Bolognese

Serves 4 for 2 Dinners

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 2/3 cup chopped yellow onion

• 1 cup chopped carrot

• 8 ounces ground pork

• 1 pound ground beef

• Salt and Pepper

• 1 1/4 cups milk

• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 2 1/2 cups canned peeled whole Italian tomatoes, broken up with your hands, with their juice

• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Put the oil, butter, and onion in a heavy 5-quart pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook until the onion has become translucent, then add the carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the vegetables to coat well.

Add the ground pork and beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well, and cook until the meat has lost its raw, red color and has browned lightly.

Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely, about 30 minutes. Add the tiny grating of fresh nutmeg and stir.

Add the wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated, another 20 to 30 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all of the ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to simmer, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through the surface.

Cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it will begin to dry out and the fat will separate from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup water as necessary. Cook until the sauce is the texture and concentration you like. Taste and correct for salt. Serve with grated Parmesan on the side.