Rainy Day Ragu
By: Gina Marie Barone
Published: Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 9:23pm

Ingredients




5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, minced
1/2 cup Celery, minced
1/2 cup Carrot, peeled and minced
4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 pound Ground Beef, organic
Kosher Salt-- generous pinch
Chili Flakes-- to taste, a pinch
1 pinch Dried Basil, Thyme,& Oregano-- generous of each
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup Red Wine, I prefer Chianti or Cabernet
2 cans each, 28oz cans of Diced Organic Tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) of Tomato Sauce
1 can (28 oz) of Tomato Puree+ ¾ of a 28 oz can of water

Preparation

1 Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat 2 Add vegetables and saute until soft, do not brown 3 Add ground beef, crumbling into pot. Cook slightly, about three minutes 4 Add salt, chili flakes and dried herbs. Cook a few minutes. 5 Add milk and simmer until clear fat remains, about 10 minutes 6 Add red wine and simmer to evaporate, 10 - 15 minutes more 7 Add all four cans of tomato product: diced, sauce and puree--Reserve Cans 8 Remove extra sauce that clings to the cans by swirling water into the cans 9 Add water, pouring into each can, about 3/4 of one can of water. Add to pot 10 Simmer very slowly, stirring occaisionally for 2 1/2 hours

About


This is my version of a Bolognese Sauce. You can use a combination of ground meats: Pork, Veal, and Beef. Short Ribs are amazing. I prefer a lighter version. Many traditional recipes use 3 or even 4 times the amount of meat. You can stand a fork up in it! The milk is the secret ingredient here, it tenderizes the meat as it slowly simmers away. This recipe is so delicious you will eat it right out of the pot!
Refrigerate for a few days or freeze for several months.