Best-Ever Bolognese

When the weather gets cooler, I immediately crave starchy pastas and red sauces—foods I normally don’t eat in the summer when everything feels light and breezy. I’m not sure if it’s an innate sense that winter is coming (so it’s time to eat heartier meals) or if it’s just that I seek extra comfort in the face of those brisk winds and early sunsets. Whatever it is, there’s nothing better than the thought of sauce bubbling away on the stove all afternoon. Admittedly, this sauce is more of a weekend project than a quick weeknight meal, unless you’re working from home and can throw it together at lunch and let it simmer while you work! Any time I do that—prep a meal at lunch so I can eat without fuss in the evening—I feel like someone else made dinner for me. And really, someone else did. Someone who was less tired, more patient, and had a vision for a relaxing night. So, if that’s your idea of a nice evening, I can’t recommend this sauce enough. It’ll nourish every piece of your being.

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Best Ever Bolognese

recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan

• Serves: 6-8 people

• Prep Time: 20 minutes

• Cooking Time: 3+ hours

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp to toss with pasta before serving

• 1 yellow onion

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• 1 tbsp. dried oregano

• 3/4-1 lb ground beef

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes

• Kosher salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 1 1/4-1 1/2lbs pasta (I like orecchiette, rigatoni, or penne rigate for this!)

• Parmesan or Pecorino for serving

Directions:

Heat a heavy-bottomed sauce pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium heat, then add olive and butter. Add the chopped onion and stir until translucent. Add the garlic, celery, and carrot, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cooking until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

Pour in the milk and stir into beef and vegetables. Allow the milk to simmer until it disappears, then add the nutmeg. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits, and allow it to evaporate: about 6-8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir all ingredients together, and allow sauce to come to a simmer.

Turn heat down to low, place the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for at least 3 hours (the longer the better!). If it gets too dry at any point, go ahead and add water a half-cup at a time.

When you’re ready to serve, boil the pasta according to package instructions, then add the pasta to the sauce along with an extra tablespoon butter. Serve immediately with grated parmesan and crusty bread.