Meat Sauce (Bolognese)

It’s not one of the four essential sauces according to Waters, but this past weekend I went to a cooking demo at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, MI. There, I learned how to make Bolognese (meat sauce) from an actual Italian chef!

The class was about baked pastas, but it was the meat sauce that caught my attention since I knew I’d be talking about sauces this week. Plus, it was so darn good! Although Chef Jim Piombo made it into lasagna, I think this will become my go-to pasta topper.

Chef Piombo cures much of his own meat, and believes in sourcing locally, but he swears by San Marzano tomatoes (from Italy, of course).  I’ll let you decide whether to use your own home canned tomatoes or to give them a try 🙂

The Homestead’s Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1/2 lb pancetta
• 2.5 lb ground beef (lean)
• 2 large cans (#10) of tomatoes, crushed (use your hands)
• 3 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups carrot, chopped
• 2 cups red wine
• 3 cups stock
• 1 oz sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2.5 tsp salt
• 5 bay leaves
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz butter

Directions:

In a large pot, in olive oil, saute the vegetables until soft. Remove from pan. Add the meats and brown. Return vegetables to the pan, add the spices. When fragrant add the tomatoes. Simmer for two hours. Add the heavy cream and butter. Freezes well.

Do you have a favorite meat sauce? Be sure to come back on Friday for the meat sauce recipe swap!

Disclosure: I attended the cooking class at The Homestead as part of a complimentary media weekend. I highly recommend checking it out – well worth the trip to Northern Michigan!