The Wine and Food Corner

Bolognese, the traditional meat sauce of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, is made with whole milk, white wine, and varying amounts of tomato.  The sauce should be cooked at “the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through the surface.” 2 to 3 hours is enough but 5 hours of lazy simmer is much better.  Because of the time it takes to lazy simmer it’s wise to make a double or, even wiser a triple batch—wise because your going to want this again very soon!

Tagliatelle is the preferred pasta, or other wide egg noodle, since it holds this sauce better.   Spaghetti is not the best choice.

For sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1.5 pounds ground chuck (or 1 lb. ground chuck and 1/2 lb. of ground pork)
• 1 cup milk
• freshly grated nutmeg to taste
• 1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio ;but NO oaky chardonnay)
• a 28-to-32 ounce can whole tomatoes including juice
• 1 1/4 pounds dried tagliatelle (a wide egg noddle which holds the sauce better), or you can use rigatoni, fusilli, and conchiglie

1) In large heavy saucepan heat oil and butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté onion, carrot, and celery, stirring 2 minutes.

2) Add beef and pork and cook, stirring, 2 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. NOW season mixture with salt and pepper (so the salt extracts the juices from the meat and into the sauce) and cook 1 minute more.

3)Add milk and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until most milk is evaporated, about 10 minutes.  (DON’T  combine steps 3 and 4.)

4) Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes.

5) In a blender or food processor coarsely purée (semi puree maybe a better term) tomatoes with juice and stir into sauce. Cook sauce at the barest of simmers, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 hours sauce will be thickened) and season with salt and pepper.  Longer and very slow cooking is even better.  If you had a very heavy earthen pot or an enamled cast iron pot, then you could try cooking this for up to 5 hours.

Sauce may be made ahead and cooled, uncovered, before being chilled, covered, 2 days or frozen 1 month.

Cook pasta/noddles as directed on package.

Wine:

Last week, at one of the free wine tastings, the Banfi Rosso di Montalcino (100% sangiovese) caught the attention of my pallette, and my mind  immediately jumped to a desire for Bolognese.  This wine tastes much better with a few hours to breath,  or open it in the morning.  Maybe I can get a chance to find out soon if it pairs as well with the sauce I expect it might.  If any of you try the two, please let me know.

ciao