My wife often makes her nona's recipe for Bolognese, they were both born in Bologna, so I guess that makes it pretty authentic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
250g of minced pork, loin or neck
400g minced lean beef
100g minced pancetta
50g diced Parma ham
75g cubed salsiccia (fresh Italian sausage)
125g finely chopped onion
75g finely chopped carrot
50g finely chopped celery
1 glass of red wine
150g of tomato paste
400cl of proper meat stock, yes you can use stock pots or stock cubes but it will change the flavor of the sauce.
salt and pepper to taste
Use a heavy deep pan with a lid. Put some olive oil in the pan and place on a high heat. Add the pancetta, stir continually with a wooden spoon and let it cook until crisp.
Take the pan from the heat and remove the pancetta, setting it aside.
Put a little more oil in and brown off the minced beef, once done set aside, and repeat with the minced pork.
Far better to brown the meats separately as it will improve the final flavour no end. Of course you can cook them together and can even brown them off while in with the veg to save time, but to get the very best authentic flavour cook them all separately.
Put the pan back on the heat and add the onion, the carrot and the celery. Lower the heat and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for a good 25 to 30 minutes.
Stir the veg and add the salsiccia, then add the browned minced beef and browned pork into the main pan, and let the flavours mix for about 5 to 10 minutes, as the sausage cooks,
Add the cooked pancetta that you set aside, and add the glass of red wine. Let this evaporate, then add the tomato paste. Take care that the paste doesn't stick by stirring well.
After about 3-4 minutes add half of the meat stock, stir well and reduce the heat to the lowest possible until the sauce barely simmers. Cover the pan, leaving a space for venting, and let the sauce reduce while it darkens and the flavours intensify.
Gradually add the rest of the stock, a little at a time, letting the sauce reduce between each addition. The longer this process takes, the better the sauce will be, my wife says anything less than 4 to 5 hours will not do the sauce justice.
Finally add the diced Parma ham half an hour before the cooking is complete.
When the sauce is ready remove it from the heat, cover the pan with its lid, and let the sauce rest. The longer it rests the better, when family are coming the sauce is always prepared at least the day before if not two days, then reheat the sauce over a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes adding a little whole milk, then it is ready to serve.
