Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta

From the Kitchen of Yolanda Caccamo Quackenbush

Ingredients:

*4 ounces of diced Pancetta (you can find this at Wegmans already diced or any Italian import store)

~*~Note~*~Do not use bacon!

* 1/2 pound of ground beef

* 1/2 pound of ground pork

* 1 cooking Onion

* 1 stalk of celery and

* 1 stalk of Carrot

* 3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

* 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

* 3 1/2 Tablespoons of butter

* 1 cup of Whole Milk

* 1 cup of Dry Red Wine

* 1 cup of Beef Stock

* Pepper and salt to taste

* 1 lb of Pappardelle Pasta

Optional: 1 can of Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes (if you like it more moist with more tomato flavor)

Procedure:

~*~Note~*~ This sauce is easy to make, but takes about 3 hours to cook. Be patient, because the longer it cooks, the more flavorful the sauce will be!)

* Mince the onion, carrot and celery (I do this in my mini food processor. It saves tons of time!)

* In a large pot, add the olive oil and the butter and to that add the vegetable mixture.

* Sautee it on med-low heat for about 60 minutes until it is soft, just before it goes golden.

* When the vegetables are done, add the diced Pancetta and cook until lightly golden

* Next, add the ground beef and pork and brown on Medium Low heat for another 30 minutes, until fully cooked.

* Once the meat is well cooked, add the glass of red wine and cook until the wine is completely absorbed.

* When the wine has cooked out and the meat is getting a bit dry, add the tomato paste which you can thin out with a bit of beef stock.

Note: At this time you can add the crushed tomatoes if you wish

* Stir, salt, lower the heat, and now the ragu must simmer. Continue cooking it on a very low heat for about an hour and a half.

* Add broth little by little as you cook to keep the meat moist.

* When the sauce is done simmering, boil the Pappardelle Pasta in lightly salted water.

~*~Note~*~The reason Pappardelle Pasta is used, is because the sauce is very meaty and the Pasta holds the sauce very well!)

* While the pasta is boiling, add the milk and leave it on low heat to absorb completely. Add salt and pepper to taste.

* Drain the Pasta and toss it into your sauce.

* Serve with Grated cheese on top

Enjoy!