Rachaels Three Meat Bolognese Sauce Recipes

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
• To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
• Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
• Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.

RACHAEL'S "NO BOLOGNA" BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat EVOO, 2 turns of the pot, over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter to oil and when it foams, add onions and soften 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots and garlic, stir a minute or 2 more to coat then add meat and season with salt and finely ground black pepper. Break up the meat and cook until it loses its pink color then add bay, parsley stems and milk. Season with a little freshly grated nutmeg and reduce heat to a simmer. Let milk absorb into meat completely then add wine and let that absorb. Stir tomatoes into the sauce and reduce heat to low.Bring the stock or water to a simmer with a chunk of rind then reduce heat to low. When the sauce looks like it may be drying out, add a few ladles of the warm liquid to moisten it, keeping the Bolognese at a low bubble. Simmer sauce for 3-4 hours, adding liquid as necessary.Before serving, remove bay leaf and parsley stems.Cook pasta in 6 quarts boiling, salted water about a 1-1 1/2 minutes shy of al dente per package directions. Reserve half a mug full of starchy cooking water if you have used all of your stock or Parm-infused warm water. Drain pasta or remove it from the pot with a spider/strainer. Toss pasta with a few pats of butter and combine it with sauce and a little stock or the reserved water if necessary to loosen.Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at table.

DOUBLE-BATCH CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• You know you love it and you know you make it your own special way if you've ever made it before. Here is my take on the classic, if only to be used as a helpful reminder to make-ahead a batch especially in the winter months.;
• Warm 2 cups milk in small pot over lowest heat.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly brown. Then add the chicken livers, and cook almost through. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves, and cook until tender, 10 minutes.
• Add the ground meat and cook through breaking into pieces, but do not brown. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and stir in the wine and allow it to cook into the meat, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the warm milk to the meat and allow it to absorb into the meat for 1 minute. Stir in the beef stock, vegetable stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Divide the sauce in 1/2, cool, and freeze one batch. Cool and store the remainder for a make-ahead meal within the week. Alternately, cook pasta to al dente, thin the sauce a bit with a bit of starchy pasta water and toss with pasta dressed with butter to combine. Top with grated cheese and chopped celery leaves. Serve with green salad.