In the best spirit of the Guessipe, I’ve found Pasta Bolognese to have some pretty interchangeable components… red or white onion, celery or fennel, red or white wine, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, milk or heavy cream. It’s the long slow simmer that brings it all together. Traditionalists might balk at this, but try it and decide for yourself!

Guessipe

• your choice of pasta, cooked to al dente, 2 cups pasta water reserved
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 red or white onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 bulb of fennel or 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red or white wine
• 2 cups tomato sauce or canned tomatoes with their juices
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• parmesan to garnish

Cook the onion in the oil over medium-high heat until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the carrot and fennel/celery, and continue to cook until they begin to get tender.

Stir in the ground beef, and cook until it begins to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook one more minute.

Use the wine to deglaze the pan.

Add the tomato sauce/canned tomatoes, heavy cream/milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding pasta water as needed if the sauce begins to dry out. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over your cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan.