Entree -- Authenic Italian Bolognese Sauce
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 9:46 am

DESCRIPTION
Entree -- Authenic Italian Bolognese Sauce

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Misc. Recipes & Requests

INSTRUCTIONS
Here is a Bolognese Meat Sauce that I personally love. I had a fantastic sauce at one of our nicer restaurants and was reinspired to conquer this dish. (I had made Bolognese sauce before and felt that it was not really top-of-the line, so I abandoned my efforts since I really couldn't define what was wrong.) There are differing opinions on the relative quantities and cooking order between the recipes I discovered - but the ingredients are fairly consistent.

I figured out my personal taste problem which was a recipe that didn't have the right balance to me and also determined the cooking technique I think is best for this sauce. My recipe is a melange from several sources - the main "parents" were a recipe from Cook's Illustrated and Marcella Hazan's "Classic Italian Cookbook". I tried enough variations and different combos so that I have settled on the following recipe as my "personal" favorite.

Once again, sorry for all the notes, instructions, etc. - but I try to make sure everyone will have the same results.

(Remember Bolognese Sauce is NOT Italian-American Spaghetti sauce with lots of tomato, seasonings, herbs and meat - it is an entirely different creature - very, very thick, its so tender it seems to melt and almost seems to be all meat and has a great depth of flavor due to the technique and slow-cooking of the sauce.) This sauce takes ALL of one day to make - or is really easier over 2 days - it is heavenly with fresh pasta. This is a good dish to make when baking day happens, as you cannot leave it for long (lots of occasional stirring), but it doesn't take that much attention. I often make muffins and bread when I fix this sauce.

4 & 1/2 Tablespoons butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion, celery & carrot (1/2 cup each veggie)
1 & 3/4 pounds of ground meat (See Note #1)
1 & 1/2 cups of whole milk
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (freshly grated)
2 cups white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes (See Note #2) PLUS
1 28 oz can of peeled whole tomatoes
1/3 of an average sized bay leaf
Salt & Black Pepper (fresh ground)

NOTE #1: I use 1 lb. of ground veal, 1/2 pound of ground pork and 1/4 lb. of ground beef. This makes a very tender and sweet sauce. You can vary the amounts of ground beef vs. veal vs. pork to any proportion you want. The beef adds density, the veal tenderness and lightness, the pork sweetness). Use a grade of ground beef that it at least 90% lean, as the extra fat will completely cook out and should be discarded. If you use 100% ground beef use red wine instead of white, since all ground beef will create a very "rustic" sauce. You can also use a blend of white and red wines (1 & 1/2 cups white; 1/2 cup red for example).

NOTE #2: The tomatoes I like best (that are easily available and not too expensive) are, in order: Muir Glen, Progresso and then Hunts.

1. Using a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming
2. Add all vegetables and saute for around 7 to 8 minutes until vegetables are soft
3. Add ground meat and reduce heat to medium. Gently cook until the meat is just barely cooked - there will still be raw parts in the ground meat. (As the meat cooks, try to break up the larger chunks with your wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Add grated nutmeg to milk and add milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until the milk first begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Gently cook until the milk is absorbed by the meat or reduces down to almost nothing. In the beginning you only need to stir this every 5 minutes or so. As the liquid is reduced more stirring is required. The meat must not brown. Cook and stir until no liquid runs out of the meat mixture when stirred. (This process takes around 30-40 minutes.)
5. Add the salt to the wine, then add to pot and cook in the same manner as the milk mixture above. This will take at least 45 minutes to cook down. The meat mixture will still be moist, but there will be very little (to none) additional liquid in the pot. Be sure the meat does not brown, but almost all of the liquid is incorporated or reduced away.
6. Add the bay leaf and the diced tomatoes and their juices to the sauce-in-progress. Cut by hand the whole tomatoes into the sauce (throw away the hard stem portion of the tomatoes). Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the tomato juice.
7. Gently bring back to a mild boil.
8. Now the sauce must gently simmer for 6 to 8 hours. I usually do this in a uncovered crock pot, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Or you can cook on the stovetop (uncovered) if you can regulate the temperature so the sauce cooks on the lightest simmer (you will see one bubble of boiling sauce every 10 to 15 seconds at most.).
9. This LONG cooking can be interrupted and completed the next day. Simply store the sauce in a rectangular casserole pan (so the sauce will chill quickly and not linger in the bacterial "danger zone") in the refrigerator. The next day, bring sauce to a boil over medium heat while stirring, then reduce the heat (or transfer back to the crock pot) and complete the cooking. After the sauce is chilled I usually discard about 80% of the fat congeals on top of the sauce.
10. The sauce is completed cooking when it is very thick and almost all of the vegetable and tomato pieces have melted in the salt. Adjust salt level and add fresh ground pepper to taste. If you like a more "tomato" taste, add a little bit of tomato paste or tomato sauce (if you add sauce you will need to cook it longer to reduce the sauce).
11. To Serve: If you like, sprinkle fresh herbs on top of the sauce, or add dried herbs to just the sauce you will be using at that meal around 5 minutes before serving. (I grow my own herbs, so I usually garnish the plates with a mixture of fresh oregano, basil and flat-leaf parsley. As expensive as fresh herbs are to buy I wouldn't bother.) Have grated cheese available for those who like it (parmesan or reggiano).
12. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or can be frozen.
13. This sauce is traditionally served with a shell-style pasta, but any type will do (except angel hair or vermicelli - they are too delicate to hold up under this sauce). Do not drain the pasta completely, but leave it a little damp. It is also nice to add a little butter to the pasta to help distribute the sauce and thin & enrich it a little bit.

If anyone tries this recipe, hope you enjoy it!