Classic Bolognese Sauce
There is no rush when making a proper Bolognese. The goal is to transform simple ingredients into a singular, dense mixture where the individual pieces of meat and vegetable become indistinguishable from the whole.
Texture is everything.
Do not skimp on the time spent browning the meat. If the pot doesn't have a crust of brown bits on the bottom, the final sauce will lack depth.
- Heavy-bottomed Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Chef's knife
What goes in.
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tbspextra virgin olive oil
- 1 largeyellow onion, finely diced
- 1 largecarrot, finely diced
- 1 stalkcelery, finely diced
- 1 lbground beef (20% fat)
- 1/2 lbground pork
- 1 cupwhole milk
- 1 cupdry white wine
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz)crushed tomatoes
- to tastesea salt and cracked black pepper
Taming the meat
Adding milk to the browned meat and letting it simmer until evaporated softens the fibers and sweetens the pork. Never skip this; it is what distinguishes a ragù from a standard tomato meat sauce.
The method.
Sweat the soffritto
Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have softened into a uniform, pale gold mixture, about 10 minutes.
Brown the meat
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the beef and pork. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and stir continuously. Cook until the moisture from the meat has evaporated and the meat is beginning to stick and darken the bottom of the pot.
Incorporate milk
Pour in the milk. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot with your spoon. Simmer until the milk has fully evaporated, leaving behind a creamy coating on the meat.
Deglaze with wine
Add the white wine. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the smell of raw alcohol is gone and the liquid is nearly dry.
Simmer the sauce
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the crushed tomatoes. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cover partially and simmer for at least 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. If it looks too dry, add a splash of water or broth.
Other turns to take.
Pancetta boost
Start the recipe by rendering 4 ounces of finely diced pancetta before adding the butter and oil.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a higher fat meat ratio; the rendered fat carries the flavor through the long simmer.
The sauce should be thick enough to cling to a wooden spoon, not liquid.
Allow the sauce to rest for 30 minutes after taking it off the heat before serving.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use ground turkey?
You can, but you will need to add more fat—such as extra butter or olive oil—to compensate for the lack of marbling in the meat.
Is it better the next day?
Yes. Allowing the sauce to cool completely and chill overnight lets the proteins and fats stabilize, making the texture more cohesive.
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