Luscious Bolognese Sauce

I usually spend Sunday afternoon cooking my lunches for the following week. Typical dishes include corned beef, chili con carne, arroz con pollo, or chicken salad. But this weekend, I made an amazing bolognese sauce.

It’s somewhat adapted from this recipe in the SF Chronicle. Here’s my version:

Beef and Pork Bolognese Sauce

2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1-2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 lb uncooked ground beef
1 lb uncooked Italian pork sausage (casings removed)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups red wine
1 tsp nutmeg
2 28-oz cans of chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp (or more) oregano
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

1. Heat olive oil. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook until onions and celery are soft (about 10-15 minutes).
2. Add meats. Break up chunks and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Stir frequently.
3. Add milk and nutmeg. Reduce heat and cook until the milk is almost evaporated (about 1-1/2 hours).
4. Add wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated (again, about 1-1/2 hours)
5. Add oregano, bay leaves and tomatoes. Reduce heat to very low. Cook for 2 hours, stirring frequently.
6. Taste the sauce regularly, adding salt as necessary.
7. Add ground pepper.

You can serve this sauce with pasta, but my friend Scott says serving it with polenta takes the sauce to a higher level. Just buy the Albers brand of corn meal, and follow the recipe for “corn meal mush” on the box. Add a tablespoon of butter when the polenta is cooked.

This is also a great sauce to freeze – the recipe should make enough for a week of lunches for two people, with a bit left over for the freezer. I’m going to use my extra sauce in a lasagna.

If I have any sauce left on Wednesday, I’ll take and post some photos.

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