It is with great remorse that I recall how late bolognese entered my life.  Yes, there was a time when “bolognese” just sounded too fancy, too French, for my liking.  But if there’s one way to get me to eat something, it’s slipping it into lasagna, right there between the layers of pasta and creamy cheese.  And for this very thing, I say THANK YOU to Papa Joe’s (one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Akron, Ohio) for their bechamel lasagna with bolognese.  It was love at first bite, as they say.

For the record, bolognese is not French.  It is, in fact, a hearty Italian meat sauce.  I’ve come so far.

I succumbed to eating bolognese without much arm twisting, but I didn’t attempt to cook the sauce myself until I sat in on a cooking class with my friend Keia (her blog:  Ink and Fork) at Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen at the Atherton Market this fall.

Here’s the deal.  This sauce takes time.  The more time you put into the sauce, letting it gently simmer on the stove, the richer the flavors will be.  The good news is the sauce gives you an excuse to open a nice bottle of red wine (as if you needed an excuse…), and you, lovely chef, can enjoy the remainder of that bottle while the sauce slowly cooks down.  It’s precisely the sort of relaxing kitchen moment I crave.

This sauces freezes well, and even if you double the recipe, you’ll still have plenty of wine to drink, so go for it, friend.  For my bolognese, I like a medium to full-bodied dry red wine, like the Alamos Malbec I used in this batch.  Whatever varietal you choose, make sure to pick a wine you’d actually enjoy drinking.  Which is exactly what I did with the rest of my Malbec…  This one is going into my regular rotation!

Bolognese from Chef Alyssa

Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen — Healthy & Sustainable cooking classes
If you’re looking for a fun date night or girls night out, check out Chef Alyssa’s cooking classes.  Chef Alyssa does an awesome job of breaking down intimidating recipes into easy, step-by-step chunks.  Keia and I had a great time in the class, and this bolognese recipe is one I’ll be making for years to come.  Check out the class schedule here.

• 2 tbsp cooking oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 of a cup)
• 2 ounces thinly slice pancetta (I used 3 ounces of smokey bacon)
• 8 ounces ground beef (I used 90% lean)
• 1/3 cup dry red wine (I highly recommend Alamos Malbec)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 pound pasta of choice (I used fettuccine)
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a heavy pot over (or large saute pan) medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and saute until soft, about 8-10 minutes.

Add beef and pancetta (or bacon); saute, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add wine and balsamic and boil for 2 minutes, stirring often and scraping up browned bits.

Add the stock and tomato paste. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish sauce by adding the milk, then bring to a simmer until absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Transfer the sauce to a large saute pan.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cupful of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the bolognese sauce. Turn heat to medium-high, toss to coat.  If the sauce is too thick, add a few splashes of the pasta water to loosen it up.  Top with parmesan and parsley before serving.