Shamefully as someone who cooks a lot I have never made bolognese without a jar. I have decided to try various recipes to find our favourite. Starting off strong with Marcella Hazan's version, which is one of the most viewed recipes on the New York Times site. She recommends tagliatelle rather than spaghetti to serve.
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp for tossing the pasta
½ onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery (or one large), finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
500g minced beef
Salt and black pepper
1 cup whole milk
Whole nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1½ cups tinned Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
500g pasta
Freshly grated parmesan to serve
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a pot, add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.
Add the chopped celery and carrot and cook for about 2 mins, stirring to coat well.
Add the minced beef and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw colour.
Add the milk and let it simmer gently until it has bubbled away completely.
Add a grating -- about ⅛ tsp -- of nutmeg and stir.
Add the wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated.
Add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well.
When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at a very low simmer, with just an odd bubble breaking through to the surface.
Cook uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time.
While the sauce is cooking it may begin to dry out, to keep it from sticking add ½ cup of water whenever necessary. At the end no water should be left and the fat should separate from the sauce.
Stir to mix the fat into the sauce, taste and correct for salt.
Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tbsp of butter.
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