Ragu Bolognese

Slow-cooked and deceptively simple, this classic meat sauce is mellower and richer than the tomato-heavy American version you may be more accustomed to. Nothing about this recipe is incidental — don’t change or substitute anything until you’ve made it a few times and have a feel for it. Serve this with fresh tagliatelle for a truly sublime pasta dish.

Ingredients #

Instructions #

Put the oil and pancetta in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is lightly browned and fragrant. Add the butter and let the foam subside before adding the onions, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened and aromatic, but don’t let them brown.

Add the ground beef, a large pinch of kosher salt, and a few grindings of pepper. With a wooden spoon, mash and crumble the beef until it’s fine, cooking until all the raw color is gone.

Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring often, until it has bubbled away completely. The milk will curdle and the dish will look a mess, but it should smell wonderfully meaty and mellow. Press on! Stir in a tiny grating — no more than 1/8 tsp — of fresh nutmeg.

Add the wine and let it simmer until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat everything well. When the tomato mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat until the sauce is at the barest simmer and cook, partially covered, for 3 hours or more, stirring occasionally.

As the sauce cooks, it will tend to dry out on the bottom as the fat separates to the top. Stir often enough to prevent scorching, and add the occasional splash of water as needed. At the end, however, the final sauce should be quite dry and the fat separated — this is part of the traditional character of the ragu.

Season to taste, and serve with cooked drained pasta and freshly grated Parmesan on the side. This sauce can be made up to three days ahead and reheated; it also freezes beautifully.