Bolognese, the Hazan Way

Bolognese, the Hazan Way

Marcella Hazan's bolognese — milk first, wine second, patience throughout.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 50 g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 350 g ground beef, not lean — 80/20
• 120 ml whole milk
• Nutmeg, a grating
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 400 g tinned plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 450 g tagliatelle or pappardelle, to serve

Instructions

1. 1 The 1 tbsp oil and 50 g butter in a heavy pot; onion in first until translucent, then celery and carrot. This is the soffritto — give it 5 unhurried minutes.
2. 2 Add the beef, a pinch of salt, and break it up fine. Cook until it has lost its raw red — no browning heroics; Hazan is clear about this.
3. 3 Pour in the 120 ml milk and let it simmer away completely, stirring now and then. Then the nutmeg. The milk is what makes the sauce taste round instead of sharp.
4. 4 The 120 ml wine in next; let it evaporate fully. Then the tomatoes, and the heat goes as low as it will go.
5. 5 Simmer, barely bubbling, for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if it dries. The fat will separate and the sauce will turn brick-dark and glossy.
6. 6 Toss with tagliatelle and a knob of butter. Parmesan at the table, not in the pot.