I don’t know about you but for me there are some dishes which are staple meals for my family like Cypriot style fish in the oven, veggie or beef fajitas and of course, spaghetti bolognese. Although very easy to make there are certain ingredients that one must include as they make all the difference: milk, white wine, bay leaf and chicken stock.
I always have minced meat in the freezer, (and more specifically Black Angus minced meat from foodhaus) – what I call my “emergency food” which is also comfort food.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 500g minced beef (I use Black Angus minced beef from foodhaus)
- Kosher salt (I always use Maldon salt)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch of finely grated nutmeg
- 2 cups (or more) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb. fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, or dry rigatoni
- Finely grated Parmesan (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
RECIPE PREPARATION
- Pulse onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until very finely chopped or chop by hand. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Break beef into small clumps (about 1½”) and add to pot; season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally but not breaking meat apart, until beef is lightly browned but not crisp, 6–8 minutes. It may be gray in spots (that’s okay!) and still a little pink in the center. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.
- Heat oil in the same pan. Add onion mixture to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and beginning to stick to surface, 6–8 minutes.
- Return beef to pot and pour in wine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, smashing down on beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated, surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes. Add tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally and still pressing down on meat, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour stock and milk into pot; add a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until meat is very, very tender, 2–2½ hours. There shouldn’t be any rapid bubbles at this stage. Instead, the sauce should release the occasional small bubble or two. When finished, the sauce should have the texture of and look like a sloppy joe mixture. If the liquid reduces before the meat is completely tender, add an extra ½ cup stock and continue cooking. Discard bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt; keep warm.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
- Transfer pasta to a platter and top with more Parmesan.
- Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill.
