SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground chuck
1/2 small carrot, pared and finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can tomatoes (or use fresh)
1 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp. each salt and basil (or about 3 leaves, chopped, fresh basil)
1/2 tsp. thyme
dash pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb uncooked spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in 12" non-corrosive skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, 4 - 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat into fine pieces, until meat loses its raw color, about 6 minutes. Do not brown.

Stir carrot and celery into meat mixture; cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until wine is evaporated, 4 - 6 minutes. Stir in milk and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium and cook until milk is evaporated, 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Press tomatoes and their liquid through sieve into bowl; discard seeds. Stir sieved tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, salt and seasonings into meat mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick, 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Just before serving time, cook spaghetti in large kettle of boiling salted water just until al dente, 8 - 12 minutes. Drain well. Ladle meat sauce over spaghetti in heated bowl. Sprinkle cheese on top.

SOURCE: Italian Cooking Class Cookbook

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

 1 Tbsp. margarine or butter

1 small onion, diced

1 small celery stalk, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup milk

1 (15 oz.) can tomato puree

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. pepper

 In 3 qt. saucepan over medium-low heat, in hot margarine, cook onion, celery, and carrot until very tender but not browned, stirring occasionally. Add ground beef to saucepan; cook, stirring, just until meat loses its red color. Add wine; cook until wine almost evaporates. Add milk; cook until milk evaporates, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato puree, salt, sugar, pepper and 1/4 cup water to pan; over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 15 minutes to blend flavors. Makes about 2-1/2 cups sauce, enough to serve over 1/2 lb. pasta, cooked.

SALSA ALLA BOLOGNESE

3 tablespoons sweet (unsalted) butter

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped fine

1 small celery stalk, chopped fine

1/2 small carrot, chopped fine

1/4 pound lean, good quality beef, preferably chuck, ground twice

1/4 pound lean, good quality pork, preferably belly, ground twice

1/4 lean, good quality veal, ground twice

1/8 pound prosciutto crudo, thicksliced, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshmilled pepper to taste

1/2 cup good quality, dry white wine

2/3 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshgrated

21/2 cups (1 28ounce can) Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, in puree

1/2 cup cream (optional)

1 white truffle, thinly sliced at the end (optional)

In a large, wide Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, saute' the butter, chopped onion, celery, and carrot until they are soft but not browned. Add the ground meats and prosciutto, turning the flame very low. It is very important that the meat heat very gently, only enough to color it on the outside. Not searing the meat allows it to absorb the other flavors of the sauce, and will also make it more delicate and creamy. Break up and stir the meat as you heat it. You should get it to a uniform pink, not brown color. Add the salt, pepper and wine. Simmer very gently for several minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the liquid begins to be absorbed by the meat and vegetables. Stir in milk and nutmeg. It is important to add the milk before adding the tomatoes for it to be absorbed directly by the meat.

Cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes. When the sauce begins to simmer, turn the flame down as low as you can. If your burner cannot be regulated low enough, insert a "flame tamer." Simmer in this way, partially covered, for about 4 hours, stirring it gently now and then. Check for seasonings and add an additional pinch of nutmeg if necessary. If the sauce is being used on fresh noodles (not lasagne), and you have a mind to be extravagant, add the cream and the finely sliced truffle when it is finished. Stir and pour over cooked fresh pasta. Makes enough for 1 lb. of pasta

RAGU
(Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style)

2 Tbsp. chopped yellow onion

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. each chopped carrot and celery

3/4 lb. lean ground chuck

salt

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

2 cups canned Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped, with juice

In an earthenware pot or enameled cast-iron casserole, deepest you have, put in onion with oil and butter and sauté until just translucent. Add celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add ground beef and 2 tsp. salt, stir and cook only until gray. Add wine, turn up heat and cook until all wine has evaporated. Turn heat to medium, add milk and nutmeg and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir frequently.

Add tomatoes and stir well. When they start to bubble, turn heat down until barely simmering. Cook, uncovered, for a minimum of 3-1/2 to 4 hrs., stirring occasionally. Taste for salt. Can be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen. Reheat for about 15 minutes.

Serves 6.