It's 90 Degrees so of Course I'm making Bolognese

                     
I am indulging in my favorite Saturday afternoon activity - cooking and watching cooking shows while I cook with a glass of wine in my hand.  I have been canning the meager bounty of our garden (shouldn't complain, last year we got squat) but this is different.  This is my very favorite meat sauce for pasta.  And it only gets better with reheats.

This is not a quick recipe.  This takes 3-4 hours to do correctly.  Longer if you double because the cooking times just double as well.

                         Classic  Bolognese Sauce

  4        tablespoons  unsalted butter
     1/2        medium  onion -- diced
  1              small  carrot -- diced
  1              stalk  celery -- diced
     1/4         pound  ground beef chuck
     1/4         pound  ground veal
     1/4         pound  ground pork
                        Salt
  1               cups  whole milk
  1               cups  dry white wine
  28            Ounces  whole tomatoes with juice -- milled or crushed

Mince celery, onion, carrot and garlic in food processor until a coarse paste.

Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute until  browned, about 20 minutes. Add ground meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt; crumble meat into tiny pieces with edge of wooden spoon. Cook, continuing to crumble meat, until  browned, about 20 minutes.

Add milk and bring to a heavy simmer; continue to simmer until milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, 15 to 25 minutes.

Add wine and bring to a heavy simmer; continue to simmer until wine evaporates, 15 to 25 minutes longer.

Add the crushed tomatoes and their juice and  bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low so that sauce continues to simmer just barely, with occasional bubble or two at surface,  about 3-4 hours.  Add additional water as needed during cooking.  Adjust seasonings with salt to taste.



Last week we canned salsa (5 pints), pickled Okra (2 pints) and Jalapeno Jelly (8 half-pints).  Jalapenos are still producing so I think I'll make jalapeno relish.  That should wrap up our hot and spicy needs for the winter.


I tried to take a picture of my bolognese but the camera lens fogged.