my italian half has taken over and it won’t be satisfied until i feed it a slow simmered bolognese sauce. my version allows you to go about your day, free as a bird, because you won’t be standing over a simmering pot for hours. you know that dutch oven that’s been sitting in your cabinet for years? you know the one, it’s fancy and french (le creuset anyone?) and comes in the most amazing colors and you never use it. well dust it off and put it to work. we have meat sauce to make…bolognese sauce
makes 8 servings
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes (ask your butcher if he has country spareribs)
2 celery stalks
2 large carrots
1 onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup red wine (if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t put it in your sauce)
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes (put them in a bowl and squish them by hand)
6 oz can tomato paste
salt and pepper
preheat oven to 250 degrees.grind the cubed pork in a food processor. in a large dutch oven, or other oven-safe pot, heat the olive oil and saute the ground pork until browned. use your food processor again to chop up the celery, carrots and onions. add the vegetables to the browned pork, season well with salt and pepper, and cook on med/high heat until softened. this will take about 10 minutes. add the garlic, basil and oregano and cook for another 5 minutes. add the red wine and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. add the squished tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
cover your pot and put it in the oven. i like to let mine simmer away in the oven for at least 4 hours. the longer the better! once the sauce has been simmered, check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
i serve my bolognese over pappardelle noodles, but you can use whatever pasta you like. the sauce tastes even better the next day, so plan to willingly eat leftovers! your leftover bolognese also makes a great pizza sauce or serve it next to creamy polenta. mangia!
celery carrots and onions 
when was i not invited over for this one?
this is such perfect timing, i *just* bought a huge pack of country spareribs. i can’t wait to try this!
Wow. I love this recipe. Almost as good as mine. 😉
I made this tonight in honor of your birthday! This recipe is the gift that keeps on giving, thanks for sharing, dear friend ❤️