Fall is here!! It is time for a hearty, meaty Bolognese. My Chef Lara recently hosted a Girls Night “In” party and the ladies decided on an Italian theme dinner, something with a lot of flavor and meat! We decided on to do a Bolognese dish because it fit our description perfectly. Before we could create our October Bolognese we first needed to prepare some fresh homemade Pappardelle pasta, which ended up being quite the hit! Alternatively you can make the pasta ahead of time and freeze it for another day.

This dish takes some time in the Dutch oven but it is well worth the effort. The wine of choice with this Bolognese would be a nice Montepucciano.

 

5 Meat Bolognese (serves 6 or more)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup beef broth

8 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped

4 ounces mortadella, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 pound 85 percent lean ground beef

3/4 pound ground veal

3/4 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

Salt and pepper

1 ½ pound pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine chicken broth and beef broth in bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top and set aside. Cut onion, carrot, and celery until finely chopped. Place in a bowl. Pulse pancetta and mortadella in food processor until finely chopped, about 25 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed; transfer to second bowl..

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef, veal, and pork; cook, breaking up pieces with spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes. Add chopped pancetta mixture cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes, adjusting heat to keep fond from burning. Add chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until rust-colored and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Stir in wine, scraping pan with wooden spoon to loosen fond. Simmer until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth mixture and return to simmer. Put in the spices,  Reduce heat to low and cook at bare simmer until thickened (wooden spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce), about 1 1/2 hours. Skim excess fat from surface. The Bolognese also freezes very well for later use.

Season with salt and pepper to taste; cover and keep warm.

Bring 4-5 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add half of sauce and cooking water to pasta and toss to combine.