The Bolognese

I've had more requests for the Bolognese Sauce

Than almost any other dish I posted

I served over rigatoni for our dinner party

And leftovers on Monday were served over spaghetti.

It is the best!

And came from this cookbook

Which is my favorite Italian cookbook.

After spending over a month in Italy, the recipes inside are spot on!

Ragu Bolognese

(From Ecco la cucina by Gina Stipo)

2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal (any combination)((I always have used beef -- easier to get here)

1 large onion

2 celery stalks

1 carrot

2 T. olive oil

1 T. tomato concentrate

1 large can tomato sauce

1 to 2 cups white wine

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

Place the onion, celery and carrot in a food processor and puree.    Brown the meat in a small amount of olive oil, add the vegetables and sauté well until softened, adding additional oil if it seems dry.    Season with salt and a good grinding of black pepper.     Add the wine and cook off completely, then add the milk and cook off completely.    Add the tomato concentrate and sauce, cover and allow the sauce to cook for 2 hours, if it's very thick, add a little water and watch while it cooks to make sure it doesn't get too dry.

Gina's Notes:

This is a traditional Bolognese sauce, very simple to make and yet very rich and complex tasting.   It's used for traditional lasagna and is always served with a fresh egg tagliatelle, never a semolina-based dried spaghetti.    (I didn't adhere to that!) The milk helps to soften the acidity of the wine and tomatoes.

It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.