Bolognese Sauce

Some months ago, I got in my head that I wanted to learn how to make Bolognese sauce from scratch and was pleased to find it’s not nearly as difficult as it sounds. This Tyler Florence recipe is excellent. I substituted Italian sausage for ground beef and pork since that was all I had the first time I made it, but now I actually prefer it that way. I also nixed the bacon, but feel free to add it back in.

For this recipe, you will need:

  1 medium onion, finely chopped
  2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  2 carrots, finely chopped
  5 garlic cloves, minced
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  2 bay leaves
  2 sprigs rosemary
  1 package (4 links) Italian sausage, removed from casings
  2 cups milk
  1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  2 cups dry red wine
  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 pound dry pasta
  Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Purée the onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender (Tyler says to purée, but I chopped for a chunkier sauce).

In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable purée and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.

Raise the heat a bit and add the sausage; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.

Serve with pasta of your choosing, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and enjoy!

Original recipe here.