Crock-Pot Bolognese Sauce

Crock-Pot Bolognese Sauce

Adapted from Italian Academy of Cuisine

Notes. This sauce starts out on the stove, which is essential to brown the meat then slowly simmers in the Crock-Pot for the rest of the day. If you don’t own a Crock-Pot, you can cook it on the stove, as long as you keep an eye on it.

Make sure to visit your butcher for good quality meat before making it. I always recommend to buy grass-fed and organic meats. If you live in NYC take a trip to Fleisher’s in Park Slope (Brooklyn), it’s so worth it.

Ingredients

Makes about 5 cups

½ lb / 8 oz / 225 gr grass-fed organic ground beef (80/20)

½ lb / 8 oz / 225 gr organic ground pork

¼ lb / 4 oz / 113 gr pancetta (or center cut bacon), chopped

1 carrot, minced

1 celery stalk, minced

1 large onion, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

A glass of red wine (about ½ cup)

½ cup / 120 ml milk

½ cup / 4 oz / 113 gr tomato paste

1 cup + 2 tablespoons good tasting beef stock

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more if needed

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a large deep frying pan, sauté pancetta on low heat until the fat melts, about 4 minutes. Add olive oil, onions, celery and carrots and cook on medium-low heat until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high; add meat (beef and pork), season with salt and pepper and sauté until browned, stirring every so often.

Drain some of the fat (I usually just take a spoon and "spoon out" the grease into a bowl), then add red wine and cook until it reduces down, about 3 to 4 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small bowl dilute the tomato paste with two tablespoons of beef stock.

Add meat, diluted tomato paste, 1 cup of beef stock and milk to Crock-Pot. Cover and set slow cooker to low 6 hours.

If you don’t own a Crock-Pot, add remaining ingredients to the saute’ pan, reduce the heat to lowest settings, cover with a lid and cook for about 2 hours.

When finished cooking, adjust with seasoning and serve.

Leftovers can be frozen for future meals. To reheat, thaw in the refrigeration then reheat on the stove adding a bit of water if it looks too dry.