Suggested Pairing: Angelo Negro Prachioso, Roero DOCG 2019
Good Bolognese always takes time and this is a minimum three hour cook plus some prep work but it only requires some occasional stirring once it’s really underway so you can be doing other things while it cooks. We tried a few wines that certainly got along with the dish but the one that provided that ideal synergy of elevating both the wine and the food was Angelo Negro Prachioso, Roero DOCG 2019.
Angelo Negro traces their viticultural history to 1670 in the Roero region of Piedmont, Italy, and they first planted the Prachioso vineyard that same year. This comes from the classic 2019 vintage and is 100% Nebbiolo. The firm, fine tannins of the grape are absorbed by the richness of the bolognese while the fruit continues to speak. Hints of leather, classic for Nebbiolo, play well with the hint of sweetness from the carrots and also the deep savoriness of the dish from the long, slow cooking. Recipe below!
Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Meat Sauce from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. butter
½ cup chopped onion
⅔ cup chopped celery
⅔ cup chopped carrot
¾ lb ground beef chuck
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk
Whole nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1¼ to 1½ pounds pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- Put the oil, 3 tbsp. of the butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.
- Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
- Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating — about ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg, and stir.
- Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add ½ cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Stir to mix the fat into the sauce, taste and correct for salt
- Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the remaining tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.