Recipe - Classic Bolognese

One half cup Heavy cream
10 ounce Pancetta; minced
1 cup Small minced carrots
Three fourths cup Small minced celery
1 cup Small minced onions
Three fourths pound Ground chuck
One half pound Ground veal
One half cup Dry white wine
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
2 tablespoon Italian tomato paste;
diluted in 10 tablespoons
meat stock
1 cup Whole milk
Salt and black pepper

EMERIL LIVE SHOW #EMIB13, FOOD OF EMILIA ROMAGNA, ITALY

Bologna's ragu is the most famous in Italy. According to the Bologna
chapter of Italy's gastronomic society, L'Accademia Italiana della Cucina,
this is the most typical and authentictasting rendition of the city's
famed sauce.

The building of a ragu involves three simple steps: browning the vegetables
and meats, reducing flavorful liquids over the browned foods to build up
layers of taste, then covering them with liquid and simmering gently until
the flavors have blended and the meats are tender. Ragu`s should be rich
without being heavy. A ragu is a meat sauce with tomato, it is not a tomato
sauce with meat.

Adapted from Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

In a small sauce pot, bring the cream up to a simmer and reduce by 1/3.
About 6 tablespoons of cream should be remaining. In a sauce pot, render
the pancetta over medium heat, about 8 minutes, or until almost all the fat
is rendered. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onions. Season with salt and
pepper. Saut‚ the vegetables for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables
are translucent. In a mixing bowl, combine the meats. Season the meats with
salt and pepper. Increase the heat and stir in the meat. Brown the meat for
5 minutes, or until the meat is medium brown in color. Stir in the wine,
garlic and diluted tomato paste, and reduce the heat to very low. Cook
partially covered for 2 hours. From time to time stir in a tablespoon or so
of the milk, by the end of the two hours the milk should be incorporated.
Stir in the reduced cream. Season with salt and black pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Posted to recipeludigest by molony molony@scsn.net on Feb 27, 1998