Bolognese Meat Sauce

I was staying with my friends, Kerry Haynie and Fabio Sehbe, in Los Angeles and Fabio made a fantastic Bolognese. Trying to reproduce his version has been on my mind. Since he is a gifted home chef, Fabio didn’t use a recipe. I am not sure that this recipe equals the flavor of Fabio’s, but it does taste good. Hope you enjoy it.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped carrot

1 pound sirloin

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup milk

3/4 cup dry red wine

Nutmeg

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes with juice (I prefer Cento)

1 tablespoon of dried sweet basil

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of pasta

Parmigiano cheese

Put the oil and two tablespoons of butter in a pan and add the onion, celery, and carrot . When that becomes tender (about 5 minutes) add the ground sirloin and cook it until it is no longer pink. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Separate the chunks of meat with a wooden spoon as you are cooking it. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Add the milk and simmer it gently, stirring frequently, until it dissipates completely. Grate some nutmeg over the mixture. Run it over the grate three times, which should equal about 1/8 of a teaspoon. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Place the tomatoes, their juice, and the tomato paste in the pan and turn up the heat until the sauce bubbles. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes. Then turn down the heat and add the basil. Let it simmer gently for about one hour. When you are ready to serve the Bolognese, add the pasta and one tablespoon of butter. Mix this thoroughly, and you are ready.

Note: To make the cooking easier buy the onion, celery, and carrot that is already chopped. It can be found in the vegetable section of your market. The common name for this mixture is mirepoix. You can also get a jar of already minced garlic in the same area.

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