Marcella Hazan's Bolognese Sauce

Posted by Vivian in Beef, Italian, Pasta

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 2/3 cup chopped carrot
• 1 pound ground beef (around 500 gm)
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole milk
• Grounded nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1-½ cups canned plum tomatoes, torn into pieces, with juice
• 1-¼ to 1-½ pounds pasta (preferably spaghetti), cooked and drained
• Grated Parmesan

Preparation:

• Heat oil with 3 tablespoons of butter and chopped onion in pot over medium heat.
• Cook and stir onion until it has become translucent, then add chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat well. 
• Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Crumble meat with a fork, stir well and cook until beef has lost its raw, red colour. 
• Add milk and let simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. 
• Add a tiny grating, about 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg and stir. 
• Add wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated. 
• Add tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When tomatoes begin to bubble, turn heat down and let simmer. 
• Cook sauce uncovered for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While sauce is cooking, it will begin to dry out and the fat will separate from the meat. Add ½ cup water as necessary. At the end of cooking, the water should be completely evaporated and the fat should separate from the sauce. 
• Taste and correct for salt. 
• Add remaining tablespoon butter to the hot pasta and toss with the sauce. 
• Serve with grated Parmesan on the side.