Woman Does Not Live on Baked Goods Alone

....though woman certainly wishes she could.  We have to eat regular food every once in a while.

One of The Kids' favorite meals is Spaghetti Bolognese, Caulifower with Anchovies and Garlic, and Garlic Toast.  I love making the Bolognese Sauce, as the initial cooking time is quick and then it's a long slow simmer with just a stir once in awhile.

First there is...

butter.

Add minced onions, carrots and celery;

add ground meats.  Add milk, cook down, add white wine, cook down...

and finally,

San Marzano Tomatoes.

If you can get them, these tomatoes are worth using.  They are heirloom plum tomatoes grown in the sun-drenched volcanic soil of Mt. Vesuvius, and they have a sweeter, more intense tomato flavor.  I got mine from ShopRite.

I've purchased this brand at Whole Foods.  Both are good, but the imported ones from ShopRite seem sweeter.

The first time I ever had Pasta Bolognese was at Po, a restaurant in Greenwich Village.  The flavors were complex and the experience memorable; I was smitten.  This sauce is almost as exquisite as Po's.

Bolognese Sauce
from Cook's Illustrated


5 T. butter, divided
2 T. minced onions
2 T. minced carrots
2 T. minced celery
3/4 lb. of ground beef, ground veal and ground pork (1/4 each)
1 c. whole milk
1 c. white wine
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, chopped fine, juices reserved

Melt 3 T. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until softened, but not browned, about 6 minutes.  Add ground meat and 1/2 t. salt; crumble meat with edge of wood spoon to break apart into tiny pieces.  Cook, continuing to crumble meat, until it loses its raw color but has not yet browned, about 3 minutes.

Add milk and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, 10-15 minutes.  Add wine and bring to simmer; simmer until wine evaporates.  Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low so that sauce continues to barely simmer, until liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours.  Adjust seasonings with salt to taste.  Keep sauce warm.  (Can be refrigerated in airtight container for several days or frozen for several months.  When I double the recipe, the milk/wine evaporation time becomes 45 minutes and the tomatoes cook for 4 hours.)

Serve over your favorite pasta (we usually use spaghetti or fettucini) with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.