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Ingredients
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Bolognese Sauce
Pappardelle & Finishing
Method
Bolognese Sauce
- 1
Prepare aromatics
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Once butter melts and begins to foam, add diced pancetta. Cook, stirring, until pancetta is golden and its fat renders, about 3–4 minutes. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
- 2
Brown the meat
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground veal and ground pork to the pan in a single layer. Let sit undisturbed for 1 minute to develop color, then break up with a spoon. Cook until meat is no longer pink and begins to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to crumble the meat into small pieces. Season with 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and about half (3/4 tsp) of the salt.
- 3
Tomato paste & deglaze
Push the meat-a nd-vegetable mixture to one side, add the tomato paste and cook it directly on the hot pan for 1–2 minutes, stirring so it darkens slightly (this deepens flavor). Stir the paste into the meat. Pour in the dry white wine to deglaze, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let wine reduce until mostly evaporated, about 3–4 minutes.
- 4
Add milk and tomatoes
Pour in the whole milk and simmer gently until it has mostly absorbed/evaporated, about 4–5 minutes (this softens the tomatoes' acidity). Add the crushed tomatoes and beef/veal stock, then stir in the bay leaf, dried oregano, remaining salt, and optional sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 5
Long simmer
Reduce heat to low so the sauce barely simmers. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and flavors concentrate, about 60–90 minutes. If sauce reduces too quickly and becomes dry, add small amounts of stock or water (1–2 tbs at a time). Taste mid-way and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- 6
Finish sauce
When the sauce is rich and thick, discard the bay leaf. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley and 1–2 tbs of grated Parmesan if desired. Keep sauce warm while you cook the pasta.
Pappardelle & Finishing
- 7
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tbs salt. Add the pappardelle and cook according to package instructions until al dente (usually 6–9 minutes for fresh, 10–12 for dried). Reserve about 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- 8
Combine pasta and sauce
Add the drained pappardelle to the warm bolognese in the pan (or add sauce to a large mixing bowl with the pasta). Add 60–120 ml reserved pasta water in small increments to help loosen and marry the sauce to the pasta — you want a glossy coating that clings to the ribbons. Toss gently and cook together over low heat for 1–2 minutes so the flavors meld.
- 9