Bolognese Sauce

I thought I had a great bolognese sauce. I added a little of this, a little less of that, tested and tweaked. And, when I finally thought I had it just right, our beloved friends promptly assured me otherwise and I lost my first (though sadly, not last) throwdown to a restaurant recipe for my favorite pasta sauce. I was annoyed, I was disappointed, and I was still sure I had the best bolognese.

Then, I watched an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Made...Family Dinners" on Food Network. And my mouth watered listening to the chef describe a bolognese that sounded almost as good as my original recipe. And so I tried it. And it was good....very good. Not better than the original - they are very different recipes. But very, very good and definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 pound spicy sausage, removed from casing
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large can San Marzano crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 box thin spaghetti (or whatever pasta you prefer)
• 1/2 cup ground Pecorino Romano cheese

Method:

1. In a large cast-iron or Dutch oven casserole over medium heat, heat some olive oil and then add the pancetta, garlic, onions and carrots. They should cook slow and lightly brown, about 20 minutes. When finished, deglaze the pot with the vegetables by adding 1 cup of the red wine.
2. In another large casserole over medium heat, brown the meat slowly in olive oil until it is a nice even brown color. This process should take around 30 minutes and the mixture should be stirred frequently so it will not stick. Salt and pepper liberally. Then add the tomato paste and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Next, add the vegetables and pancetta to the pot with the meat. Then add the remaining red wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape all the bits and pieces that might accumulate and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Then add the chicken stock, milk, and crushed tomatoes and simmer very gently for 2 hours.
4. Let the sauce sit and cool down before using; it's even better the next day! Finish the sauce with the basil and thyme.
5. Boil 2 gallons of salted water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain and put the pasta directly into the pot of bolognese sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to incorporate the sauce into the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as necessary. Finish with the ground Pecorino Romano, torn basil and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil on top.

Source: Food Network