Bologna is the capital and largest city of the Emilia Romagna region in Northern Italy. The Bolognese people take the making of this sauce very seriously, but show me an Italian that doesn’t take their food seriously…..they simply do not exist! Typically the Bolognese make their sauce slightly different than the recipe I make and are about to share with you. That is a-ok, no hard and fast rules, it’s all about what you like and honestly, both ways are simply delicious. This sauce is part of what I refer to as the “fab five” these are five sauces that we cannot live without in my house and I promise we will get around to all of them.
The base for this recipe is a simple Italian “sofrito” which is the kissing cousin to the French cooking base “mirepoix” Italians sometimes also refer to this as the “holy trinity”. These are all fancy names for three simple ingredients, chopped carrots, celery, and onion. That is where we begin.
Start with about a Tbs of olive oil in a heavy saucepan, add the sofrito ( 1 medium carrot, 1 celery rib, and 1 medium onion ), and about 2 ounces of thick-sliced pancetta or prosciutto all finely diced. Cook about 8-10 minutes until softened but not browned. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Now it’s time to add the meat, add 3 Tbs more olive oil to the pan, and add 3/4 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork and cook until just pink. Add the sofrito back into the pan and add 2-3 cloves chopped garlic. Cook about a minute and add 3/4 C white wine. Let simmer until wine is almost evaporated. Add 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes, you can also use plum tomatoes and crush them through your hands if you like a chunkier sauce. Add 1 C chicken stock and two bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook partially covered over medium heat for about 1 hour. Remove bay leaves and slowly stir in 1/4 C of heavy creme, half and half will do as well. I also like to add just a dash of nutmeg. My favorite pasta to serve with Bolognese is Bucatini or Penne. This sauce is also terrific for making Lasagna. If you prefer the more traditional Bolognese-style sauce, simply omit the tomatoes. This is such an impressive sauce to make for company and it’s so easy.
