Bolognese Sauce Recipe

1. Start by chopping up your holy trinity: 1 onion, about 1 cup celery, and 3 medium carrots. You can use a food processor for this job, or regular ol' elbow grease. Make sure the carrots are chopped pretty small.
2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots.
3. Season the vegetables with 2 teaspoons kosher salt (use less for table salt), 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon fennel to a ziplock bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it. Once crushed, add the fennel to the onions. (if you are not using fresh rosemary, add 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary now.)
4. Saute the vegetables with the spices for about 5 minutes until they are getting soft.
5. Use a chef's knife to chop about 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Use the side of the knife to press and crush 6 cloves of garlic. Peel, then chop finely.
6. Add the rosemary and garlic to the onion mixture, making sure there is enough oil so they don't scorch (add more if needed.) Cook 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
7. Next add in 1/2 pound Italian sausage and 1/2 pound ground beef. (Save the leftover meat to make Italian Wedding Soup!)
8. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat until cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes.
9. When the meat is cooked, add 1 cup white wine, 1 cup heavy cream, and the 6-ounce can of tomato paste. Stir it all together and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let cook down for about 5-10 minutes, stirring, until the liquid is mostly gone and it has formed a thick sauce with the veggies and meat. See photos.
10. Add 2 cups beef broth (I used 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.) Add the 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
11. Bring this mixture to a low simmer over medium or medium low heat. You want it to be bubbling occasionally, very gently.
12. Let the sauce simmer for about an hour, or two, or three. If you go past an hour, add some extra beef broth (1/2 cup at a time) so that it doesn't get too thick; use your best judgment for how thick you want your sauce. The longer this sauce cooks, the more flavorful it will become.*
13. Before serving, add 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley and 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil to the sauce. Serve hot.
14. To serve this with pasta: In another large pot, boil several quarts of water with 2 tablespoons salt. It should taste as salty as the ocean, try it.
15. Add about 1 and 1/2 pounds pasta (tagliatelle is traditional but tough to find; I always sub pappardelle. That's what you see in the photos.) Add pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3-6 minutes, check your package. Drain immediately once it is al dente. Drizzle with olive oil, plate, and top with Bolognese sauce, grated parmesan, and extra fresh basil and parsley.

Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Make the recipe as stated up through adding the cream, wine, and tomato paste. Once it is done cooking down and you are ready for the next step, scrape it all into a crock pot with the remaining ingredients: 2 cups beef broth, 28-ounces crushed tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Stir and let simmer on low for 3 hours, or up to 8 hours (or cook on high for 2 to 4 hours), checking to add more beef broth if it gets thick.