This bolognese recipe is sure to please. Slow cooking meat for this long ensures the meat melts right in your mouth. I had a few friends over for dinner recently, and I thought this was the perfect time to make this meal for the first time this season. I make my bolognese a number of ways, and I employed a completely different style than the previous times I have created this dish. This is a hands-on recipe for a few hours, but you will not be disappointed! A hearty red wine is the perfect choice for the meal – we drank a 2004 cab franc from California.
Note: Clear your calendar for a day because you will need a good portion of it for cooking. Also, using a blender or food processor will make your prep time much shorter. No picture available because we were so freakin’ ready to eat by the time it was done!
Bolognese Sauce
-3/4 lb lean ground beef
-3/4 lb ground bison
-1/4 lb pancetta, diced (get it whole at a butcher)
-1/3 cup butter
-2 tbs olive oil
-1 cup onion, diced
-1 cup carrots, diced
-1 cup celery, diced
-1.5 cups whole milk
-2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (use Pomi brand if you can find it)
-1/4 healthy pinch of nutmeg
-1.5 cups white wine
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 branches fresh rosemary, five fresh twigs of thyme, and 12 sage leaves
-Fresh parsley, chopped minced for garnish
-Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish
-Salt and pepper to taste
Finely chop the fresh herbs (discard stems). Combine beef and bison in a mixing bowl with salt and herbs in a mixing bowl, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
In a Dutch oven (or large saucepan), cook pancetta like you would bacon, so all the fat is cooked off, about 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta chunks when crispy and set aside. Add the butter and oil over to the pancetta grease and cook on medium-low heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic, and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes. Now add the carrots and celery to the pan and mix well, and then cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the ground meat and mix well with veggie mixture in the pan. Cook for about five minutes, stirring to break up clumps of meat. Add milk and reduce heat to low. The key is to simmer now, not boil. Simmer for 1 hour uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes. Add the nutmeg. (Note: You will begin preparing the crispy polenta cakes at this time.) Add the wine and simmer the same way you did with the milk for another hour.
Now add the tomatoes slowly while stirring. Put the lid on, turn the heat as low as you can and cook for three hours. Be sure to stir it occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
Crispy Polenta Cakes
-2 tbs olive oil
-1/4 – 1/2 cup onion, minced
-1 cup coarse polenta (corn meal)
-3 cups water
-1/2 cup milk
-1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
After stirring in the milk in the sauce above, bring the water, milk, and onion for the polenta to a simmer. Stir in the corn meal in a steady stream and whisk as necessary to get rid of all lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes on low heat, stirring often. Polenta should be smooth and soft and pull away from the pan when stirred.
Spread the polenta on a baking sheet and sprinkle with crumbles of the goat cheese. Mix gently to combine while still leaving clumps of cheese. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4.
About 30 minutes before the sauce will be done, cut the chilled polenta into triangles and sear in olive oil for 4-6 minutes, should be brown and crisp.
Serve the bolognese over the polenta, garnish with cheese, and add parsley over the top.
Enjoy!!
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