Christmas Comfort Food

This Christmas, Ben and I spent a week at my parents house helping out.  My mom had her hip replaced and couldn't be left alone for her first week post-op.  With limited mobility that also meant no cooking, no laundry, no household chores of any kind.  That's where we came in.  And since we had to stay close to home for the duration of our week, I passed the time cooking.  While I made a few tasty meals to speak of, one stands out.  That meal, Spaghetti with homemade Bolognese sauce, is allowed to claim fame because my father, the pickiest eater on the planet, couldn't stop eating it.  The recipe is below, courtesy of Tyler Florence. I would STRONGLY recommend halving it.  Even at 50-percent this recipe yields enough for two meals for normal people or one meal in which my brother and dad eat.

(The sauce simmering on the stove. I'm going to concede here that it looks a little like dog food.  However, make it and you won't ever worry about that again, it's so tasty!)

Ingredients for Spaghetti Bolognese

Extra-virgin olive oil (one generous turn around the pan)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
8 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt (this is my addition since you're intended to sweat rather than caramelize the mirepoix)
2 pounds ground veal (if you object to eating veal or can't find it ground readily, just double up on lean ground beef)
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
3 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
2 quarts chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1 pound dried spaghetti
Large spoonful ricotta cheese
Handful freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil


In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender but not browned.

Raise the heat a bit. Take the ground veal and beef, break it up into chunks and add it to the pan. Cook, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Then add the tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer very slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick.

Now add the milk - the milk will make the meat tender and will give a creaminess to the sauce- and simmer again until thickened, another 20 to 30 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper. Mash the sauce against the side of the pan to really blend it. Transfer half of the sauce to containers and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to several months.

Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. When you're ready to serve, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente) 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and put the spaghetti into a big pasta bowl. Return the sauce remaining in the pot to a simmer and stir in the ricotta cheese. Pour the sauce over the drained spaghetti and give it a good toss. Garnish with a handful of grated Parmigiano, the basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.