Preparation / Directions:
Finely chop the onions. Chop the garlic. Chop the carrot into small dice.
Peel and seed the tomatoes, then chop them fairly coarsely.
Heat the oil in the sauté pan, add the chopped onions, garlic, and carrot and sauté until soft but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the ground meats and sauté, stirring, until they lose their pink color, about 5 minutes. Break up any lumps in meat with edge of spoon while sautéing.
Pour in the milk and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Slow cooking, especially at the start, is the key to a good Bolognese sauce. If the meat boils, it will be tough.
Add the wine and continue simmering until it has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper, then add the water and simmer until the sauce is thick, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Discard the bouquet garni and taste the sauce for seasoning.
Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the spaghetti and simmer until tender but still chewy, 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
Meanwhile, if necessary, reheat the Bolognese sauce.
Drain the spaghetti in the colander, rinse with hot water, and drain again thoroughly. To serve, pile the hot spaghetti in warmed individual bowls or on plates, spoon the meat sauce on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. This recipe serves 4 to 6 as a main course.
Comments: Straight from Northern Italy -- savory Bolognese meat sauce served on a mound of hot spaghetti. Made with both ground beef and ground pork, this sauce, or ragu, is delicious with other pasta shapes such as quills, shells, and so on. The Bolognese sauce can be made and kept, covered, in the refrigerator 24 hours. The spaghetti should be cooked just before serving.
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