Bolognese

My family’s favorite Italian restaurant growing up was Celestino in Pasadena. Their lasagna was like nothing I ever had before. The opposite of the red sauce, ricotta lasagna I was accustomed to, I would come to learn it was a Northern Italian lasagna – Bolognese instead of red sauce, bechamel instead of ricotta. It was so good we would order one as an appetizer to share and then I would have another as my main. After years of making a version of the lasagna at home, this Bolognese (the key ingredient in the lasagna) has grown into what I consider the most perfect meat sauce. Make it and serve it over pasta, throw half in the freezer for a night you don’t feel like cooking or make my lasagna (recipe posting in a few days) – a version of the Northern Italian dish I had at Celestino all those years ago.

Bolognese

Makes 6 cups

1 large onion, diced small

4 small carrots, diced small

3 stalks celery, diced small

2 tbsp butter

4 tbsp avocado oil, divided

1 pound ground pork

4 chicken livers, connective tssue removed

1 pound ground beef

4 oz sausage meat

1/2 cup verjus or white wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock, divided

1/4 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the butter and two tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until softened and the onion is beginning to turn translucent. Season with salt and transfer the onion mixture to a bowl. Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the ground pork and chicken livers. Season with salt and transfer to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add the final tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the ground beef and sausage meat. Season with salt and add the onion and ground pork mixture back into the pan. Once everything is hot, add the verjus or wine to the pan and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Whisk tomato paste into one cup of the stock and add to the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1.5 hours. If the sauce begins to dry out, moisten with remaining stock as needed. After 1.5 hours, check seasoning and add more salt if needed. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.