How to Make Slow-Simmered Bolognese

This is a from-scratch recipe for Slow-Simmered Bolognese. If you have bought a prepared Providoor dish, use its product instructions instead; the raw ingredients and cooking times below do not apply to reheating it.

Recipe yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 500g coarsely ground beef chuck or another collagen-rich forequarter cut
• 250g pork mince
• 100g pancetta, finely chopped
• 1/2 brown onion, about 60g, finely chopped by hand
• 1 medium carrot, about 60g, finely chopped by hand
• 1 celery stalk, about 60g, finely chopped by hand
• 4 cured anchovy fillets (optional)
• 250ml red or white wine
• 200g tomato passata
• 1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato paste
• 125ml whole milk (optional)
• About 1 litre light beef or vegetable stock, kept hot
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon nduja (optional)
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Chop the soffritto by hand. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery with a knife.
2. Melt the pancetta. Warm the olive oil in a heavy 24-26cm casserole over low heat and let the chopped pancetta render slowly. Its fat is the flavour base the vegetables cook in.
3. Sweat the vegetables without browning. Add the soffritto and cook low and slow, stirring, until softened but not coloured. If you are using the anchovies, melt them in now — they dissolve completely and leave only savoury depth.
4. Brown the meat properly. Raise the heat to medium, add both meats and break them up. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring, until the pan sizzles and the meat browns rather than steams grey.
5. Evaporate the wine completely. Add the wine and cook over medium heat until it has evaporated entirely. Raw alcohol left in the pot reads harsh through the whole sauce.
6. Add the tomato, then the first stock. Stir in the tomato paste and passata, then a cup of boiling stock. Tomato is a seasoning here, not the body of the sauce.
7. Simmer covered for three hours. Keep it at a low, covered simmer for about three hours, adding hot stock as the pot dries. Each addition reduces away, concentrating flavour while the collagen slowly converts to gelatin.
8. Add the milk halfway, if using. Pour in the milk at the halfway mark and let it too evaporate completely. It rounds the tomato's acidity into the finished sauce.
9. Finish, season and rest. Stir through the nduja if using, season with salt and pepper only at the end — three hours of reduction concentrates salt — and rest the pot 15 minutes before serving over tagliatelle.

Serving and preparation notes

Cooking times depend on your equipment and ingredient size. Keep raw-food preparation separate from ready-to-eat food and follow appropriate storage directions. This recipe is distinct from the product sold below.

Prefer a prepared dish?

Marco's Signature Bolognese is a separate product with its own ingredients, serving count and preparation. Check the current page and latest packaging before use.

For prepared meals, use the reheating guide. Explore the current menu and postcode delivery.