This is my favorite Bolognese sauce, adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine. Gently toss 1 pound cooked fresh or dried chunky-shaped (cavatelli, fusilli, penne, gnocchi) or wider-noodle pasta (fettucine, pappardelle) with this ragu the Italian way, ladling it in gradually so it evenly coats the noodles but doesn’t overwhelm or saturate them.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 medium rib celery, finely diced
1 pound ground pork (preferably from the shoulder)
1/4 pound thickly sliced prosciutto, very finely diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes with their juices, passed through a food mill to remove seeds
1 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup hot milk
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the butter and oil in a small Dutch oven over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re lightly golden and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the pork and prosciutto, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the pork with a large spoon until the meat loses its raw color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it’s almost completely reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice and the chicken or beef broth. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce at a bare simmer for 2 hours. Add the hot milk and simmer a half hour longer, stirring occasionally. At this point, the sauce should have a thick but saucy consistency and a light reddish-brown color. If the sauce has thickened before the cooking time is up, cover the pot. If the sauce is still too thin at the end of cooking, continue to simmer gently, uncovered, until it’s thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving tossed with your favorite pasta. Serves 6 to 8.
