BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Serve this rich meat sauce on spaghetti or other long pasta.
The sauce tastes even better if you make it a day ahead and refrigerate
it overnight because the flavour has time to ripen

HANDS-ON TIME
30 minutes
TOTAL TIME
1¼ hours
MAKES
about 5 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 450 g lean ground beef
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped pancetta or bacon
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can (796 ml) whole tomatoes
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch each granulated sugar and hot pepper flakes
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In large Dutch oven, cook beef over medium-high heat, breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl; set aside. Drain fat from pan.
2. While beef is cooking, using mortar and pestle or bottom of small saucepan, crush fennel seeds; add to beef.
3. Add oil to pan; heat over medium heat. Cook pancetta, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, oregano, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add milk; simmer until almost no liquid remains. Add tomatoes, mashing with back of spoon. Return beef mixture to pan.
5. Add wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar and hot pepper flakes; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thick enough to mound on spoon, about 45 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
6. Stir in parsley; cook for 2 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate, uncovered, in airtight container until cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION, PER ¼ CUP: about 92 cal, 6 g pro, 6 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 5 g carb, 1 g fibre, 16 mg chol, 160 mg sodium. % RDI: 4% calcium, 8% iron, 15% vit A, 13% vit C, 3% folate.

VARIATION SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE SAUCE

1. Cook as directed through point of adding milk; scrape into slow cooker.
2. Add tomatoes to slow cooker, mashing with back of spoon; add wine, bay leaf, sugar and hot pepper flakes.
3. Cover and cook on low until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours.
4. Stir in tomato paste and parsley; cover and cook on high until thickened and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf