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.

RACH'S 3-MEAT BOLOGNESE PASTA WILL BECOME YOUR NEW DINNER STAPLE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat EVOO, 2 turns of the pot, over medium to medium-high heat, add butter to oil and when it foams, add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook, partially covered, 5-7 minutes to soften
• Add garlic, stir, add ground meats and season with salt and finely ground black pepper
• Break up the ground meats until they lose their pink color, then add bay, herbs, milk, season with a little freshly grated nutmeg and reduce heat to low simmer
• Let milk absorb into meat completely, then add wine and let it absorb completely
• Stir tomatoes into sauce, reduce heat to low, and simmer a few hours, low and slow
• Meanwhile, heat stock or water with a chunk of rind to simmer, 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
• To serve, remove bay leaf and herb bundle
• If need be, add water to your stock blend to keep the sauce at bubble for at least 3 hours
• Cook pasta in 6 quarts salted water about a minute, minute and a half less than the package directions
• Reserve a 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 from water with spider
• Toss pasta with a few pats of butter and combine with sauce and a little stock or reserved water if necessary
• Pass grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at table