Bolognese Sauce for Pasta

Bolognese Meat Sauce

Poppyselected this from a collection of spaghetti sauces in Chris Kimballs TheCooks Bible. Kimball credits its origin to cookbook author, Julia della Croces PastaClassica. Poppy, of course, may his own mid-course corrections. Still, hefavors this over the ragouts he experimented with earlier this year.

2 slices bacon
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1 rib celery, diced1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
½ pound ground beef
½ poundground pork*
½ cup white wine
Salt to taste
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoondried marjoram
Dash nutmeg
Dash mace
1 can (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup heavy cream, optional**

Heat the bacon in a large skillet or pot and remove when cooked; reserve baconfor another use. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Add the butter and oiland increase the heat to medium-high. When foam subsides, add the onion andcelery and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 8 minutes, until onion is very softbut not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to low and add the beef and pork, breaking it up with a woodenspoon.
*Poppy used some leftover pork roast we had on hand, chopped very finely, butobviously did not need the browning step.
After 3 to 4 minutes– the meat should still be pink inside– add the wine andsalt to taste Simmer for 5 minutesand then add the milk, sugar, marjoram, nutmeg, and mace. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 1½hours. Add freshly ground blackpepper to taste and optional heavy cream just before serving.
**Poppy omitted the heavy cream.

This recipe has been kitchen tested.

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Bolognese Meat Sauce

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