gtwy

Bambi Bolognese

Chuck and venison ragù. 500g penne gets married. The rest stays undressed sauce.

Need

  • 2 lb ground chuck + 1 lb ground venison, mixed
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus 1 Tbsp at the end
  • 3 sweet onions, 3 carrots, 3 celery ribs, small dice
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • one 32 oz jar Labriola’s marinara. Tight at 2 hours: 1 cup more, not a second jar
  • 2 bay leaves, and a parmigiano rind if you have one
  • kosher salt, black pepper, 500g penne rigate
  • 1¾ Tbsp coarse kosher sea salt in a big pot. Not 2 Tbsp. Not table salt
  • parmigiano and Maldon, to finish

Pans
Smithey No. 14, lid off. 5 qt braiser for the soffritto and the simmer, lid propped on a spoon. 8 qt Dutch oven for the pasta. 500g will not fit in the 5 qt with this sauce.

Method

  1. Braiser, medium-low, 4 Tbsp butter. Onions, carrots, celery, a pinch of salt. 20–25 minutes, pale gold, not fried.
  2. Meat in one loose slab in the Smithey, lid off. Split it if it steams. Brown until it releases, 4–6 minutes, then 3–5. Break it up. Salt and pepper after the crust. Garlic last. Stop while the middle is pink. Into the braiser.
  3. Tomato paste in a clear spot, 1–2 minutes, until brick and sweet. Milk, simmer until absorbed, 5–8 minutes. Wine into the hot Smithey, scrape, into the braiser. Reduce 3–5 minutes.
  4. Whole jar, bay, rind. Lowest heat that still lazily bubbles. Lid propped. Stir every 20–30 minutes and scrape the center. Water if it sticks. Do not boil, and do not raise the heat to make up time. Taste at 2 hours. The jar is already salted. 2½ hours works. 3 is better.
  5. Bay and rind out. Heat off. 1 Tbsp butter. Ladle leftover sauce off. Leave enough to coat 500g, meat on every piece.
  6. Penne 1 minute shy. Save pasta water. Sauce into the 8 qt, heat off. Noodles in, a splash of pasta water, lid on 10 minutes. Parmigiano, Maldon, pepper.