I am going to say something that will possibly annoy you: the real bolognese takes two hours to make and it's worth every minute. This is not a weeknight recipe. This is a Sunday recipe, the kind you make when the day stretches out and you want to fill the kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people check if it's dinnertime yet.
The authentic version uses very little tomato — it's a meat sauce, not a tomato sauce with meat in it — and the milk is the secret that makes the mince tender and the flavour rounded. The wine goes in early and cooks down completely before the tomatoes. You can't rush this. The flavour builds in layers over two hours.
Yes, tagliatelle or pappardelle. Not spaghetti — the bolognese community has strong feelings about this and after one plate of it coated properly on wide pasta you'll understand why. The sauce keeps for five days in the fridge and freezes beautifully. Make double.
"Two hours. Yes, two hours. Yes, it is worth it. Stop arguing."
Ingredients
- 500g beef mince (not too lean)
- 150g pancetta or bacon, finely diced
- 1 large brown onion, very finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, very finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, very finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 200ml dry white or red wine
- 200ml full-cream milk
- 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt, pepper, butter and parmesan to serve
Method
Step 1
Heat a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until its fat has rendered and it's starting to crisp. Add the onion, carrot and celery (the soffritto) and cook, stirring, for 10–12 minutes until very soft and lightly golden.
Step 2
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add the mince and cook, breaking it up constantly, for 8–10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat is properly browned.
Step 3
Pour in the wine and stir. Let it bubble and reduce completely — about 5 minutes. Add the milk and do the same: let it absorb fully. This takes patience but it's what makes the mince tender.
Step 4
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Stir, reduce heat to very low, and partially cover. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be thick and the fat should be separating slightly on the surface. Finish with a knob of butter, season generously, and serve over fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle with mountains of parmesan.
