Quick Sausage Bolognese

I feel hesitant to post another tomato recipe- but I have tons more. Tomatoes have been a favorite food of mine since I could eat solids, so naturally, I have accrued an extensive collection of tomato recipes. The thing that gets me about tomatoes is their ability to bring both sweetness and acidity to a savory dish. The acidity is really the key, though, to livening up other foods. I recently made a very good and fine bean soup from the most beautiful cranberry beans from the farmer’s market but all I could think was, “you know what? This soup could really use a tomato.”

I think that every person who cooks should have a good tomato sauce recipe up their sleeve. This sauce doesn’t even have to be Italian in any strict sense but should be easy, simple, and most importantly, delicious. I would recommend something high in fat and preferably with a little meat. Sometimes I throw in olive and capers for extra salt, and sometimes some nice tuna canned in olive oil is just the ticket. But this recipe here, with a well rounded base of carrots, onion, and celery, and Italian sausage sans casing has become my sauce.

This is a recipe born of necessity. I crave a four hour ragú on a weekly basis, if not more. But do I have four hours each week to make it? Of course not. I use the same mirepoix base that I use in a more traditional ragú, follow all the same steps, but just use sausage in place of beef and it takes a whole heck of a lot less time. Does it taste anything like real ragú? No. But it does give a kick of meaty satisfaction that is delicious in its own right.

Quick Sausage Bolognese

Serves 4-6

Total time: 90 minutes, active time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot (about 2 medium carrots)

1/4 cup finely chopped celery (2-3 medium celery sticks)

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed

Salt to taste

2/3 cup whole milk

1 cup dry white wine

I can whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes

Method

Sauté carrots, onion, and celery in large saucepan over medium heat until soft. Add sausage and continue cooking, stirring frequently.

When sausage has lost its pink color, add milk and salt. Cook until the milk has almost completely evaporated. Add the wine and cook again until the liquid is nearly gone.

Add tomatoes and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low.

Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to your liking.

Toss with pasta and serve immediately with lots of Parmigiano Regianno