Spaghetti À La Bolognese

Adapted from https://www.kqed.org/jpepinheart/1126/spaghetti-a-la-bolognese

Jacques Pepin

I made this.

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced (1/2-inch) onions
3/4 cup diced (1/2-inch) carrots
3/4 cup diced (1/2-inch) celery
3 tablespoons chopped crushed garlic
12 ounces bulk Italian sausage
12 ounces ground beef
2 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons shredded fresh sage leaves
1 small serrano pepper, seeded and chopped, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pasta:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, preferably imported
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh chives

STEPS

For the Sauce:

1) Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, put the sausage and ground beef in a bowl, add half of the stock, and crush the meat with your hands to separate it. Put the tomatoes in another bowl and coarsely crush them with your hands.

3) Add the meat and stock mixture to the saucepan, along with the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook gently for 90 minutes. (Makes 9 cups sauce.)

For the Pasta:

1) When ready to cook the pasta, bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta to the water, stir well, and cook for about 9 minutes, until al dente (or to your liking).

2) Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, add the reserved cooking water, the oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

3) Divide the pasta among eight warm plates and pour a good cup of the Bolognese sauce on top of each serving. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chives and serve immediately.