Ragù alla Bolognese
from the kitchen of Marissa Calfe

Bologna isn't know as "Bologna La Grassa" (Bologna the Fat) for nothing.  This rich, meaty pasta sauce is a traditional Bolognese favorite and is nearly always listed on the menu in any osteria or trattoria.  I once had a friend who ordered the dish EVERY time we were out to eat. 

To view the recipe click read more below

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
2 cans of whole peeled plum tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup white wine
1 box tagliatelli
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start with some extra virgin olive oil in an extra large saucepan.  Finely chop up the cloves, onion, carrots and celery and add them to the pot.  Once the veggies are fully coated in the olive oil and starting to soften add the ground beef, pork and veal.  Stir everything together and salt and pepper generously.  Sautee the meat and veggies until the meat is no longer pink.  Add the canned tomatoes to the mixture and break the chunks up with the back of a fork, then add the milk and wine.  The wine really does affect the taste of the sauce so it might be smart to sample it ahead of time.  Red wine can also be used, but a dry white wine is best. 

At this point, you can take a break and let everything simmer for 30-40 minutes (stirring occasionally).  If the sauce is too meaty for your taste, add some more tomatoes.  When most of the liquid has evaporated, turn off the stove and let the sauce sit for another 10-20 minutes so it can fully thicken.

Traditional Bolognese sauce must be eaten with tagliatelli, a flat egg past thicker than linguini but thinner than fettuccini.  Ok, small meat-filled tortellini can be used as well, but please leave the round spaghetti in the cabinet where it belongs.  Cook the pasta al dente in salted water, drain and toss with extra virgin olive oil.  Add a small portion of sauce on top of each plate of tagliatelli, serve and enjoy!

P.S. This amount of sauce could easily feed a small army, but it can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer for a delicious meal any time you want.  During my last month in Bologna I pretty much survived on this sauce.  I could eat it for lunch and dinner for days in a row and never get sick of it! (Er, almost).

Marissa Calfe is a copywrite intern at Elisco Advertising this summer.  She recently returned to the states after spending an academic year studying abroad in Bologna, Italy.  Marissa is a rising Senior at Dickinson College and is pursuing a double major in English Literature and Italian studies.