Meat Sauce in the Style of Bologna
"Sugo alla Bolognese
The classic sauce, our family favorite. This version only makes about 6 cups of sauce. The recipe can be doubled or tripled and will still come out beautifully. I freeze containers of this so I always have some on hand. The longer this is simmered, the better it is, so don't skimp on cooking time. I usually end up satisfied with the color and consistency after 5 to 6 hours."
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Yields:
-
6 cups
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chunked
- 2 stalks celery & leaves, chunked
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup chicken liver, rinsed, dried and chopped
- 1⁄2 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups roma tomatoes, peeled, crushed, juice reserved
- 3 bay leaves
- black pepper
- hot water, as needed
directions
- Process the onion, carrot and celery until the consistency is almost a paste, but not quite.
- Heat the oil in a 4 quart pan over medium heat.
- Stir in processed vegetables and cook for around 5 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the chicken livers.
- Cook until the livers are done through and stir them together with the vegetables.
- Add the ground meats, stirring to break them up.
- Cook until the juices coming from the meat have evaporated.
- Push everything to sides of pan, pour in a little more olive oil and turn heat to high.
- When oil begins to sizzle, add the tomato paste.
- Stir the paste around until it begins to brown and gives off a caramelly-tomato aroma.
- Turn heat back down to medium and deglaze the caramelized paste with the red wine.
- Pull all other ingredients back into center of pan and stir.
- Pour in the tomatoes, juice and bay leaves.
- Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down just to a good simmer and cover.
- Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has become very dense and is a dark mahogany color, at least 2 hours.
- Add water or more red wine if the sauce is sticking.
- There should be a layer of fat risen to the top near the end of the cooking process.
- Remove this if you want, but traditionally it is reincorporated.
- To make your sauce very smooth, put it through a food mill after cooking.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Mother of 4, grandmother of 3.... <br /> <br />One of my favorite authors is Kipling, he had a way with words... <br />...when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him.... <br />Rudyard Kipling</p>
