese has always interested me. My sister always says that she can tell how good a restaurant is by the Bolognese. Is she right? Why is this the control of the experiment? Why is this dish so popular? Veggies and meat cooked down? So many questions! So I thought I'd give it a try and see what all the fuss is about. I'm glad I did...

I've made some adjustments when compared to more classic recipes- I don't use some commonly used spices and I don't use wine, but it all turned out alright! This is a perfect Sunday activity so plan on spending a few hours with this sauce, nothing fast about it.

-1 medium onion
-1 celery stalk
-1 carrot
-3oz pancetta 
-1/3 cup tomato paste
-1 lb ground chuck
-2 cloves garlic
-3 cups chicken stock (separated into 1 cup and 2 cups)
-1 cup whole milk
-1 lb pappardelle pasta (I couldn't find this in my store so I used fusilli lunghi because it was fancy, really any pasta will technically do.)
-Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

1. In a food processor, mince the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot, but don't make it a paste. Set aside.
2. Chop the pancetta, set aside.
3. In a large pot on medium-high heat, warm a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Place the ground chuck into the pot in small chunks (think golf ball). Stir and brown for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
4. Drain the pot of any excess water and fat from the beef and place the chopped pancetta into the pot and cook until crisp (like bacon!). When crisp, remove from the pot and set aside.
5. Keeping the fat in the pot and lowering the heat to medium, throw in the minced veggies, stir and cook until they soften and start to dry out and stick in the pot- around 10 minutes.
6. When the veggies are looking good, add back in the beef, pancetta, and one cup of the stock. Stir to combine everything and start to mash down the little meat nuggets into little bits. Cook for about 10 minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste, stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes so that the flavors start to meld.
8. Pour the remaining two cups of stock and the cup of milk into the pot and reduce the heat to low. Stir to combine the ingredients and keep an eye on it now for 2-2 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. You don't want any sort of rapid or consistent boiling going on here, you want the sauce to have a few bubbles here and there... like lava! 
9. When the sauce is just about done it should have tightened up, but not dried up. If the sauce seems to be too dry before the time's up, add a half cup of stock at a time. 
10. Cook your pasta to your liking- DON'T DRAIN THE WATER! When the pasta is done, place it directly into the pot with the sauce. At this point you want to take some of your pasta water and spoon it into the sauce helping it loosen a little while making it thicker at the same time. Add the water until the sauce is to your liking, I added about a half cup. Looking back I think I should have added a little more- so use your judgement. You want it to resemble a sloppy joe mixture. 
11. Once the pasta has been incorporated with the sauce and it's silky, chunky, and beautiful (as I'm often described haha), you're ready to eat! Taste and adjust for seasoning and you're golden. Pour onto a platter or scarf right from the pot : )

This dish is the image of Sunday family dinners: warm, comforting, and tastes like the potential of drama with one wrong look across the table. I know I'll be making it for my family dinners, I hope you make it for yours! 

Meaghan