Bolognese Sauce

This sauce must cook slowly for several hours to develop its full flavor. The recipe makes a lot of sauce, but it is just as easy to make a lot as a little, and you can freeze any extra successfully.

• Ready In: 5 hrs
• Yields: 7 cups

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  large onion, minced
• 2  carrots, in small dice
• 2  large celery ribs, in small dice
• 1 1⁄2 lbs  ground chuck
• 1⁄4 lb prosciutto, minced
• 3⁄4 cup white wine
• 3  cups  whole milk
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes, pureed in a food mill or blender
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg, more to taste
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over moderately low heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the vegetables are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the beef and cook slowly, breaking it up with a fork, until it changes color; do not allow the meat to sear or harden.
4. Stir in the prosciutto.
5. Add the wine and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated.
6. Stir in 1 1/2 cups milk and simmer until the milk is largely absorbed.
7. Add the tomatoes, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cover partially and adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer.
9. Cook 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
10. During the final 45 minutes, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in 3 batches, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more.
11. Taste and adjust the seasoning.