All Day Bolognese with Hand-Cut Pappardelle

The secret to making this dish taste so delicious is not only in its 2-3 hours of simmering, but also because we brown the ingredients through every stage of cooking. There are a couple items that certainly help build depth of flavor, like anchovies and tomato paste, but this sauce is well-worth the wait— especially with delicate, fresh pasta (though a dried orecchiette or rigatoni will work great in a pinch!)

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Ingredients:

8 oz of ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 anchovy fillets packed in oil

1 tbsp of double-concentrated tomato paste

¼ cup of dry white wine

1 28-oz can of whole, peeled, San Marzano tomatoes

Parmigiano reggiano, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the ground beef on medium-high heat in the pot  in large chunks. You want to develop a nice brown color, about 5 minutes for the first side, and 2-3 for the second. Using a slotted spoon remove meat from the pot.

  2. Add another tbsp or two of olive oil to the pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes until the veggies have browned slightly. Add garlic and heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. 

  3. Add anchovy fillets to the pot, don’t worry about chopping them up, for they’ll just dissolve in the hot oil. Stir until anchovies disintegrate. Add the meat back to the pot and begin breaking the meat into smaller pieces using the back of a wooden spoon. Add 1 tbsp of tomato paste. The tomato paste should become a deeper brick-red color, about 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine, use the back of a wooden spoon to pull up any browned bits that got stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until all the alcohol is cooked out and the liquid is cooked down by about half, 2 minutes.

  4. Add all of the liquid from the can of tomatoes into the pot. Crush the tomatoes by hand directly from the can into the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Using the can as a measuring cup, fill the can about ¾ of the way with water. Swirl the can around to pick up any residual tomato juice on the sides of the can and add water to the pot. Bring sauce to a boil and reduce on low over a lazy simmer for anywhere between 1-3 hours, adding water as needed and adjusting salt to taste throughout.

  5. Serve with fresh pasta and grated parmigiano reggiano.