It takes about half an hour to cook all of the ingredients, but then you can just “Set it, and forget it!” (that’s right, Ron Popeil style). The longer you forget it, the more delicious it becomes. It’s pretty much magic. Or maybe it is science. Who can really tell the difference these days?
After cooking and enjoying, bolognese freezes well and thaws quickly for saucy meals on the go.
Ragu Alla Bolognese
INGREDIENTS
½ lb. hot Italian sausages
1 lb. leanest ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots
2 chopped celery sticks
8-10 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. fennel seeds
3 tsp. salt (salt monkeys, do it to taste)
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry white or red wine (both work well)
¼ cup tomato paste (mix with ¼ cup water)
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, peeled and crushed in heavy puree
Remove sausage from casings and slowly brown in a skillet along with the ground beef, a large sauce or soup pan works well. Break up the sausage as it cooks. Once meats are browned to your liking, drain the fat. Add vegetables and all spices to meat pan, sauté until onions begin to cook, and be careful not to brown the garlic. Add the tomato sauce, water and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes and add canned tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat, for 1-2 hours. Serve with the pasta of your choice.
More substantial noodles such as linguini, spaghetti or pappardelle, work nicely with this sauce.
