Bolognese the Old-Fashioned Way!

• olive oil↗1⁄4 cup
• chopped onion1⁄2 cup

  about 1 medium onion

• garlic cloves↗4

  coarsely chopped

• chopped celery2⁄3 cup
• chopped carrot2⁄3 cup
• ground chuck↗1 lb

  (or you can use 1 part pork to 2 parts beef)

• salt and black pepper

  to taste

• whole milk↗1 cup
• dry white wine↗1 cup
• canned Italian plum tomatoes↗1 1⁄2 cups

  cut up, with their juice

• flat-leaf Italian parsley↗1⁄4 cup

  chopped

• fresh basil leaves↗8

  chopped

• pasta↗1 1⁄4 - 1 1⁄2 lbs

  cooked

• butter↗1 tablespoon
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese

  freshly grated, at the table

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for 5minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.

2. 2

   Raise heat to high and add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color, about 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add milk and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely.

4. 4

   Add the wine and simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. Add the parsley and basil. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

5. 5

   Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.