Lazy bolognese-y

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Meat Sauce Cheat Sheet

I make bolognese a lot during winter. And depending on my mood and what I have in the fridge and pantry, I make it all sorts of ways.

Sometimes I go all out and use every possible trick to make it as rich, meaty and flavorful as possible, similar to this recipe from Kenji. Or sometimes I’ll make it a little more simply, like this recipe from Marcella Hazan. And, sometimes, I’ll even just make a quick, straightforward meat sauce similar to this one from Martha Stewart.

Truth is, though, you don’t need to strictly follow a recipe to make a really delicious meat sauce. Here’s how I’ll often put it together:

• In a pot, sweat some aromatics in some butter or oil (or rendered pancetta, if you’re feeling frisky). I always use onion, but aside from that will sometimes use some or none of the following: carrot, celery, garlic or shallot.

• Add about a pound or two of ground meat with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Brown it and break it up real good. I usually just use ground beef, but you can use about 1/3rd pork, if you want.

• Add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and cook a bit. Or don’t! Definitely not required.

• Add a cup or two of milk and cook down until it’s mostly evaporated and then do the same thing with a cup or two of dry white or red wine. You can skip the milk step if you want, but I suggest keeping the wine step.

• Add about 4 cups of liquid. This could be half chicken stock and half tomatoes crushed in their juices. Or all tomatoes crushed in their juices. Or all chicken stock if you want more of a “white bolognese” feel.

• Add a bay leaf or two (if you feel like it), and bring everything to a boil and then drop to a simmer.

• Let simmer for a few hours. You can do this on a low stove or in a low oven. In either case, give it a good stir every now and again.

• Eventually the fat should separate (this is a good thing!) and most of the liquid should have evaporated. At that point you’re basically done.

• Last step is to add a little cream (maybe quarter or half cup) and a nice grating of parmesan and give the sauce a vigorous mix. This should emulsify the sauce again, and you’re ready to serve with your favorite pasta. Just taste and adjust seasoning here.

Ultimately, a sauce like this is very forgiving! Use what you have, make it how you think you’ll like it, and it’ll turn out great.

Let us know what you tried (just reply)! More soon.

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