Bolognese Sauce

Submitted by: JustRightMenus

Description:

Since there's only 2 of us, I will make the full batch of sauce, but save & freeze 1/2 of it to use at a future date.

Servings: 4

Categories: Italian, ground beef, pasta

From the kitchen of:

500 Best Ever Recipes: Mediterranean (Anness Publishing Ltd 2007), page 120.

Ingredients

2 TB olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 lb lean minced ground beef

2/3 c red wine

1 c milk

1 14oz can chopped tomatoes

1 TB sun-dried tomato paste

salt and ground black pepper

shredded fresh basil, to garnish

4 servings dry pasta (most authentically, use Tagilatelle ... but linguine is fine, too)

grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and cook gently, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until softened. Do not allow the vegetables to color.

Add the minced beef to the pan with the vegetables and cook over a medium heat until the meat changes color; stir constantly and break up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the wine. Stir frequently until it has evaporated, then add the milk and continue cooking and stirring until this has evaporated, too. Stir in the tomatoes and tomoato paste, with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce uncovered, over the lowest possible heat for at least 45 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water for the length of time recommended on the package. Drain thoroughly and tip into a warmed large bowl. Pour over the sauce and toss to combine. Garnish with basil and serve at once, with Parmesan cheese handed separately.