1/2 cup (about 50 g) minced fresh parsley leaves, divided
2 cups (475 ml) dry white or red wine
1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
2 bay leaves
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
3 ounces (85 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce, such as Red Boat
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place stock in a medium bowl or 1-quart liquid measure and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. Purée tomatoes in the can using an immersion blender or transfer to the bowl of a countertop blender and purée until smooth. Transfer chicken livers to a cup that just fits head of immersion blender and purée until smooth.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in puréed chicken livers.
Meanwhile, heat butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered but butter and pancetta have not yet started to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of parsley and cook, stirring and tossing, until vegetables are completely softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add cooked vegetables to meat mixture.
Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated. Add reserved stock, tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season gently with salt and pepper.
Bring sauce to a simmer, then transfer to oven, uncovered. Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally, until liquid has almost completely reduced and sauce is rich and thick underneath a heavy layer of fat, 3 to 4 hours. If sauce still looks liquid or fat has not separated and formed a thick layer after 4 hours, transfer to stovetop and finish cooking at a brisk simmer, stirring frequently.
Carefully skim off most of the fat, leaving behind about 1 cup total. (For more precise measurement, skim completely, then add back 1 cup of fat.) Alternatively, let the sauce cool at this point and store in the fridge overnight to let the fat solidify and flavors meld. Then remove the solid fat, reserving a cup to add back in when the sauce is warmed.
Stir in heavy cream, parmesan, fish sauce, and remaining parsley. Bring to a boil on stovetop, stirring constantly to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bolognese can be cooled and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or frozen for later use.
**My own notes**: I was careful to specify the source in the title because I know there are lots of variations of Bolognese. Personally, I don’t use cream and I stick with milk, and I use anchovy paste instead of fish sauce. But otherwise, I have had great success using this recipe. Sometimes I can’t find ground lamb, in which case I just use two parts beef to one part pork and that comes out great. One last thing–if you make your own stock you don’t have to use the broth+gelatin he uses here. I make **pork stock** at home sometimes and freeze it and it works great in this recipe–lots of gelatin in it for a great mouth feel.
Delicious-Title-4932
That pastry blender is a new hack for me thanks for the meat grinding tip!
MyUserNameTaken
I just made this on Monday. So good. Homemade egg noodles cut wide. Got a quart left in the freezer
numbah25
I know it’s not your recipe but I’d think about putting in the fish sauce earlier than just bringing to a boil once, if you want the fish funk to get cooked off
deanomatronix
All was fine until the cream and stirring Parmesan into it?
Just no, not bolognese in my book
Alastor3
You got me at Serious Eats, Alton is a freaking genius, this isn’t your typical random wannabe homecook chef on tiktok
edit : apparently I mistaken Serious Eats with Good Eats, my bad
6 Comments
Source: [Serious Eats](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-bolognese-sauce-recipe)
1 quart (1 L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 to 1 1/2 ounces powdered gelatin (4 to 6 packets; 30 to 45 g), such as Knox (see note)
1 (28-ounce; 800g) can peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 pound (225 g) finely minced chicken livers
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound (450 g) ground beef chuck (about 20% fat)
1 pound (450 g) ground pork shoulder (about 20% fat)
1 pound (450 g) ground lamb shoulder (about 20% fat)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter
1/2 pound (225 g) finely diced pancetta
1 large onion, finely minced (about 8 ounces; 225 g)
2 carrots, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225 g)
4 ribs celery, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225 g)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (about 25 g) minced fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup (about 50 g) minced fresh parsley leaves, divided
2 cups (475 ml) dry white or red wine
1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
2 bay leaves
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
3 ounces (85 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce, such as Red Boat
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place stock in a medium bowl or 1-quart liquid measure and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. Purée tomatoes in the can using an immersion blender or transfer to the bowl of a countertop blender and purée until smooth. Transfer chicken livers to a cup that just fits head of immersion blender and purée until smooth.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in puréed chicken livers.
Meanwhile, heat butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered but butter and pancetta have not yet started to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of parsley and cook, stirring and tossing, until vegetables are completely softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add cooked vegetables to meat mixture.
Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated. Add reserved stock, tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season gently with salt and pepper.
Bring sauce to a simmer, then transfer to oven, uncovered. Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally, until liquid has almost completely reduced and sauce is rich and thick underneath a heavy layer of fat, 3 to 4 hours. If sauce still looks liquid or fat has not separated and formed a thick layer after 4 hours, transfer to stovetop and finish cooking at a brisk simmer, stirring frequently.
Carefully skim off most of the fat, leaving behind about 1 cup total. (For more precise measurement, skim completely, then add back 1 cup of fat.) Alternatively, let the sauce cool at this point and store in the fridge overnight to let the fat solidify and flavors meld. Then remove the solid fat, reserving a cup to add back in when the sauce is warmed.
Stir in heavy cream, parmesan, fish sauce, and remaining parsley. Bring to a boil on stovetop, stirring constantly to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bolognese can be cooled and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or frozen for later use.
**My own notes**: I was careful to specify the source in the title because I know there are lots of variations of Bolognese. Personally, I don’t use cream and I stick with milk, and I use anchovy paste instead of fish sauce. But otherwise, I have had great success using this recipe. Sometimes I can’t find ground lamb, in which case I just use two parts beef to one part pork and that comes out great. One last thing–if you make your own stock you don’t have to use the broth+gelatin he uses here. I make **pork stock** at home sometimes and freeze it and it works great in this recipe–lots of gelatin in it for a great mouth feel.
That pastry blender is a new hack for me thanks for the meat grinding tip!
I just made this on Monday. So good. Homemade egg noodles cut wide. Got a quart left in the freezer
I know it’s not your recipe but I’d think about putting in the fish sauce earlier than just bringing to a boil once, if you want the fish funk to get cooked off
All was fine until the cream and stirring Parmesan into it?
Just no, not bolognese in my book
You got me at Serious Eats, Alton is a freaking genius, this isn’t your typical random wannabe homecook chef on tiktok
edit : apparently I mistaken Serious Eats with Good Eats, my bad