Marcella Hazan’s Pasta Bolognese

Adapted from NY Times

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• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the pasta (I use 1 tablespoon and I don’t use any to toss the pasta)
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• ⅔ cup celery, finely chopped
• ⅔ cup carrot, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic (my addition)
• ¾ pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (my addition)
• Salt (I use 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup whole milk (NY Times version) or 1/2 cup whole milk (Marcella’s Hazan’s original recipe)
• Whole nutmeg (freshly grated – just a pinch)
• 1 cup dry white wine (I usually skip)
• 1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice (NY Times version) or 2 cups plum tomatoes (Hazan’s original recipe) (I use a 1 (28 oz) can of SM brand whole peeled tomatoes that I blend up)
• 1 (8 oz) can Hunts tomato sauce (my addition)
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
• Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table

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1. Finely chop the vegetables (or pulse together in a food processor).
2. In a large pot over medium heat, place the oil, butter, and chopped onion.
3. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot (add vegetables all at once if they were chopped together in the food processor). Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often (I cook this for about 10 minutes until the vegetables start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
5. Add ground beef, anchovy paste (if using), a large pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
6. Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated.
7. Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely.
8. Grate in a pinch of nutmeg, and stir.
9. Add the tomatoes and stir. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down to the lowest simmer, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface.
10. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more (I usually cook for 1 hour), stirring occasionally. If the sauce gets dry, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water should remain and the fat should separate from the sauce. Taste and add salt, as needed.
11. Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.