Chef John's homemade Bolognese sauce is rich and intensely flavorful, with mirepoix and ground beef slowly cooked in peeled tomatoes, milk, and white wine.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
Mix the ground beef with the vegetables; cook and stir until the meat is crumbled and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
Pour the milk into the ground beef mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the milk has evaporated and the bottom of the pan is still slightly creamy, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the white wine; cook and stir until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Pour the tomatoes with juice into a large bowl and crush them with your hands until you have a coarse sauce.
Add the tomato mixture to the ground beef; fill the tomato can with 2 cups of water and stir into the sauce.
Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture reduces to a thick sauce, at least 3 hours but preferably 4-6 hours.
Remove the fat from the surface of the sauce if desired. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.
Large saucepan
Large bowl
Can be frozen and stored for later use.
Dedicated to the great Marcella Hazan, considered the Julia Child of Italian cuisine.
Italia, Emilia Romagna
| Energy (kcal) | 144.37 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 13.69 |
| of which Sugars (g) | 2.24 |
| Fat (g) | 5.9 |
| of which Saturates (g) | 1.65 |
| Protein (g) | 6.63 |
| Fiber (g) | 0.54 |
| Sale (g) | 0.02 |
