Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

• Spaghetti · for 2180 g
• Ground beef · or half beef half pork250 g
• Onion · finely diced1
• Carrot · finely diced0.5
• Celery · finely diced1 stalk
• Garlic · minced2 cloves
• Whole tomatoes · 400g, crushed1 can
• Tomato paste1 tbsp
• Olive oil2 tbsp
• Parmigiano · grated, to finish
• For flavor
• Red wine · optional0.5 cup
• Milk · optional, for silkiness0.25 cup
• Bay leaf1
• Salt & pepper · to taste

Steps

1. Finely dice the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic (soffritto). Saute in olive oil over low heat until soft.

   ⏲ 7 min

2. Add the ground meat and brown over high heat, breaking up the clumps and cooking off the moisture.

   ⏲ 6 min

3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then pour in the red wine and cook off the alcohol.

   ⏲ 2 min

4. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and reduce to low.

   ⏲ 2 min

5. Simmer gently, partly covered, 40-60 minutes; stir in the milk near the end for silkiness. The longer it goes, the deeper the flavor.

   ⏲ 50 min

6. Cook the spaghetti al dente, toss it into the ragu with a splash of pasta water, plate, and finish with grated Parmigiano.

   ⏲ 2 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.